andPOP » Jason Mraz

Osheaga Music Festival Behind-The-Scenes

Jeremy Singer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:44:14 +0000

Having just hosted a Jazz and Comedy festival only a few weeks ago, Montreal was once again the pearl of Canada this past weekend with the undeniable success of the Osheaga Music and Arts festival- a two day event filled with performances beginning at 1:00pm all the way until 11:00pm.

As Saturday would feature notable acts such as Jason Mraz, The Roots, K’naan, The Stills, Girltalk and above all, the grandmaster Coldplay, andPOP decided to venture down to La Belle Province for day no. 1.

But something funny happened by the end of our trip. Not only did we go from being pale skinned to maple brown sunburned, but we also went from being a concert reviewer to a behind-the-scenes explorer.

With four different stages and acts scheduled at similar time slots, we had to pick and choose which musical path our day would lead towards.

This is our story.

2:30 pm- I begin my journey in Hell’s Kitchen. Beautiful sunny day in Montreal, but sweltering 30 degree Celsius heat. For some reason though, the crowd seems to want to stand through it for acoustic rock performer Donavon Frankenreiter at the Mountain Stage. The musician and also pro surfer gathers a trickling crowd with an immediate groovy set- reminiscent of longtime pal Jack Johnson.

Part of that next batch of sunshine tune-fellows like Johnson, Ben Harper, Matt Costa and G. Love, Frankenreiter ignites the festival’s spirit with his variety of catchy soothing numbers- most notably It Don’t Matter, which leads fans into a massive chant. A laid-back Frankenreiter even lets a lucky fan help him belt out the chorus, sending the crowd into rave cheers.

Truly a man of the festival.

3:15 pm- Onward to something completely different- British electro-pop duo La Roux. Though the up-and-coming part of the program, the group still manages to make a sharp impact. The whole crowd jives to their hit single Bulletproof- from their recently released 2009 debut album self titled La Roux.

4:00 pm- I decide I want to interview Coldplay. Yes, just like that. But with a concert reviewer ticket, you basically just get that- a free ticket to review the show. So, if I’m gonna get my chance for a sit-down with Chris Martin, I’m gonna need to get behind the scenes. After a macho security guard- we’ll call him “Arnold Schwarzenegger” -prohibits me from entering the VIP/Backstage area, I decide to make an upgrade.

Off to the media tent to do my shpiel, and back with the little blue bracelet I need.

A few nods and wrist checks later, and I’m slowly making my way to a field of tents, tour buses and trailers hidden away, behind the two main River and Mountain stages, from the crowd.

Hungry, I enter a large tent filled with a delicious spread for everyone backstage. Though I quickly realize inside, I need to have an additional bracelet. Since the security guard doesn’t notice me, I decide to snag a water bottle instead.

Gotta keep hydrated, safety first.

As I exit the tent, I head toward a tent filled with a bunch of media personnel on laptops. Next tent, La Roux singer Elly Jackson.

Relaxing on a white couch in her technicolor leotards, pale complexion, and crazy ginger hairdo, the 21-year-old has definitely carved out her own niche in not only the festival, but all of Britain.

5:25 pm- I head back out to the main area to catch the last few tunes of Eagles of Death Metal on the River Stage. Promoting their latest record Heart On to a sizable crowd, the two man group finish the set with their emphatic hit single Wannabe In L.A.

5:45 pm- Heading backstage again, I stumble upon an ecstatic Eagle of Death Metal frontman Jesse “The Devil” Hughes. In total bliss, the 36-year-old rocker comes strolling down the stairs shirtless, with that thick mustache, and long shaggy hair.

Despite his scary trucker appearance, Hughes is one of the most enthusiastic and friendly performers I’ve seen during a post-show.

“God, I love my job man!” he says smiling, before heading for a bite to eat. “That’s it, It’s the best!”

6:00 pm- I trek further, listening near the media tent to alternative rock band Elbow’s crowd pleasing performance. The group has kept for the most part a low profile during their career, but that was not the case at Osheaga. They were here to make their mark, and did so with their climatic One Day Like This.

6:20 pm- Jason Mraz is due next on stage in 10 minutes. Promoting his latest album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, Mraz is one of the festival’s more notable names, primarily due to the success of his Grammy nominated breezy single I’m Yours. Heck, even his album too- which has broken into the top ten of so many international music charts.

Suddenly an ATV rolls up behind me, and off steps the acoustic bluesy genius himself.

Mraz is a simple man, but then again affects to the masses. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a white T, and his well-known fedora hat, the 32-year-old strolls with a coffee in hand toward some shade on a bench under a tree.

6:30 pm- Let it be known that despite his shy appearance, Mraz is as suave and animated as they get. Grabbing a black and white fender-strat guitar as he hits the River Stage, the artist begins dancing to his rhythm, swaying his knees in-and-out like some Elvis Presley impersonator.

As he works the crowd like a showman, Mraz switches to his more comfortable tool- an acoustic guitar -and begins an energetic The Dynamo Of Volition.

An amazing acoustic set later of The Remedy, and Mraz then releases the highly anticipated feel-good vibe hit single I’m Yours.

“This is sort of a hippie song, so I want everybody to just relax and get their summer bugaloo on,” he says in a low smooth voice. An even bigger delight was the surprise transition into Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, where Mraz had everyone’s heads and arms bopping side-to-side. It was the perfect soundtrack for that point in the day: sun shining, a breeze brushing through crowd, middle of the summer. Even Mraz felt good about it, as he tells andPOP backstage after his performance.

7:45pm- “I had a great experience,” he says, as he relaxes in a field overlooking a pond, outside his trailer. “We’re really honored to have this opportunity, it’s been a fantastic day.” Though The Roots are now blaring their jazzy hip/hop melody out in the front, back here Mraz is enjoying some peaceful quality time with his band on a picnic table. And with him, instead of an acoustic guitar, is a Nikon D60 camera- which he’s trying to capture a picture of a sedentary groundhog with.

“I just got the Nikon recently, so far it’s been good,” he says after carefully trying to sneak up on the creature. “We’re all just basically enjoying ourselves.”

Adds percussionist Toca Rivera who sits on the grass taking in some rays, “It’s beautiful weather, great music, what more can you ask for.”

Hmm…maybe a sit-down with Coldplay?

8:15 pm- I venture further into the forest path, walking past the trailers and tour buses of Elbow, The Stills, The Roots and Donaven Frakenreiter. On the way, Roots drummer Questlove is being given a lift on an ATV somewhere, and Elbow’s lead singer Guy Garvey is seen heading into the band’s trailer.

Fifteen feet later and I stop at a much more secluded trailer- I venture near to see who it belongs to. Outside of the holding, a few security guards stop me before I go any further, informing me it’s for Coldplay.

Boom.

Without thinking, I tell them I’m here for the band. They give me a puzzled look, but go and ask the manager, which obviously turns out to be a no-go.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the four-man British rock band when they come out to walk to the main stage, I’m told that they won’t be out for another hour.

8:30 pm- So I decide to see the status of our mash-up Picasso Greg Gillis, also known as Girltalk, who’s set to perform at the same time-slot.

Of all the rough luck for a guy. Not a surprise he would only draw 500 out of the 30,000 audience total for the night.

Off of his latest masterpiece Feed The Animals, Gillis is in his one-man trailer- which is side by side to rapper K’Naan. He’s hard at work preparing for tonight’s set at the MEG stage, which was reserved for the majority of the electro-based performers.

8:45 pm- A 53-footer truck makes its way down the road behind the main stages carrying all of Coldplay’s custom stage pieces- part of which would include a separate circular platform that would be placed in the middle of the audience for the band to use later on in their set.

9:10 pm- I hear music playing, and nervous, I ask one of the set-up crew if the band has started yet. He chuckles and replies that when Coldplay goes up there, “you will know it.” After briefing me that the experience will be nothing short of spectacular, he gives me a heads up that they’re going to be opening up with Life In Technicolor, and that there will also be a couple of entertaining tweaks during the performance- including dozens of giant yellow crowd balloons for Yellow and a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

Sounds wicked.

9:15 pm- Night has fallen, easing the heat outdoors. The entire field filled to capacity is eagerly waiting for the band’s arrival. The music stops and a shadow-screen silhouettes the Grammy award winning band members who twirl sparklers- before then jamming right into Life In Technicolor.

Highlights of the first half of the set include a laser-accompanied Clocks, sing-a-long anthem Fix You, an entertaining Yellow- yes, dozens of bright yellow balloons bounce all over the audience -and above all, a turbo-charged Chris Martin who dances around the stage from left-to-right in his classic Napoleon-meets-American Apparel-style jacket.

“Merci beaucoup, mes amis,” he says to a screaming crowd.

Personally, hearing the violins begin to hum to their hit single Viva La Vida, with drummer Will Champion manning the kettles, was quite the epic experience by itself. And it’s obvious that Montreal was all smiles. Even, the energetic Martin points out how perfect the night is: fireworks on the right, an August moon on the left and a prime performance in the center.

Osheaga hit jackpot this year. No argument there.

But there was still plenty of juice left in the Coldplay tank, as the band suddenly makes its way single-filed through the crowd to the custom circular stage in the middle- only big enough to have the band standing back-to-back.

There they perform a slew of acoustic sets, including a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, before then heading back to the main stage to round-up the show.

11:00 pm- As the fairy-tale winds down, leaving 30,000 civilians preparing for hours of congested traffic on their way home, I decide to take one last chance to possibly see a glimpse of the band backstage. Only when I arrive there, I’m greeted with two police cars and four sleek black Escalades which pull up for each band member.

Obviously you’d like to hear that Martin and his crew come prancing off stage, we become best buddies and they invite me for a brew.

For some odd reason, they reluctantly did not. Go figure. The doors close shut and they disappear into the night with their impressive police escort.

But, at the end of the 10-hr day, was the sunburn, first phase of dehydration, and mental/physical exhaustion worth it?

I think so.

Joelle’s Top Five: Songs To Bring In The Summer

Joelle Tomlinson — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:48:06 +0000

5. Summer Lovin’ – Grease

Call me nostalgic, but admit that this upbeat shoe-tapper from the epic movie is irreplaceable. I’ve yet to meet a person that doesn’t know the chorus from this song, let along the funky dance actions to accompany the lyrics. This throw-back is guaranteed to get some hips twisting and some put you in the mood to throw on those tight leather pants that used to fit so perfectly.

4. Summer Breeze – Jason Mraz

This representation of Mraz’s remarkable voice is better than Xanax on a particularly tough day. It’s laid back lyrics and acoustic guitar combine to weave a relaxing melody that anyone can enjoy. When it’s time to lay out in the sun with accompanying music, “Summer Breeze” is a quintessential fit.

3. Don’t Trust Me – 3OH!3

Okay, I’ll admit that this seems completely irrelevant to the whole summer thing. Yet, the first time I heard this catchy alternative tune, I happened to be driving down a teeming street in the throes of road rage. As song as I heard “Don’t Trust Me” come on the radio, all anger dissipated, the window rolled down, and the head started bobbing to maximum volume. What better way to introduce summer?

2. All Summer Long – Kid Rock

I wasn’t sure whether to love or hate this song at first. It was disconcerting to witness my mom cranking up the radio and singing along to Kid Rock’s country approach. Apparently it’s one of those “good old glory days” tunes. Yet, in the end Kid Rock’s swampy riffs, distinctive guitar solo and gospel choirs won over my better judgement.

1. Right Round – Flo Rida

Summer means a lot of different things for different people. You recognize that giddy feeling you get when you think about the warmest months of the year, and exactly how you’re going to spend them? Whether it’s going home, spending time at the lake, vacationing, or (heaven forbid) working, this song acts as that metaphorical pep talk before the big game. Summer requires preparation, and in order to be amped, head-bobbing, foot-tapping, and relentless dancing is in order. “Right Round” by Flo Rida is a catchy, upbeat tune that is becoming popular at a perfect time of the year.

andPOP Interviews Jason Mraz

andPOP Staff — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:52:20 +0000

His album “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things” was a smash hit this year and his single “I’m Yours” became the anthem of Summer 08. andPOP sat down for a follow up interview with Jason where many women would love to go……..his tour bus. Jason spoke to Jordan about his success in 2008, life on the road, and Colbie Caillat.

