Articles about Mraz

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MissWaiting	Articles about Mraz	Lead	[-]
Posts: 145 (10/07/05 03:00 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	edit 10/24 this thread should be used to post full articles on Jason. if you have an album review/snippet to post, please add it here: p071.ezboard.com/frightki...0140.topic -Sookie Hi, there are so many articles and interviews about the tour flying around the internet right now. I don't know where to post so I've started a new thread. nicole www.dailycollegian.com/vn...5b15fdccdc Make way for the 'geek in the pink' by Michael Busack, Collegian Staff October 07, 2005 Jason Mraz admits he probably isn't the most talented musician, but in an industry teeming with pre-packaged artists, Mraz knows what he wants, and is determined to get it. "If I'm not interested in something, I just won't do it," Mraz said in a recent interview with the Daily Collegian. The "Curbside Prophet" says his sophomore studio release, "Mr. A-Z," which debuted at #5 on the Billboard charts, was very much a well-thought, deliberate process. "I wanted to try each song five or six times," Mraz said. "I wanted to know I was happy to have the strongest version of each song." Mraz worked with acclaimed British producer Steve Lillywhite who has made legendary albums for bands like U2, the Dave Matthews Band and the Rolling Stones. "It was pretty amazing," said Mraz of working with Lillywhite. "He's been making records as long as I've been alive. The guy has so much useful spunk, and he looks like he is 30 years old." "He was the perfect guy for the job." Mraz, who turned 28 in June, says he's not done learning about the process of making music. "I'm not the most practical gifted musician on the scene," he said. "I really only know how to write my own songs, and that's about it." "Mr. A-Z" was not a departure from Mraz's first studio release, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," which Mraz says only took about five to six weeks to put together. The 12 track disc chronicles Mraz's life over the period of a year. Each song comes from a personal place in the singer/songwriter's life, be it his relationships, his friendships or the troubles of living his life as "the geek in the pink." "Everything I write on both albums comes from honest situations and honest relationships, personal feelings," Mraz said. "Few things that I write are fictional," he added. "I don't just put out. I just have a hard time believing it." This is precisely why Mraz felt it was critical to spend more time in the studio with "Mr. A-Z." "I wanted to know I was happy to have the strongest version of each song," Mraz said. The first single off of the new album, a delightful pop-infused ditty titled "Wordplay," is perhaps one of the stronger cuts of the disc. Mraz mocks the very idea of what the stereotypical first single sounds like with his own. Ironic? However, this song, or any song on the disc for that matter, is not a reflection of the entire album. Mraz stretches his range to the max infusing pop with a cappella, a touch of hip-hop, a dab of 80s pop and a liberal sprinkling of love song. Lillywhite's presence in Allaire Studios, where the record was recorded, is obvious on the disc. Lillywhite has the keen ability to be able to present the artists, flaws and all. The sounds you hear on "Mr. A-Z" are a much better reflection of the live show that has made a name for Mraz. The artist's talents are emphasized on each track, while the raw emotion of the songs hasn't been polished off. Mraz began a full tour in support of the album this September in San Diego. The road show will stretch through the United States and wind its way to the United Kingdom in 2006. Mraz has received rave reviews for his live performance in the past, but in an October 2003 article in the Daily Collegian, Mraz said touring was the most difficult part of the occupation. "Life on tour is a blur," he said. "Whether it is a bus or a plane or a car, you are constantly surrounded by B.O. and B.S., looking out a window." Today, Mraz says the road looks a little more complicated than just the B.O. and B.S. "If ever you say to yourself, 'ahh, I wish I could sleep in my bed tonight,' those are the times you miss home," Mraz said. "We have an amazing crew and band with us though, so it makes life on the road super easy," he added. "You have a lot of people working together to get the job done." The live show is set to hit Boston this Sunday with opening acts Raul Midon and Carbon Leaf at the Orpheum Theatre. Ticket prices range from $25 to $28.50.
MissWaiting	Re: article thread	#1	[-]
Posts: 145 (10/07/05 03:03 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	another one www.democratandchronicle....1077/ENT05 Confessions of an anti-rock star Jeff Spevak Staff music critic (October 6, 2005) Jason Mraz, college-radio fave du jour, seems like an extraordinarily likeable, un-cynical fellow. "I've always felt like a contest winner," says Mraz, who plays Friday at Rochester Institute of Technology. "You know how, when they interview a contest winner, they'll tell you anything." And Mraz switches to the voice of a lucky member of the studio audience: "'I'm so excited! Here, meet my kids!' "That's how I feel, like a Price is Right winner." Mraz is 28 and a major revenue-generator in the music business, so you'd figure he'd be moving through the spotlight with a little dignity by now. And not be so inclined to reveal embarrassing tidbits like, while sharing a bed with a buddy while traveling a while ago, he dreamed that he'd reached down into the butt side of the guy's boxer shorts. And was told the next morning that it wasn't a dream, that he'd done exactly that. Mraz is not only a confessional songwriter, he's a confessional interviewee. "I enjoy taking this ride with all my friends and family," Mraz says by phone in St. Louis, where his tour had paused. "It's like a little reality show, for hard-core fans, who come along for the ride. "But, I still don't tell everything." But he is Mr. Everything. Mraz grew up in Mechanicsburg, Va., which means he was coming of musical age just as the regional rock hero, Dave Matthews, was taking off. And Mraz does sound a little like Matthews. In a good way: Both performers share a ceaseless musical curiosity. Mraz's second album, Mr. A-Z, does indeed wander the musical range, from A to Z. Acoustic guitar to tango, anyway, stopping short of zither. Mraz even raps a little, although he has little street in him. Like Ben Folds, his songs resonate of suburban institutions. He readily confesses he was and still is a nerd. And a hypochondriac who enjoys health insurance because it allows him to head off everything at the bypass. By the way, Mraz would probably enjoy that last little word play. His own songs can be Scrabble games set to melodies. Even Mr. A-Z is a little punctuation-play on Mraz. "It's like one of those 3-D image posters from the '90s," he says. "You look at one long enough and hard enough, and suddenly it appears to you." It actually appeared to him years ago, when his dad would make restaurant reservations using it, and more recently when he worked in a bookstore, where a friend stumbled on it. "He said, 'Dude, check this out,'" says Mraz in a fine slacker style; a good deal of Mraz's conversation is mimicking his friends. "'You're Mister Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You're Mr. Everything.' "I try to put a little bit of everything into my music." His record label pushes the pop songs. "I tried to fight it, but you can't," Mraz says. But it's not an effort to sing something for everyone. "I think it's the other way around. The constant, multigenre idea is gonna rob me of my ability to be popular. "Everything right now is about new sound. I'm guilty of it. I want to pay tribute to different genres that I've heard over the years, and older artists, and new sounds and today's youth. It isn't a realistic goal." It's trying to please too many masters. And maybe you try it, but end up with a mess. A great album is unforced, Mraz says. "I'm an overanalyzer, with everything I do. Relationships, food, where the fork is placed on the table, the pills that get my kidneys to function right." The antidote, as far as Mraz's songwriting hand-wringing, may be in what he calls the "Songwriting Challenge," which he does with a handful of other musicians. "Every morning, when I wake, there's a text message waiting for me, and I have 24 hours to incorporate that phrase into a song. Or maybe use it as a title. At the end of the week, I have five or six songs. "What it teaches me is to not be so precious about writing. Because none of us can write the perfect song." It sounds as though Mraz sets the bar lower, so we can all reach it. "I've always tried to be normal, and be accessible to everyone," he says. "I never did media training, like a lot a lot of folks did." Media training, no. But Mraz seems to have an unerring sense of his normalcy, a realization that confessing his flaws adds a sense of accessibility. We have a few anti-rock stars wandering the planet, and Mraz is definitely one. "Save me a Garbage Plate up there," he says, before hanging up. He wants a Garbage Plate? Is that a good idea for a rock-star hypochondriac? Someone save this guy from the rest of us.
Unregistered(d)	Re: article thread	#2	[-]
Posts: 0 (10/07/05 06:25 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	*Quote:* he dreamed that he'd reached down into the butt side of the guy's boxer shorts. Jason, Jason, Jason. I snooteed out my nose. *Quote:* And was told the next morning that it wasn't a dream, that he'd done exactly that. Mraz is not only a confessional songwriter, he's a confessional interviewee. I was wondering if we'd ever hear about that. *Quote:* "I'm an overanalyzer,
danceprincess202	Re: article thread	#3	[-]
Posts: 409 (10/07/05 10:48 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Here's a couple jam.canoe.ca/Music/2005/1...8-sun.html "Life Is Beautiful for Jason Mraz" Coffee never tasted better, Jason Mraz enthuses as he enjoys his first cup of java in a month. "I read something ridiculous in an airline magazine that coffee was the No. 1 cause of panic attacks and I'd begun to feel like I was having them," he explains. "You know, I'd been calling my band the Take it Easy Bunch, and it was definitely threatening my status as one of them." The native of Mechanicsville, Va., had long since left behind the coffeehouses of Southern California that nurtured his talent during the late '90s. So perhaps giving up the hot brown drink did not seem so ridiculous to the singer-songwriter whose latest album, Mr A-Z, is a distinctly 'pop' collection of full-band performances captured by veteran producer Steve Lillywhite. But that was last month. This morning, as he reflects on the situation, Mraz's conclusion is that, "All giving up coffee did was make me slow in the mornings." And, as Mraz's trademark, infectious mix of country, pop, folk and jazz flavours presented with a hip-hop sensibility confirms, this is an artist who is anything but slow. Sure, he spent a full year working on Mr A-Z, but the results burst forth from the speakers with all the energy of a live performance. Moreover, the followup to the acclaimed debut Waiting for my Rocket to Come is that rarest of contemporary offerings -- an album that dares to be positive. "I honestly don't like to take sad songs on tour," Mraz says. "Besides, I can only write what I know. And after the first album, I realized that all my dreams were coming true. How do you write from a dreamer's perspective when your dreams have come true?" Oh, there are some blue moments on Mr A-Z. But the overall tone is set from the opening track, Life is Beautiful, a pretty melody embellished by plenty of la-la-las in the chorus. It's refreshing without being too shmaltzy. Again, a rare feat. Mraz and band intend to spread some of that positive energy this evening at the Capital Music Hall. And it's safe to assume the one-time student of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy will give us a show to remember. "It will be fun," Mraz promises. "There's even an occasional dance move." Beautiful. www.potomacnews.com/servl...9971&path= With an itinerary booked into March of next year, Jason Mraz is content with his busy schedule. It can get grueling, but I like it. Some days you wish you had a day off, but when you do, you wish you were playing live, said the Virginia native. In July, Mraz released his sophomore record, Mr. A-Z, to first week sales of 67,000 copies - a career best. He is currently touring in support of the album and will play at Georgetown University this Saturday. Geek in the Pink, the second single from Mr. A-Z, will be released to various media circuits in the coming weeks. Mraz took the reigns and directed the video for the song himself. Its finally the first great video that Ive put out. All the other videos have cost at least $150,000 to make and this one cost me pizza, literally, he said. The track will hit radio outlets soon, but Mraz isnt concerned with having chart-topping singles. I just look forward to touring. Mraz can also currently be seen in Gaps fall marketing campaign, appearing in television and print ads. He also contributed a recording of Bob Marleys One Love to the clothing stores exclusive Favorites compact disc. The collection features artists such as Keith Urban, Joss Stone and John Legend sharing remakes of their favorite songs. The 28-year-old has built a solid following since his 2002 debut of Waiting For My Rocket To Come. The critically acclaimed and double platinum-selling CD, led by radio hit The Remedy, catapulted him into pop cultures mainstream. Raised in Mechanicsville, Mraz considers the difficult decision to finally leave his hometown to be the essential turning point in his career. I was moving to California to chase a dream and I had to give my cat away. The cat looked at me like I was a deadbeat dad leaving his family, he said. I met my manager three weeks later and that was a defining moment, when I packed up my truck in Virginia and said Im just going to do it. With an extensive catalogue of songs, Mraz gets his inspiration from several areas of life. Every song is different. I had a dream last night that a guy was trying to kill me and that he wrote a song called God is my lasso. I woke up this morning and wrote down God is my lasso, he said. Mraz jots down these random ideas in a phrase bank to refer to when sitting down with his guitar. Often personal in lyrical content, not every song written is shared with an audience. Occasionally I write a song that has too many personal references that I never play live, said Mraz. He prefers not to perform songs that are too specific about a girl or contain many obscenities or drug references. Thats not what I like to share. I like to have a positive spin. A song called Unfold stands out as Mrazs personal favorite from his own collection. Every time I write a song I hope I write another Unfold. Its more poetry than a solid meaning of one thing, he said. Im waking empty but seldom sleeping/and the words repeat breathing histories into stories untold/and I unfold. Written five years ago, it is a song Mraz still plays at almost every show and feels strongly about it standing the test of time, considering some songs are written and then left alone after a couple of performances. In the last three years, Mraz has toured with many acts including the Dave Matthews Band, Jewel, Liz Phair and most recently Alanis Morissette, for whom he was the opening act on her acoustic tour. It was fantastic the ultimate summer vacation. Having very little responsibility, just show up and have fun and playing for new audiences; its the way to go, he said. Mraz also takes pleasure in touring with his committed crew and band mates. Everyones working together like a traveling circus, he said. In November, Mraz will play five shows opening for the Rolling Stones. Through his success and widespread popularity, Mraz remains grounded and low-key. Not big on partying or delving into stereotypical rock star behavior, he prefers spending time on his tour bus reading and writing. He is grateful to his loyal fan base and tries to be accessible to them, often hanging out after shows to meet people and posting journal entries on his Web site. I dig them. I think of them as more of a friend base, he said. Ive always felt like a contest winner in this situation. Im not going to put myself on a pedestal, said Mraz.
