If Jason Mraz is waiting for his rocket to come, he might not have to wait long. After moving to San Diego just three years ago, he has made the dream of a lifetime come true in a fraction of the time it is supposed to take.
While his recently released album, “”Waiting for my Rocket to Come,”” was his first in-studio effort, he released a number of live recordings independently and sold them at shows. He also followed in the footsteps of other music industry giants like Jewel by playing weekly shows at Java Joe’s (an Ocean Beach bar/coffeehouse), using it as a springboard to skip a few rungs on the ladder to stardom. If this man got to the top quickly, it was no accident; he planted himself in one of music’s hot spots and didn’t budge until somebody noticed him.
A lot of somebodies noticed him. Among them was John Alagia, who produced records for both Dave Mathews and John Mayer. It wasn’t long before Mraz was in Rolling Stone with Mathews’ arm around him, describing how Mathews came on stage with him for part of his set. Mraz was even brash enough to publicly decry Mayer for not showing up to work with him in the studio as promised.
All that energy and personality is abundant in Mraz’s live show, which is what got him where he is in the first place. He feels at home on stage; he is three-parts singer, one-part guitarist, one-part comedian and one-part ladies’ man. His shows are wrought with improvisation. He makes songs out of sound checks and uses annoying feedback to enhance his music rather than detract from it. It is all this clever boyishness that naturally draws the ladies to him, whom he talks to throughout his shows and has a serious reputation with. The ladies love him and guys like him despite it.
A few months ago, Mraz gave up nearly weekly shows in San Diego before going off into the big world and recording an album with Elektra. Like a kid going off to college — somewhat reluctant to leave home, but more excited about a bright feature than anything else — Mraz left in search of the great beyond. San Diego got a little taste of the good old days on Oct. 19 when Mraz returned for what was the proverbial homecoming dance, playing before a sold out crowd at the Mira Mesa Epicentre. The concert revealed a refreshed but otherwise unchanged Mraz who is still willing to hang out with fans after the show and grant interviews to lowly college newspaper writers, despite the fact that he has shared a stage with the giants. Always appreciative of his local fan base, he promised to have everyone at the show over for dinner as soon as he sold one million records.
The question is if and when this will all happen. A large part of Mraz’s appeal to the local audience has been his personal onstage candor and quirky live recordings. None of this really comes through in his largely “”radio-friendly”” studio album. One can’t help but wonder if the national audience will come to appreciate this commercialized portrait of Mraz.
It is more than likely that they will. Mraz’s rocket may be here sooner than anyone expected.
Guardian: Where are you calling from?
Jason Mraz: Chicago tonight.
Guardian: How’s Chicago?
JM: It’s cold man, really cold.
Guardian: How different is a San Diego show from a Chicago show?
JM: The shows on the road are basically like the San Diego shows were when I first started playing. There are a few people who know what is going on, but for the most part the music is new to everyone.
Guardian: You had done a huge amount of self-promotion before you signed with Elektra. Was there a little bit of a bidding war going on for you when you signed?
JM: Ahhh, not too much. There were a lot of groups interested because I was on the radio. I wasn’t concerned with getting the best contract I could. I was looking for a group that was interested in artists. Every other group that came along wanted to get in the studio to record the song. Elektra was more interested in me than my songs.
Guardian: So what went down with you and John Mayer?
JM: A few months ago I busted his chops a little bit in SLAMM magazine. That was before I had the chance to go out drinking with him the other night … and we are cool now.
Guardian: You have already accomplished a great deal since coming from back east to start your music career. What huge goals do you have left?
JM: Opening for Dave [Matthews] — man, that’s it, and we just found out that we are gonna open for him three dates. I think you are the first person I have told. I told myself I was gonna go out and try and do this music thing, and I would do it till I was 40 and my goal was opening for Dave. It is strange when you get started and you have these dreams — you never really imagine any of them coming true. But that’s it man. I mean, my album is out there for the nation to take or leave. Right now I am out there opening for great musicians. I am kind of like a traveling salesman.
Guardian: What should we expect from your next release?
JM: Probably the next thing will be a live album. It is hard to write new stuff on the road, but it is easy to record our shows wherever we are.
Guardian: What is the best and the worst thing about being out on the road?
JM: The best thing is getting to go all over and be in great cities like Chicago. You get here and see the place, and man, it blows your mind. But then you only get to be here for a day or so, and you are constantly on the move. It becomes exhausting.
Guardian: Why is it that every girl I know is in love with you?
JM: I don’t know, man. I don’t know the secret. I can’t even hold a steady girlfriend. I guess if I knew the secret I would move in with my mom and retire … That is what I am out here trying to figure out.
No one knows when or where Mraz’s rocket will land, but it seems unlikely that he will ever forget that the San Diego acoustic scene was his launch pad. Mraz indicated a sincere desire to play San Diego again soon, most likely at Spreckles Theatre to serve a bigger audience. For now, San Diego fans can only hope that he figures “”it”” out soon, and comes back to settle down in the place that got it all started.
