Singer-songwriter Mike Mangione never wanted to be a showoff, but it's hard not to notice the Chicagoland native and Marquette alumnus' talent.

His self-released album There and Back, a collection of songs about his experiences living in Los Angeles, Chicago and Milwaukee in a year and a half span, came out in August.

"It takes you different places sonically and emotionally," Mangione said.

The story behind There and Back started in 2003 when Mangione was living in Los Angeles and working at a Starbucks while he played random shows throughout the city. It was in Los Angeles that he met Sam Shaber, a young female singer/songwriter on musician Shawn Mullens' record label that inspired Mangione. While she was not being played on the radio, Shaber was touring extensively. She gave Mangione advice and suggested he start building up contacts.

"I came home that night and announced to my roommate, 'You're going to be my manager and in three months I'm going on tour all over the country.'"

Mangione ended up playing 40 shows on a two-month tour that took him to Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta and Boston.

"It was my manager, me, his poodle and my Doberman Daisy sleeping in a Ford Taurus," Mangione said. "We traveled 12,000 miles in that car with all the equipment and the dogs."

One of the most notable songs on the album is the upbeat opener, "Girl from the Midwest."

"The energy of 'Girl' was not intended, but after it was recorded I loved it," Mangione said. The song was written at rest stops in New Mexico and Missouri and inspired by Mangione's fiancée, Stacy.

"I try not to make my songs too personal, but if you know me well then you can pick up on stuff," he said.

Another song on the album, "Closer," is about filling a void and replacing regret with other things, Mangione said.

"Musically, I love 'Closer.' My brother and I recorded it and it's just a different effect," he said. "It's about a search for redemption."

The song "Exoridum" unraveled itself and plays an important role on the album, according to Mangione.

"It sets a certain mood and is crucial for the album because it is one destination I want listeners to go to," he said.

Since returning to the Milwaukee area, Mangione has been playing various coffeehouses and clubs around the Midwest, but said Milwaukee could be more willing to accept a new generation of musicians like himself.

"Milwaukee needs to put the BoDeans behind them and embrace what's happening now and be proud of these up-and-coming artists," he said.

Music has been a part of the majority of Mangione's life. At the insistence of his mother, he started playing drums in first grade and he started playing guitar and harmonica in middle school when he wanted to sing to accompany his music. His musical influences include Bob Dylan, U2, Wilco and Ryan Adams, but it all depends on his mood.

"I don't necessarily stick to one genre," he said. "Songwriting is an art in itself so I try to write differently to mix it up."

Mangione's said his biggest challenge has been dealing with rejection.

"When I write stuff it's straight from my heart and when I'm doing that and people don't like it, you can become self-conscious. There's a lot of depression involved, but that's what makes for good music."

Despite an "industry flooded with rejection," Mangione said it is his passion that keeps him going.

"The flame that keeps me going is what I believe and when people who listen to my music hear it and honestly tell me they like it," he said.

Mangione said he plans on being persistent as he anxiously waits for a record deal. He said he is not going to give up because he thinks he has what it takes to make it big.

"I've had friends that have made it," he said. "It's a shame if people just stop and give up. A lot of the artists we listen to we never would have heard of if they had stopped."