Maroon 5 rocks at Rick’s Cafe tomorrow night. The Southern California band brings its mix of rock ‘n’ roll, soul and R&B for the second time to Starkville.
“We felt a cool vibe at Rick’s the last time we were there. It made us feel funny inside in a good way,” keyboardist Jesse Carmichael said as he laughed.
The band is signed to Octone Records and is scheduled to move up to super producer Clive Davis’ label J Records. On their CD, Songs About Jane, they keep their true rock roots and integrate what they call a “soulful magic.”
Carmichael said that magic flows from all of the quintet’s influences. From the Beatles, Herbie Hancock and Led Zeppelin to D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder.
“We take all of our rock, R&B, jazz and soulful favorites and make our music. It’s an awesome thing to be able to do that,” Carmichael said.
Vocalist Adam Levine writes all the lyrics and melodies, while Carmichael and guitarist James Valentine add the rest of the music. Bassist Mickey Madden and drummer Ryan Dusick add their rhythms and their exceptional sound is ready to go.
Maroon 5 met back in grade school when they first became a band they were known as Kara’s Flowers. Back then their sound had no soul, but a pop and punk mix. In 1997 they signed with Reprise Records and released an acclaimed CD The Fourth World. In 1999, they split from reprise and Levine and Charmichael moved to New York where they fell in love with the Big Apple’s urban sounds.
“There was a time in the band’s history where we felt so lost, but hearing these sounds, which for us were original and inventive, completely re-invigorated our dedication to making music,” Levine said in a press release. He goes on to admit that it did not feel like a choice to change their sound, it felt necessary to pay tribute to their new influences.
When Valentine joined the band, they changed their name to Maroon 5. They said the change was needed to make a clean break from their old sound and name. Carmichael said they used the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a big influence while making Songs About Jane. The band watched the making of RHCP’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik album and drew on the vibe they saw on the screen.
Carmichael says his favorite song on the album is “This Love” which is about love and its toll on the heart and having to say goodbye. “This Love” has currently been added to a Mavi Jeans television campaign. Their recent CD was released last June and has received good critical raves and an outstanding peer response from Michelle Branch and John Mayer who said in a press release that Maroon 5 is one of the best bands to come along in a while.
The fabulous five have opened for Mayer, Sheryl Crow and Nikka Costa just to name a few. They also performed at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, the “Craig Kilborn Show” and Carson Daly’s “Last Call.” Carmichael said that on a future project he would love to collaborate with Alicia Keys.
Outside of the band, all five members play music with different friends, Madden writes screenplays and Carmichael is a film school student. They also admit to liking to watch all the “Back to the Future” movies while on their tour bus.
You can check out more Maroon 5 information on their Web site at www.Maroonfive.com. For more information on the show, you can contact Rick’s Caf? at 324-7425.