JASON MRAZ
Pacific storm has made for
a rare day of steady rain in San Diego,
upsetting morning commutes and tempo-
rarily throwing people a bit off-kilter —
remember, this is Southern California,
where rain is a major event — but the
weather’s dour context only serves to
amplify the laid-back vibe of Jason Mraz
as he arrives at the Taylor factory. The
hat-clad, smooth-crooning tunesmith has
driven down from his home in nearby
Oceanside during a precious pocket
of down time between his return from
a South American tour and the start of
recording sessions for his fourth studio
record. He is here to survey the close-to-
final version of his new nylon-string sig-
nature model, adorned with the custom
inlay work he commissioned. Taylor artist
relations rep Bob Borbonus is in the
house, and before long Bob Taylor stops
in to hang out and talk about the guitar
with Mraz, who has just been presented
with it for the first time.
“I love it,” he says, admiring the
inlays, before settling into a comfy couch
with his new namesake guitar to finger-
pick a progression of sweet chords. The
nylon is a variation on the rosewood/
cedar NS72ce he’s been playing and
touring with for a while now. “It feels like
something I’ve had for a long time,” he
decides after a few more lightly plucked
chords.
The one remaining cosmetic revision
for the model is the choice of woods for
the guitar’s custom rosette design. A
few variations are on their way from the
Finish department for Bob and Mraz to
discuss. While they wait, as Mraz works
through another pretty progression on
the nylon, Bob picks up a steel-string
GA and asks Mraz about the chords to
the tune “You and I Both,” the opening
cut from his 2002 debut album
Waiting
for My Rocket to Come
. Mraz obliges,
playing through and calling out the
changes as Bob follows, setting up a
little jam that’s followed by another tune
Bob likes, Mraz’s island-chill mega-hit,
“I’m Yours.” Both song titles, coinciden-
tally, seem fitting choices to christen the
relationship between a songwriter and
his new guitar.
It wasn’t far from the Taylor com-
plex that Mraz’s successful career was
launched, in the coffeehouses of San
Diego. It was his equivalent of the
Beatles’ Hamburg period, during which
he honed his talent for blending acous-
tic grooves, supple melodies, and clever,
heartfelt lyrics into compelling pop
songs. He played out often, developing
himself into a compelling live act who
seemed destined to make it.
Mraz, 32, grew up in Mechanicsville,
Virginia, where, as a teenager, he started
writing and taught himself to play gui-
tar, often covering Dave Matthews and
Bob Dylan tunes with his brother. He
later moved to New York City to attend
the American Musical and Dramatic
Academy to study acting, but continued
to play guitar and sing. It was there that
he discovered he had a natural knack for
making up funny songs on the fly with
his acoustic.
“It became a party trick,” he told
the
San Diego Union-Tribune
in 2009.
“People would come over and chal-
lenge me with objects or situations, and
I would just make up a song about it
and get a good laugh and make people
really connect.”
The experience prompted a recali-
bration of his career plans. He realized
that the creative freedom of writing and
playing his own songs beat auditioning
for acting jobs.
Mraz moved to San Diego in 1999,
and it didn’t take long for him to plug
into the collaborative acoustic scene
and, before long, set in motion a word-
of-mouth groundswell. He frequently
performed as a duo with local percus-
sionist Toca Rivera (who remains a core
component of his live band), eventually
setting up residencies at various local
venues, where Mraz cultivated a pas-
sionate following. The buzz spread to
L.A. and beyond.
Mraz’s talents as a songwriter and
performer led to a major label deal,
and his 2002 debut introduced him to
the world with the help of several hits,
including “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),”
“You and I Both,” and “Curbside
Prophet.” Mraz’s second effort,
Mr. A-Z
(2005), spawned the hit “Wordplay”
and was nominated for a Grammy.
From local coffeehouse king to international star, the acoustic tunesmith is
laying his good-vibe grooves on the world, fueled by love and a new signature
nylon-string
By Jim Kirlin
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