Jason Mraz Announces Autumn Tour Plans

Eva Lam — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:56:08 +0000

Jason Mraz has unveiled details of his upcoming North American tour, including three Canadian stops.

The singer-songwriter will kick off the 36-date jaunt on Oct. 8 in Scranton, PA, playing in more than 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up Dec. 5 in Miami, FL.

Among the scheduled stops are Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as a hometown show in San Diego on Halloween and two shows — one an electric set, the other acoustic — in Richmond, VA in late November.

Irish singer Lisa Hannigan, best known for her collaborations with Damien Rice, will be the supporting act for most of the dates.

Mraz is touring in support of his third studio album, “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.,” which debuted at No. 3 on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart in May.

He is currently playing in Japan and will follow up with several shows in South Korea and Singapore.

Here are Mraz’s upcoming Canadian dates:

- Oct. 13 – Montreal @ Metropolis
- Oct. 15 – Toronto @ Massey Hall
- Nov. 8 – Vancouver @ Centre for Arts

andPOP Interviews Jason Mraz

andPOP Staff — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:37:18 +0000

After a brief break, completely away from music, Jason Mraz has returned with his new album, “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”

andPOP spoke with Mraz during a tour stop in Toronto.

Interview: Jason Mraz Lays Low Before New Record Release

andPOP Staff — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:23:11 +0000

Jason Mraz. Remember that name? Think back. Think hard. No, not John Mayer. Mraz. It’s been a while since anyone has really heard from the singer-songwriter, unless you were listening to his breakout hit “The Remedy” for the umpteenth time on the local adult contemporary station.

But after spending some time away from the spotlight, Mraz is gearing up to get back into the music scene with new songs and a new record. The hiatus, Mraz tells andPOP, has helped shape the album into something he hopes listeners will find quite different from what they might expect from him.

“The last album was very introverted, very personal songs: songs about Jason Mraz or songs from the Jason Mraz perspective,” he says. “Over the last few months, and throughout my travels in the last year, I realized that writing specifically only about my life experiences is limiting, considering there’s so many great stories to be told out there in the world.”

Moving away from writing simply love songs, Mraz plans to address social issues – environmental ones, especially – on his upcoming album, tentatively set for release in the fall.

Already, he’s sung about issues of self-esteem and self-image in a track he contributed to the “Be Ugly” campaign, recently launched by the ABC hit sitcom “Ugly Betty.” “Beauty In The Ugly” is a revamp of an old song that Mraz used to play live but was never formally released. The upbeat anthem tells ordinary girls to “own your name and stand up tall.”

Mraz says he was inspired to write the song after seeing so many girls at concerts and knowing so many women who “leave a trail of beauty magazines everywhere we go” – magazines that promote only one standardized version of what is considered beautiful.

It’s something Mraz himself isn’t immune to either.

“Image becomes a pressure on an artist and it certainly has for me,” he admits. “I just want to write songs and tell these stories and I just want to sing… but you have to make appearances and do videos. It’s so weird.”

Getting some time off away from all of that, he says, has not only given him new ideas and new feelings to work with musically; he’s also had the chance to have some time to rediscover who he is.

Mraz hasn’t taken such a long break since he first burst on the scene in 2002 with his debut album “Waiting For My Rocket To Come.” Since then, it had been constant touring and the release of another album, 2005’s “Mr. A-Z,” a critical bomb that saw only mild commercial success.

“I realized I really haven’t just settled down for six years. What does that feel like? Who am I now? What do I do? When I go to the grocery store, what things do I like to buy,” he asks, “cause I’ve been living off of catering and tour bus food and restaurants for so long?”

Now, Mraz is enjoying cooking his own food and laying low at his home in San Diego, where he has built his own personal studio. When he’s not working on the new album (which he’s “super proud of” so far), he’ll break out a book and do some reading or head to the beach with his surfboard. Once in a while, he’ll take his guitar out to a local coffee shop for an impromptu performance to test some of his new songs on fresh ears. No lights, no cameras, not even any bootleg tapers, whom Mraz has always made a point of welcoming at his shows.

