For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Jason Mraz is going on tour and stopping in New York City along the way.
On Saturday, Aug. 21, Mraz will be playing at The Rooftop at Pier 17, located at 89 South Street, as a part of his “Look For The Good Live!” summer tour. The tour officially kicked off on July 30 in Austin, Texas.
“It feels great, it’s an enormous privilege to have a gig like this and draw attendance to live music, so I’m tickled to get an opportunity to do it,” said Mraz. “I’ve been doing it for so long, it feels natural, this is what we do. So far its seems over the last 3 days, the audience is in agreement.”
The tour is following the release of Mraz’s latest album “Look For The Good,” which came out on June 19, 2020. The album features a reggae sound with messages of positivity. “Look For The Good” was created alongside Easy Star Records founder and record producer Michael Goldwasser.
“It’s kind of newness and not new, with new being a new sound for me. Michael Goldwasser helped bring the album to life in reggae styles and I wrote with the times and what was going on with life,” said Mraz. “We just lived through a crazy last 5 years. It was plenty of fodder for depression, and when that happens to me I turn to music and I rewrite my mood. Positive songwriting is the result of having a bad day, seeing something broken or figuring out how to fill the void with creative optimism, and an album came out of that.”
As a reggae fan, Mraz wrote his popular song “I’m Yours” after visiting Bob Marley’s house in Jamaica, citing that though the song itself is not reggae, it was inspired by the sounds. With “Look For The Good,” Mraz enlisted the help of a 13-piece reggae band to help bring the songs to life, and the band will be featured alongside Mraz for the tour.
The unique setlist each night will feature songs from that album plus re-imagined Mraz classics and never-before-heard new compositions. In anticipation of the tour, Mraz released a ska version of his Grammy-winning track “Make It Mine,” as well as a deluxe version of the album that includes a new version of his duet “Lucky” with R&B artist Emily King, reimagined as a ska song, and a slow-jam version of his hit “I’m Yours.”
“When I met Michael Goldwasser, he asked me if I considered doing a reggae album, and I said I have been waiting for you to knock on my door. I think we were meant to meet at the time I did, he gave it a certain something that I couldn’t do alone,” said Mraz. “I love the drum and bass always, though reggae is not very heavy drums. As a singer, I listen to the bass to follow the notes. Everything else is just candy — percussion and ear candy. It’s kind of like EDM for a more laid-back crowd. If you love dance music but can’t handle the 4/4, try the 2/4.”
Mraz says that those who come to the New York show can expect to have a feel-good time while listening and singing along to some of Mraz’s classic and reimagined hits, as well as pieces from his new album.
“I’m still trying to make it a show that related to other shows, playing songs from my catalog and weaving them together in a thoughtful manner,” said Mraz. “A concert is like a yoga class, I try to guide the audience through a transformative experience out of their heads and into their hearts. There’s dance followed by beautiful acoustic music, but then we’re dancing again. I tell stories but try not to be too lon-winded. It’s basically a yoga class meets a picnic.”
For more information about the tour and tickets, visit jasonmraz.com.
