Meet Raining Jane: Jason Mraz’s backup band in his Manila concert
When Jason Mraz takes to the Araneta Coliseum stage on Nov. 27 on his fourth visit to the Philippines, he will be backed up by Raining Jane, an all-female, Los Angeles-based, indie folk-rock group.
Mraz and “The Janes,” as he calls them, are old friends, having met in 2006 when both were guests at a music festival in University of Redlands in California.
Mraz was blown away by the group.
Collab in album with song ‘I’m Yours’
“I loved their musicianship. I loved their showmanship. Afterwards, I asked them if they would consider recording a demo with me. Their influence has been a part of my work for a long time,” Mraz told Portland’5.
The meeting yielded a co-written song called “A Beautiful Mess,” which appeared in Mraz’s third studio album “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal.”
The same 2006 album also contained Mraz’s spectacular hit “I’m Yours.”
Years of bonding
For the next seven years, Raining Jane—Mai Bloomfield (vocals, guitar, cello), Becky Gebhardt (bass, guitar, sitar), Chaska Potter (vocals, guitar) and Mona Tavakoli (drums, vocals, percussion)—would meet once or twice a year at Mraz’s home for a writing retreat.
“The years of bonding and growing—both as a fivesome and as individuals—added up to a new level of synergy,” the band recounted on their website. “The songs were stronger. They started to feel like an album.”
Mraz approached his record label with a proposal. “What if we put out this acoustic-based album that's written and recorded with these four amazing women? Just as a little side project.”
All acoustic
The label loved the songs so much, they turned the so-called “side project” into a proper album.
In July of this year, the 35-year-old Mraz released his fifth and first-ever acoustic album with Raining Jane, appropriately titled “YES!”
It debuted at Number 1 in 46 countries.
Faith, love and healing
Describing the album, Mraz told Portland’5, “The songs are about healing. They’re about love. They’re about faith. They're about our role in the environment. They're about acceptance, compassion and letting go. They’re new tellings on things I’ve written about for a long time.”
Indeed, Mraz uses the transforming power of music to inspire people and get them to look into his pet causes, which include supporting the environment, ending human trafficking and working for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) equality.
In going on tour with Raining Jane, Mraz says: “These women are my friends. I've known them for so long and now we're getting the opportunity to take the album on the road and share our passion-fueled hobby with others.”
Jason Mraz and Raining Jane Live In Manila! is promoted by Ovation Productions and MMI Live! Ticket prices are P5800, 4800, 3500, 2300 and 800 plus applicable surcharges. Tickets are available at Ticketnet.