Jason Mraz will be playing at RIMAC Arena on May 18. Only a year ago, Jason Mraz was a regular in San Diego coffee houses. Now with his hit single “”The Remedy (I won’t worry)”” cruising the radio waves and his new album, Waiting For My Rocket to Come, launching into record stores as a commercial success, fans will be seeing a whole lot more of Mraz. His upcoming UCSD concert is only the beginning of a tour that will take him all around the country until well into July.

Mraz was born in Virginia and lived briefly in New York, where he studied musical theater. He learned to play guitar at the age of 18 and often performed on the streets of Manhattan.

After receiving the advice of a Central Park psychic, “”Avoid the questioner, and go with what you know. Get experience, youth,”” much to the chagrin of his family, Mraz made his way out west to pursue a music career in Southern California.

Mraz’s music isn’t exactly what one would call typical; a lot of his early works were written as “”songs to sleep to”” as he struggled to achieve a musical sound that would connect with his audience’s “”dream life.””

With such ethereal ideas on what his music should achieve, Mraz’s song lyrics are fairly straightforward. Here’s an excerpt from “”You and I Both””:

“”And it’s okay if you have go away/Just remember the telephone works both ways/And if I never ever hear it ring/If nothing else I’ll think the bells inside/Have finally found you someone else and that’s okay/cause I’ll remember everything you sang.””

With a unique blend of lively rhythm, upbeat vocals and fantastic acoustic guitar, Mraz’s sound amounts to a kind of alternative bubble gum pop with an optimistic anecdotal undertone. It’s a good sound that is very pleasing to the ear and very infectious. It manages to balance the fairly difficult combination of intelligence, approachability and fun that is often missing in the mainstream music scene today.

Mraz is currently working with percussionist, Toca Rivera, who he describes as “”like every member of the Dave Matthews Band and Boys II Men rolled up in one prized wind-up teddy bear designed to beat drum.””

When asked what his inspirations were, among Mraz responses were robots, God, break-dancing and smoking. About the latter he stated:

“”It’s religious. Something about seeing your breath, breathing fire, feeling like a dragon or Sinatra. I think sometimes I’ll smoke myself new octaves.””

About the saying “”follow your dreams”” Mraz stated:

“”Eventually, you find the fine line between when you are awake and when you are knocked out. And then you’re really collecting and creating. It’s important that I try to make a life rather than a living.””

When asked what’s next on his agenda, Mraz stated:

“”I hope to just keep moving, writing, singing and sleeping until there is nothing left to be said and done.””

May 18’s show will also include some special guests: Chantal Kreviazuk and Franky Perez & the Highway Saints.

Folk/alternative pianist Chantel Kreviazuk recently released a new album, What If It All Means Something, which is doing wonderfully on the charts.

“”There’s a bit of love, a lot of learning and a lot of letting go,”” Kreviazuk stated of the album.

Franky Perez & the Highway Saints is an alternative jam rock band. They will be performing some Cuban rhythms off their newly released album, Poor Man’s Son, which Perez said “”hums like tires on a highway.””