In Concert and in Life, Mraz Does It His Way

02/19/2004 2:13 AM, Reuters
Tamara Conniff

Jason Mraz has guts. The singer-songwriter took the stage with only his acoustic guitar in hand and an accompanist at UCLA's Royce Hall in Westwood and played for a packed house. The audience, however, had not come to see the 26-year-old troubadour as they were patiently waiting for the night's headliner (and Mraz's idol), Willie Nelson . But Mraz's charm and talent eventually won the crowd over. As one middle-aged onlooker said: "Who was that young boy? His songs are so positive."

Happy songs may not always be considered the cool thing to write, but Mraz's debut, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," which is chock-full of positivity, love and joie de vivre, has scanned about 750,000 copies.

Mraz says he enjoys playing songs that celebrate love. "I've written sad songs," he says. "But I get tired of playing them, and eventually they just fall away."

Five years ago, Mraz found his way from Virginia to California via New York and landed with acoustic guitar in hand at the famed Java Joe's in San Diego. (Java Joe's also was the early stomping ground for Jewel and Nickel Creek). He also met manager Bill Silva, who put him in the studio to work on demos. Silva says that label reps started to inquire about Mraz about three years ago. They decided on Elektra Records.

"The thing he enjoys most is being in front of an audience and entertaining them," Silva says. "From the get-go, we all agreed to just let him go out and do that magic thing he does. We knew that it would take time, but that was OK because when people discover Jason, they have a certain feeling of ownership and pride for having discovered him as opposed to a bludgeoning over the head with a mainstream thing."

Mraz spent the better part of last year on the road. Says Mraz of the experience: "At first I was calling L.A., and I was calling Virginia, trying to stay connected. Then it hit me, it's like the United States is my neighborhood, and we get to go trick or treating. (The road) is my home. The band and the crew are my family ... I can't wait to get back on the road again."

Mraz takes every aspect of performing very seriously, from musical accuracy to between-song banter -- so much so that in order to hone his ability to speak and think on his feet, Mraz hit the open-mike comedy club circuit in Los Angeles. "I wanted to see if I could talk and engage an audience without a guitar, without a melody," Mraz says. He was amazed at the audience reaction; they actually laughed at his jokes.

Given today's musical climate, it's not easy to build career artists; record sales are hit or miss, and radio play can be elusive. Silva says touring is the key to longevity. "Touring and the live show are the foundation," he says. "We've gone out and connected to audiences and created a real touring fan base so that Jason, regardless of whether he has a radio hit or not, can go out and entertain people and make a livelihood from that entertaining for years to come."

Mraz, who will start recording his sophomore album this year, also is looking at his career long term. His music already is infused with a plethora of genres -- reggae, rock, folk -- but he hopes to build on his vocal scatting and one day make a jazz record.

"You should be able to do any kind of record you want in your lifetime," Mraz says. "I'm writing the songs I can write right now, but I hope to grow."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter