NEW YORK (Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording artist
Jason Mraz will embark next month on a major headlining tour of North America. The announcement coincides with the outstanding national chart debut of Mraz's new album, "MR. A-Z," which entered the Billboard 200 in the No 5 spot - marking a career high for the acclaimed San Diego-based singer/songwriter.
Mraz - who recently wrapped up his role as special guest on Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour" - will kick off the first leg of his cross-country trek on September 20th at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, with dates running through an October 29th show at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The tour will be highlighted by a prestigious two-night stand at Avery Fisher Hall at New York's world-renowned Lincoln Center, slated for October 16th and 17th. The second leg of the tour, slated to run through December, will be announced shortly.
Supporting Mraz on the road will be a diverse and shifting line-up of opening acts, including Ryanhood, Dropping Daylight, Rau'l Mido'n, Missy Higgins, Carbon Leaf, Bushwalla, and fellow Atlantic artist James Blunt.
Prior to his headlining dates, Mraz will join Dave Matthews Band for a pair of shows at Carson, California's Home Depot Center, set for August 27th and 28th. September 12th will see the traveling troubadour returning home for an appearance at the annual San Diego Music Awards celebration - the site of Mraz's triumphs in 2002, 2003, and 2004 as "Artist of the Year." And on September 16th, he will perform at Oklahoma State University's big pre-game "Orange Peel" event at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
On the television front, Mraz will follow his recent appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" with a further pair of high-profile performances. On August 19th, he will perform "Wordplay" on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," followed on August 25th with a "Pontiac Garage Concert Series" appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Alongside its top five national album chart premiere, "MR. A-Z" also debuted at No 1 on both the Digital Albums and Current Alternative Albums charts. In addition, the album entered the Japanese charts at No 8, where its first single, "Wordplay," has been No 1 on the international charts for the past several weeks.
The impressive premiere of "MR. A-Z" has been fuelled by Mraz's non-stop road work, as well as the multi-format success of "Wordplay," which has hit the top 10 at Triple A radio and the top 20 at Hot AC outlets nationwide. In addition, the "Wordplay" companion video - directed by Dean Karr (Dave Matthews Band, Velvet Revolver, Queens of the Stone Age) - is currently a rotation favorite at both VH1 and Fuse.
"MR. A-Z" comes nearly three years after the release of Mraz's breakthrough Elektra debut, the RIAA platinum "WAITING FOR MY ROCKET TO COME." While waiting for Mraz's new album to come, fans were treated to the summer '04 release of the two-disc CD/DVD collection, "TONIGHT, NOT AGAIN: JASON MRAZ LIVE AT THE EAGLES BALLROOM" - which captures the unadulterated experience of one of his legendary concerts.
Produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, the Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel), "MR. A-Z" was recorded at Allaire Studios near Woodstock, New York, as well as at Mraz's home studio in San Diego, California. "'MR. A-Z' is my pseudo-self-titled second album," the acclaimed tunesmith declares. "This time it's all Mraz from beginning to end, the alpha and the omega, from the frontal lobe to the reptilian membrane, the A-Z, thus assigning it the nomenclature it naturally desired and deserved, 'MR. A-Z.'"
JASON MRAZ - LIVE IN 2005 LEG ONE
8/27- Carson, CA Home Depot Center - 28 (with Dave Matthews Band)
9/16 Stillwater, OK Oklahoma State University "Orange Peel" Event
9/20 Tempe, AZ Arizona State University Ryanhood, Dropping Daylight
9/21 Tucson, AZ Centennial Hall Ryanhood, Dropping Daylight
9/23 New Orleans, LA Tulane University Dropping Daylight
9/27 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom Rau'l Mido'n
9/28 St. Louis, MO The Pageant Missy Higgins, Rau'l Mido'n
9/30 Kansas City, MO University of Missouri Missy Higgins, Rau'l Mido'n
10/1 Chicago, IL Congress Theatre Rau'l Mido'n, Missy Higgins
10/3 Marquette, IL Northern Michigan Univ. Rau'l Mido'n
10/4 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/5 Ottawa, ONT Capital Music Hall Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/6 Montreal, QUE Spectrum de Montreal Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/8 Washington, DC Georgetown University Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/9 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/11 Durham, NH Univ. of New Hampshire Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Carbon Leaf, Rau'l Mido'n
10/16- New York, NY Avery Fisher Hall Rau'l Mido'n - 17
10/19 Cleveland, OH House of Blues Bushwalla, Dropping Daylight
10/20 Cincinnati, OH Xavier University Bushwalla, Dropping Daylight
10/21 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom Bushwalla, Dropping Daylight
10/22 Minneapolis, MN University of Minnesota Bushwalla, Dropping Daylight
10/24 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium James Blunt
10/27 San Diego, CA SOMA James Blunt
10/29 Las Vegas, NV The Joint @ Hard Rock James Blunt
