andPOP » Maroon 5

Of Montreal, Pharrell Get Maroon’d

Eva Lam — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:23:43 +0000

Maroon 5 is getting reinterpreted by a diverse group of artists, ranging from indie rockers Of Montreal and Deerhoof to hip-hop producers Pharrell Williams and David Banner.

The remix album, titled “Call & Response,” is due Dec. 9 and features 18 tracks.

Most of the songs originally appeared on Maroon 5’s two studio albums, 2002’s “Songs About Jane” and last year’s “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.”

The exception is “Woman,” which appeared on the “Spider-Man 2″ soundtrack and is remixed by Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet.

Also contributing to the remix record are Mark Ronson, Paul Oakenfold, the Roots’ Questlove and Cut Copy, among others.

“I’ve always found it really interesting that a group of people looking at the same painting can all see different things,” Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine told Billboard.

“That was the idea behind this record — to take a few of our songs and have them interpreted by some of our favourite artists. We were really blown away by what they came up with.”

Maroon 5 will spent much of this month touring South America and are set to play Dubai and South Africa in December.

Here is the track list for the “Call & Response” remix album:

“If I Never See Your Face Again” — Swizz Beats
“Wake Up Call” feat. Mary J Blige — Mark Ronson
“Sunday Morning” — Questlove
“Makes Me Wonder” — Just Blaze
“This Love” — Tricky Stewart
“She Will Be Loved” — Pharrell Williams
“Shiver” — DJ Quik
“Wake Up Call” — David Banner
“Harder to Breathe” — Cool Kids
“Little Of Your Time” — Bloodshy and Avant
“Little Of Your Time” — Of Montreal
“Goodnight Goodnight” — Deerhoof
“Not Falling Apart” — Tiesto
“Better That We Break” — Ali Shaheed Muhammad
“Secret” — DJ Premier
“Woman” — Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet
“This Love” — Cut Copy
“If I Never See Your Face Again” feat. Rihanna — Paul Oakenfold

Sophomore Slump? Not for Maroon 5

andPOP Staff — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:08:54 +0000

Maroon 5 had five years to prepare for the threat of a sophomore slump.

The band released their debut album, “Songs About Jane,” in 2002. It took two years before the first single “Hard to Breathe” made a dent on the charts. When more hits kept coming, they kept touring and didn’t release another album until earlier this year.

So was the second album, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” a victim of the sophomore jinx? You be the judge.

The first single, “Makes Me Wonder,” became the band’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The next single, “Wake Up Call,” became a top 10 song around the world. As for the album itself – it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard selling almost half a million copies in its first week, and it’s still charting high after half a year.

Maroon 5 spent some time chatting with andPOP during a recent tour stop in Toronto.

Maroon 5 Make Chart History

andPOP Staff — Mon, 07 May 2007 16:52:54 +0000

MAROON 5 have made US pop chart history after scoring the biggest jump to number one ever on the Billboard Hot 100.

The group’s Makes Me Wonder has shot up the chart from number 64 to number one, beating Kelly Clarkson’s previous jump from 52 to the top spot.

The record-breaking feat prevents Avril Lavigne from celebrating a second week on top of both the US album and singles charts; her Girlfriend hit drops a place to number two.

Another former number one, Timbaland’s Give It to Me, also falls a spot to number three, while R&B star Ne-Yo also enjoys a big chart boost, jumping from 39 to number five on the new chart with Because of You.

Country star Carrie Underwood also makes chart history with her charity recording of The Pretenders’ I’ll Stand by You, which the singer performed to African schoolchildren as part of a touching video featured in the Idol Gives Back TV special last week.

Debuting at number six on the new countdown, it’s the first iTunes exclusive to ever open in the top 10.

Maroon 5 Dismiss Bad Blood With Drummer

andPOP Staff — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:35:04 +0000

Singer ADAM LEVINE insists there was no animosity within his band MAROON 5 when drummer RYAN DUSICK was forced to quit the group – branding his departure a “horrendous” loss.

Dusick, a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning band, left in September 2006 to pursue a songwriting career after joint and nerve injuries left him unable to perform drumming duties with Maroon 5.

But Levine insists there are no hard feelings among the remaining band members.

The 27-year-old vocalist says, “As painful and horrendous as it was having to part ways with someone who was a co-founder of the band, he couldn’t play any more to the ability that he once could. There’s no bad blood.”

Maroon 5, Kanye West to Kick Off NFL Season Opener

andPOP Staff — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 19:01:13 +0000

The Super Bowl has always been as much about the halftime music performances as it is about who gets to flash their championship rings for the next 12 months. Now you can get a taste of what’s to come in January five months earlier when the National Football League kicks the season off by bringing music and football even closer together.

