Jason Mraz
Love and Rockets: Looking for some- where to bring your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Fed up of the usual overpriced candlelight dinner in a restaurant filled with other hapless couples trying to look like they're having a good time? Then why not book a table at Whelans, Dublin on February 14th, and spend a couple of hours with Jason Mraz. This rising star of alterno-American pop can do romantic schmaltz (he's touring with James Blunt) as well as smart, ironic tunes with a lyrical twist. His second album, Mr A-Z, features such songs as Life Is Wonderful, Clockwatching and his satirical take on today's hit parade, Wordplay. Jason will also do songs from his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, and will no doubt throw in a cover version or two.
Shop front: Mraz (the name is Czech and means "frost") was born in Mechanics- ville, Virginia and grew up with romantic dreams of becoming a song-and-dance star. He starred in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in high school, but, when he moved to New York to study music and drama, he realised that dancing and acting weren't his great strengths. So he bought himself an acoustic guitar and wrote songs while working menial jobs in tobacco shops, bookstores and fast food joints. One afternoon, Mraz was walking in Central Park when he met a street psychic who gave the young singer some new age-y advice which changed his life. "It turns out he was really just a homeless guy asking for a dollar," recalls Mraz. "And I accidentally shook his hand and began an eternal trip down hallucination lane."
Gap year: Mraz moved to California and settled in San Diego, where he began playing on the city's coffee-house circuit, nabbing a regular slot at Java Joe's. He met up with percussionist Toca Rivera, and the pair's offbeat live show became a local sensation. Mraz signed to Elektra, had a short-lived marriage, but his long- term career prospects were boosted by the success of his debut single, Remedy
(I Won't Worry), co-written with the production team of The Matrix. The debut album was certified platinum, and soon Mraz was popping up onstage with Dylan and The Dave Matthews Band, touring with the Stones and Alanis Morissette, and appearing in Gap ads with Joss Stone and Keith Urban.
No bull: Mr A-Z is "365 days of Mraz in just under an hour," says Jason. "The album took exactly a year to make. giving the whole affair a true four-season feel." It shows the full range of Jason's talents and has already charted in the US. With this sophomore effort, Mraz feels he's ready to graduate to indie rock's big league: "I'm pretty sure this album will please audiences from both my caffeinated roots and from my recently discovered Red Bull-and- beer-chugging jam band scene."