Billehluver	Re: article thread	#4	[-]
Posts: 1169 (10/07/05 11:07 AM) And then I kissed a star... Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Thanks for posting! The articles were great. The dreamin of grabbing someone's bum is a little scary. -Cryssy "Mi casa en el medio del la calle" -JMraz
Unregistered(d)	Re: article thread	#5	[-]
Posts: 0 (10/07/05 10:12 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Thanks for those articles. That last one was especially nice. I think it was one of the few to capture the essence of Mraz.
jmrax	Re: article thread	#6	[-]
Posts: 531 (10/07/05 11:04 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	awesome articles! AHAHA i love the bum thing too, wonder what the reaction was :P Geek in the Pink video costing a pizza eh? - jax chang look at his legs go =)
MissWaiting	Re: article thread	#7	[-]
Posts: 145 (10/08/05 03:22 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	theedge.bostonherald.com/...eid=106059 Mraz-matazz: Master of `Wordplay' goes from `A-Z' By Sarah Rodman Saturday, October 8, 2005 Jason Mraz has learned a great deal about the music business since his 2002 debut ``Waiting for My Rocket to Come.'' But he still considers himself a student of life. Which is why the 28-year-old, who plays the Orpheum tomorrow, buckled down and did his homework before recording a follow-up. ``To make `Mr. A-Z' happen,'' he says of his new CD, ``I did these little writing retreats and I really had to push myself. It was like studying for the SATs. I felt like I was in book mode the entire time.'' His work paid off in the musical diversity hinted at in the album's title, a play on the singer-songwriter's last name. From the sunny pop of the single ``Wordplay'' - which deliberately echoes his bubbly breakthrough hit ``The Remedy'' - and a lilting bossa nova featuring Raul Midon to a stab at hip-hop and an operatic interlude, the album explores what the verbose Mraz can do with his dynamic voice. ``I've always loved songs that sound pretty,'' says Mraz, a self-professed ``drama geek'' and choirboy during his student days in suburban Virginia. ``When I was in high school my choir director was way into classical music and I loved singing the arias, singing formally. There's a certain vibration that occurs when you finally sing correctly and pretty and I wanted to do that with my own songs.'' Though Mraz, who briefly studied at New York's American Musical and Dramatic Academy, appreciates vocal sensitivity, he has received advice to toughen up his sound to broaden his heavily female fan base. ``I've heard from different label analysts,'' Mraz says by phone from Michigan, ``and just random people who like to give notes saying, `I'd like to see more guys come to the show. How can we tough it up and be more like Jack Johnson? He's pretty but he's got tons of dudes.' ``And I'm like, `I don't know. He's Jack and I'm Jason. We're two totally different people with two totally different crowds.' '' And Mraz is drawing his own crowd now that he's graduated to headline status. ``I think they're digging it,'' he says. ``They're singing along, so I think that's a good sign. And there's lot of smiles. Life is peachy.'' It got even peachier when Mraz learned he'd been tapped, along with Coldplay, Metallica and Pearl Jam, to open a few dates on the Rolling Stones' Bigger Bang tour. ``It really hasn't sunk in yet,'' he says of the plum gig, ``because they're a totally different generation. I've never seen them live and I haven't yet gone down that path of music appreciation.'' He says that when his agent informed him of the offer, he responded, `` `The Rolling who? Are they new? Are they like the Killers?' '' Mraz laughs. ``I'm excited. It is an honor. They could have anybody in the world open up for them and the fact that they chose me is kind of ridiculous. They're definitely getting old and losing their minds.''
Unregistered(d)	Re: article thread	#8	[-]
Posts: 0 (10/08/05 04:02 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Haha, that Mraz man sure is funny.
SpankysClamShack	Re: article thread	#9	[-]
Posts: 1181 (10/09/05 05:09 PM) Made in Foreign Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I was just scanning the articles and I cane across this: *Quote:* Mechanicsburg Pff. I hate it when reporters get stuff wrong. -Jamers Spanky's Clam Shack
Unregistered(d)	Re: article thread	#10	[-]
Posts: 0 (10/10/05 05:47 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	He can reach down my boxers ANYTIME. Wait, I don't wear boxers. Haha just had to crack myself up before I fly out the door. Crack.