On Sept. 8, ABC will broadcast an hour-long ?NFL Opening Kickoff 2005? special, which will feature performances by Green Day, Santana, Kanye West, Maroon 5, and taped footage from the current Rolling Stones tour. The live performances will take place in three cities to highlight the history of the big championship game.

Fans of West and Maroon 5 will be able to see the Grammy winners perform for free outside the Los Angeles Coliseum, where the first Super Bowl was held.

Meanwhile, Green Day and Santana will play at the home of last year?s Bowl winners, the New England Patriots, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Right after, Trisha Yearwood is slated to sing the National Anthem before the season opener, which pits the Patriots against the Oakland Raiders.

Finally, the Stones clips will come from their Aug. 31 concert in Detroit.

The special will be hosted by actor Freddie Prinze, Jr., who stars in ?Freddie,? a new ABC sitcom premiering this fall.

The “NFL Opening Kickoff” has become a bit of a tradition ever since 2002?s first kickoff event in New York with Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, and Eve. Last year?s show featured mega-stars Destiny?s Child, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Toby Keith and Lenny Kravitz.

Alicia Keys Gets ‘Unplugged’ with Maroon 5, Common, and Mos Def

andPOP Staff — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 16:13:10 +0000

Alicia Keys has succeeded in making another one of her dreams come true. The nine-time Grammy winner just finished taping a special episode of MTV ?Unplugged? and will now join the likes of Nirvana, Elton John, and Alanis Morissette ? musicians who comprise an exclusive list of big-name artists to have graced the show?s stage.

“As a child, in my wildest dreams ? and I dreamed so big ? but you never think it’s going to happen,” Keys told MTV. “So to be here, on the set that we’re going to record ‘Unplugged’ on, it’s amazing and beautiful and everything I’ve ever dreamed of.?

The R&B sensation brought the show back from MTV retirement last week in New York, where she serenaded fans with new renditions of songs off her two studio albums (Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys), a few covers (including Brenda Holloway?s ?Every Little Bit Hurts?) and also two new originals.

The MTV Unplugged series first debuted in 1989 and showcased popular bands in intimate, stripped-down performances, sans electric guitars, keyboards, and special effects. The show was credited with bringing about an ?acoustic revolution? in mainstream music.

?’Unplugged’ is my thing, it’s really my style, it’s what I’m all about,” said Keys. ?To have strings, to have percussion, to have all these elements to put in the piano base that I have, this is so much fun, man.?

Joining in on the fun were some of Keys? famous friends, whom she brought on stage to sing with her. Maroon 5?s Adam Levine joined Keys for a cover of the Rolling Stones? ?Wild Horses? while rap stars Common and Mos Def are featured in ?Love It or Leave It Alone.? Keys also performed with Damian Marley (son of reggae legend Bob Marley) for a unique rendition of his single, ?Welcome to Jam Rock.?

Fans can also look forward to hearing two new tracks on the show: “Stolen Moments” and “Unbreakable.” Keys describes ?Stolen Moments,? which she co-wrote with soul icon Al Green, as being about a romance “that shouldn’t exist, but it’s so perfect in how they relate to each other.” Meanwhile, “Unbreakable” is about “how life and love can be unbreakable.?

“Once people see this ‘Unplugged,’ I just want them to feel the spontaneity, to feel passionate,” Keys said. “I want you to see another side of me, that’s free, and feel where my head is, where whatever happens, happens. I want you to feel inspired.”

“Alicia Keys: Unplugged” is tentatively scheduled to air on MTV September 9.

Maroon 5 Working on Second Album

andPOP Staff — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 17:42:26 +0000

Three years after pop music group Maroon 5 shot to star power with the release of “Songs About Jane,” the group is working on their second album.

“Songs About Jane” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 after 67 weeks from its June 2002 release. Their debut sold 4 million copies in the U.S. and includes the hits “This Love,” “Sunday Morning,” “She Will Be Loved,” and “Harder to Breathe.”

?Now at least we know that we have the world?s ear, and I think that does bring some confidence, but at the same time, we?re not going to stop really pushing ourselves to develop our songcraft,? guitarist James Valentine told Billboard.

The band does not appear to have a clear-cut direction as of yet, but say they are leaning towards a uptempo set of songs.

?We?re kind of re-creating the sort of vibe that we had set up when we were writing the songs for the first record, where we rented a house and got some instruments set up,? Valentine told Billboard.

But to expectant Maroon fans, you?re going to have to wait a while, as the album is just in its fetus-stage and won?t be born for a while.

In the meantime, September 20 will see the release of ?Friday the 13th?Live at The Santa Barbara Bowl,” which is a CD or DVD that includes previously unreleased songs.

Maroon 5 is also busy with summer touring. They?ll be in England for the V Festivals on August 20th and Staffordshire on the 21st, and they will also be opening a few times for none other than the Rolling Stones.