NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording artist
Jason Mraz has announced plans to auction off exclusive ticket packages to his upcoming North American tour. Three very special auctions will be held at www.jasonmraz.com, with proceeds benefitting MusiCares, which provides critical assistance to music people in times of need.
The trek - which sees Mraz celebrating his acclaimed new album, "WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." - takes off on October 8th at the Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania and then travels North America through early December (see below itinerary). Among the tour's sure-to-be highlights are an October 10th performance on "the Great Stage" of New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, and Jason's first hometown show in three years, set for Halloween night at San Diego State University's Open Air Theatre. Mraz's special guest on all dates through November 30th will be Lisa Hannigan, who captured his attention while performing with her former collaborator, Damien Rice.
Four pairs of tickets will be auctioned for each date on the tour, with the highest bidder receiving front row tickets (or, if the show is General Admission, front of line privileges), passes to an exclusive meet-and-greet where they will have their photo taken with Jason, and an autographed copy of his eco-friendly coffee table book of Polaroid images, "a thousand things." The three next highest bidders will receive front row tickets/front of line privileges.
Three auctions will be held, with the first - for shows running from October 8th to 28th - which kicked off on Monday, September 22nd and continues through Monday, September 29th. The second auction - for shows between October 31st and November 16th - will begin on October 16th and run until Wednesday, October 22nd. The third and final auction - for shows between November 19th and December 5th - starts Friday, October 31st and goes on through Thursday, November 6th. All auction details for each city are posted on www.jasonmraz.com.
All proceeds above the ticket price will go to MusiCares, except for the auctions surrounding the Philadelphia and Canadian shows. Proceeds from the auction for the Philadelphia show (above the ticket price) will go to Go4theGoal, who provide supportive services for children with Ewing's Sarcoma Cancer. All proceeds from the auctions surrounding Canadian shows (above the ticket price) will go to the Music Therapy Trust Fund, a non-profit initiative designed to integrate, educate, celebrate, and promote all facets of music therapy.
What's more, Mraz will soon announce an exciting mobile promotion which allows him to interact in real time with fans who upload live photos taken on the tour. Full details of the promotion will be unveiled shortly.
"WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." debuted at No 3 on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart upon its May release. The collection features the RIAA gold-certified single, "I'm Yours," which topped the airplay charts at Triple A radio outlets nationwide, and is currently No 2 with-a-bullet at Hot AC. The single - which is continuing its top 10 run on iTunes' "Top Songs" chart, with over 1.2 million digital sales thus far - has also proven an international success, hitting No 1 in Norway and Sweden, as well as the top 10 on the pan-European airplay charts.
The video for "I'm Yours" is currently in "Extra Large" rotation at VH1, where it has just entered the top 10 on the network's "Top 20 Countdown." Furthermore, the clip is a top 10 favorite on MTV's "TRL." "I'm Yours," which caused an online commotion upon its initial release, can now be found in thousands of user-generated videos from more than 25 countries, with more than 20 million views on YouTube.
Mraz is set to perform on the October 22nd installment of the nationally syndicated "Ellen DeGeneres Show" (check local listings). The performance follows Jason's recent television appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
Mraz will release a special limited edition of "WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." on November 18. The special edition will include two audio CDs and a DVD. The first enhanced CD will include the full album plus a 30-minute documentary entitled "Here We Are," which was originally included on the album. The second CD will consist of all three EPs released prior to the full length album: "We Sing," "We Dance," and "We Steal Things." The EPs contained unique versions of various album tracks. The DVD will feature a 1-hour live concert with Jason and his full band recorded at Highline Ballroom in New York City earlier this year. The limited edition album will also contain a 20-page book with lyrics to all songs.
Jason's first book of photography, "a thousand things," will be published next month. The collection, which includes a foreword by the legendary Graham Nash, features 54 original photographs, including several self-portraits, all taken with Mraz's poetic and sardonic eye. All photos were taken with a classic Polaroid Instant Camera using film that, as Jason notes, might be "found at your local drug or general store."
"None of the pictures in this collection have been altered or modified after they were ejected from the camera," he writes in "a thousand things." "Any streaks, scratches or double exposures are just some of the accidental beauty marks that lure me into this brand of instant photography."
In accordance with Mraz's wishes, "a thousand things" is to be printed on FSC & ISO certified woodfree paper. The cover stock is FSC certified as well, fully recyclable, and chlorine-free. All printing will be done with soy-based inks. Only environmentally harmless glues will be used in the binding process. All printing films, plates, and waste paper will be recycled.
Mraz's first set of all-new material in nearly three years, "WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." was produced by Martin Terefe, known for his work with KT Tunstall, Ron Sexsmith, and James Morrison. The album sees Mraz continuing to tread his own distinctive artistic path, melding a variegated musical tapestry with passionate, personal lyricism. Among the highlights are collaborations with British tunesmith James Morrison and singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat.
"WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." follows Mraz's two previous studio releases: 2002's RIAA platinum-certified breakthrough, "WAITING FOR MY ROCKET TO COME," and 2005's "MR. A-Z," which debuted at No 5 on the Billboard 200. Mraz has also released a series of concert recordings, including 2004's "TONIGHT, NOT AGAIN: JASON MRAZ LIVE AT THE EAGLES BALLROOM" and 2006's digital-only release, "SELECTIONS FOR FRIENDS."
For further information, including news, tour dates, and on-sale bulletins, please visit www.jasonmraz.com or www.myspace.com/jasonmraz. In addition, Jason's video blog - along with a variety of other travel adventures, live performances, and studio sessions - can be accessed at the Official Jason Mraz YouTube channel, located at www.youtube.com/user/OfficialJasonMraz.
JASON MRAZ ON TOUR - FALL 2008
All dates w/Lisa Hannigan supporting except (*)
OCTOBER
8 Scranton, PA Scranton Cultural Center
10 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
11 Lincroft, NJ Robert J. Collins Arena
13 Montreal, QC Metropolis
15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
16 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater
17 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
19 Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville Pavilion
20 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
23 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater
24 Austin, TX Stubbs Outdoor
25 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless
27 Denver, CO Fillmore
28 Salt Lake City, UT E Center
31 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre
NOVEMBER
1 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
2 San Francisco, CA Greek Theatre
3 Sacramento, CA Freeborn Hall
5 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
7 Spokane, WA INB Opera House
8 Vancouver, BC Center for Arts
9 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
10 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
12 Portland, OR Schnitzer Concert Hall
15 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
16 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
19 Minneapolis, MN Myth Nightclub
21 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
22 Chicago, IL Chicago Theater
23 St. Louis, MO Fox Theater
25 Cleveland, OH Lakewood Auditorium
26 Richmond, VA The National
28 Richmond, VA The National (acoustic show)
29 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
30 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
DECEMBER
2 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre*
3 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live*
4 Tampa, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall*
5 Miami, FL The Fillmore*