It’s a useful and almost therapeutic process, which he likens to test-driving a car for kinks. “You’re like ‘alright, maybe I should go home and make some improvements on it so I can make it work a little smoother around the turns.’ That’s what I do,” he explains.

Perhaps reflecting the organic roots of its conception, the new record will be mostly acoustic: “keeping the sound raw, letting just the voice in the song be heard, trying to do as little electric instruments as possible,” Mraz describes.

Playing acoustic was how Mraz started out and it was important to him to go back to that approach after producing two big pop rock records. It’s why over the course of the last year, Mraz has made an effort to return to some of his old haunts (such as Schuba’s in Chicago and New York City’s Irving Plaza during a four-city “Songs for Friends” Tour last July) to play exclusive acoustic sets. A few select performances made it onto a live acoustic record, released in December and sold exclusively through jasonmraz.com.

So, he says, “it looks like I’ve been out of the music scene but actually I’ve been more involved in my music scene than ever.”

Jason Mraz Fights Pressures to Beat the Sophomore Slump

andPOP Staff — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 20:46:03 +0000

It’s easy to overlook Jason Mraz. The singer-songwriter, originally from the quiet town of Mechanicsville, Va., is remarkably soft-spoken, and his small, skinny frame is usually decked out in everyday, lounging-at-home type of clothes. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice Mraz walking down the street, even though he’s sold close to a million copies of his major-label debut, Waiting for My Rocket To Come.

And then there?s the genre Mraz is labelled under. He broke out in the mainstream market three years ago with his hit single, ?The Remedy,? which came right on the heels of another breakout hit, by that other singer-songwriter (coincidentally with the same initials), called ?No Such Thing.? That would be John Mayer, of course, but he and Mraz are just two of the dozens of acoustic guitar-playing solo singer-songwriters who have recently taken over radio airwaves, some of whom are barely distinguishable from each other.

But none of this seems to bother Mraz. ?I think we?re doing just fine,? he tells andPOP during a recent tour stop in Toronto in support of his new album, Mr. A-Z. ?I can just tell by the amount of people that show up at our shows, and the amount of love that we get. It?s proof that somebody?s listening.?

People are listening alright ? and some very devoted people at that. Fans have been waiting in line to see Mraz at the Kool Haus that night since 6 a.m. in the morning. It?s a reflection of how well Mr. A-Z (which sold a career-best 81,000 copies in its first week) has been doing. Mraz spent about a year working on the record, playing around with various approaches to the songs he wrote while on the road, and his hard work is paying off.

?The first album took us five weeks to record the whole thing,? he says. ?We just did one version of each song and that was that. But this album, we did multiple versions of each song, so by the time we released it, I was more confident with the versions that we were putting out.?

Mraz has had a non-stop schedule since Rocket came out and says that at first, it was hard to find time for his creative side. ?I didn?t write for a year, because I was having to get used to doing the interviews, going to radio stations, traveling, and putting on shows every night,? he says. But once he did grow into the frenetic pace of life on the road, he found that his rise to fame gave him more to sing about. ?I learned how to just pace myself and take more time to meditate and practice gratitude and appreciation,? Mraz explains. ?I feel like [that] enables me to write a variety of things, and experience a broader spectrum of emotions and things to write about.?

He describes the making of Mr. A-Z as a multi-phase process that was really a group effort between himself, his band, and renowned producer Steve Lillywhite, whose past credits include albums by U2 and Dave Matthews Band. The guts of the album were recorded in upstate New York before the music was brought back cross-country to San Diego, Calif., where Mraz now lives, for the final touches.

Not long after, ?Wordplay,? the defiant first single off the album blazed onto the Billboard singles chart. On the song, Mraz sings about avoiding the ?sophomore slump? and dealing with pressure from his record label, something he?s now very familiar with.

?As much as we?d like to think we?re just making a record for us, it?s still being funded by Atlantic Records and there are certain compromises that you have to make,? he says.

But Mraz is quick to point out he wasn?t forced into anything he didn?t believe in, despite the feeling of bitterness some may pick up from listening to ?Wordplay.?

?Atlantic knows I don?t hate them,? Mraz says. ?It?s just me making fun of the business so that I can come to terms with it. I?m still the same person; I just have to jump through different hoops to make albums to get around.?

Diehard fans of Mraz will know he?s always come off as a laidback kind of guy and he isn?t above making fun songs like ?Wordplay? to poke fun at the industry ? and even at himself. His vivacious personality is most evident in the journal entries and quirky videos he posts on his web site, jasonmraz.com. He has created a series of witty videos titled “Invisible Microphone News,” where he poses as a reporter digging up the dirt on his fellow band mates, Lillywhite, and even his gold record for Rocket.

Mraz is looking forward to filming more of the segments while he continues to tour North America this fall, followed by a United Kingdom tour beginning in February. ?There?ll definitely be more,? he promises. ?It?s trying to figure out how we?re going to make time throughout each day so that I can keep doing my own projects, such as ‘Invisible Mircophone News’.? IMN addicts will be happy to know Mraz already has one in the works featuring his new guitar player, Marion Aqualina.

In terms of music, Mraz reveals that he hopes to make an acoustic album, but says it will depend on where his song-writing takes him in the coming year. ?Already there?s quite a few songs that are funky. So who knows ? maybe it?s a double album. Maybe it?s acoustic on one side, and rock on the other,? he contemplates.

No matter what he decides, there is no doubt fans will be ready and waiting. When Mraz takes the Kool Haus stage a few hours later, the energy level in the venue escalates infinitely and the youthful crowd, many decked out in Mraz merchandise, cheer wildly as he belts out songs off Mr. A-Z and Rocket, as well as old favourites from the live records he released independently before he got signed. It?s clear that Mraz knows how to put on a great show, as he spouts off witty banter and hits every note perfectly. So while it may be easy for Mraz to blend into crowds; for those who do notice him, he?s impossible to forget.

CD Review: Jason Mraz – Mr. A-Z

andPOP Staff — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 22:30:01 +0000

Anyone who thinks Eminem is the only white boy who can rap has clearly never listened to Jason Mraz. While the platinum-selling singer-songwriter is by no means a hip hop star, nor a conventional MC, his sophomore effort, “Mr. A-Z,” shows he has no problem wrapping flurries of vowels and consonants around his tongue.

The first single off the album, Worldplay, is a perfect example of this talent: ?I try to keep a jumble and the lyrics never mumble when the music’s making people tongue-tied,? he sings. Wordplay is definitely the standout track on the album, and its catchy tune and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about the pressure that comes from a successful debut album (in Mraz?s case, 2002?s ?Waiting For My Rocket to Come?) makes it no surprise why it’s now such a radio hit.

The rest of the album offers more of the same, especially with Geek In The Pink. It?s another fun track that has Mraz embracing his trademark dorky style, which is to his advantage now that being a geek has never been hotter, thanks to the O.C.?s Seth.

?Mr. A-Z? has a good balance of both up-tempos and profound ballads that further emphasize Mraz?s range as a vocalist and his creativity as a songwriter. Songs like Life is Wonderful and Mr. Curiosity are great to relax to while Plane, Please Don?t Tell Her, and Song For A Friend are all ballads worth checking out.

However, as someone who has seen him perform live, no CD can really do Mraz justice. With Mr. A-Z, as with his first album, listening to him sing live is far more impressive than hearing his voice come out of a speaker. For the most part, it seems that the production doesn?t flatter his songs, which sound better stripped down.

While there are some duds on the album that will have you reaching for the skip button before you start nodding off, there are more than enough inspired tracks in the 12-song collection to ensure Mraz?s prediction from Geek In The Pink will be right on the button: ?geek is the colour for fall.?

4*
Release Date: July 26, 2005
Atlantic

Track Listing:
1. Life is Wonderful
2. Wordplay
3. Geek in the Pink
4. Did You Get My Message?
5. Mr. Curiosity
6. Clockwatching
7. Bella Luna
8. Plane
9. O. Lover
10. Please Don’t Tell Her
11. Forecast
12. Song For a Friend