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Maroon 5 Biography
Adam Levine - Vocals, Guitar
James Valentine - Guitar
Jesse Carmichael - Keyboards
Mickey Madden - Bass
Ryan Dusick - Drums
Take one listen to Maroon 5's "Songs About Jane" (Octone Records) and you'll instantly hear what a little bit of soul can do to the heart of alternative rock. Fronted by Adam Levine, a guitar wizard with a captivating voice and a strutting attitude, and backed by powerhouse players James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, the band blends elements of R and B and funk influences into their rock and roll songs. Maroon5 is not here to shove their ideas down your throat, but when Adam's belting out a tune and the band is drawing a mesmerized audience into their world, you know they mean it.
Schoolmates since junior high school, Maroon5 (formerly known as Kara's Flowers) played their first show at The Whisky in Los Angeles on September 16, 1995. Hundreds gathered to see their eclectic mix of pop, punk and rock music. It was their energy onstage that made the audience take notice.
By summer of 1997, Kara's Flowers had released "The Fourth World", their critically acclaimed debut album on Reprise Records, and the band immediately set out on the road playing with bands like Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger.
Kara's Flowers left Reprise Records in 1999 to start a new musical direction. After years of experimentation and exploration (as well as the addition of guitar wizard James Valentine), the unique melding of rock, R&B and soul emerged that now defines Maroon 5's musical style. Their sound had begun to transform as the band members absorbed new influences through their college experiences. From its roots as an alternative-rock band in the tradition of acts like Weezer and Nada Surf, Maroon 5 began to experiment and evolve. Hints of R and B and folk were gradually woven through the alternative rock fabric that was the band's musical base. New songs like the album's first single, "This Love," as well as "Sunday Morning," "Secret," and "Not Coming Home" reflect a sound evocative of the band's deep interest in soul music.
"During the time between our record deals," Adam recalls, "I spent a lot of time in New York where I was exposed to an urban and hip-hop culture in a way that had never happened to me in L.A. It turned me on to an entirely new genre of music which has had a profound impact on my songwriting."
After performing showcases for senior executives at many major labels, Maroon 5 ultimately chose to sign with newly founded New York City based independent label, Octone Records (www.octonerecords.com) is distributed by BMG Music Entertainment and has a Joint Venture deal with Clive Davis and J Records.
The band recorded "Songs About Jane" in Los Angeles with producer/mixer Matt Wallace (Train, Blues Traveler, Third Eye Blind, Faith No More) at Rumbo Recorders, the same studio where such seminal artists as Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Smashing Pumpkins and John Mellencamp have recorded some of their best work.
Now based in Los Angeles, Maroon 5 regularly plays to sold-out crowds at many of the city's finest clubs such as the El Rey, House of Blues and the Viper Room and have already opened for artists such as Michelle Branch, Evan and Jaron and Nikka Costa.
With "Songs About Jane", Maroon 5 is up to the task of converting music lovers into their groove-based rock and roll world. As declared in "Shiver," "I won't be satisfied 'til I'm under your skin."
James Valentine - Guitar
Jesse Carmichael - Keyboards
Mickey Madden - Bass
Ryan Dusick - Drums
Take one listen to Maroon 5's "Songs About Jane" (Octone Records) and you'll instantly hear what a little bit of soul can do to the heart of alternative rock. Fronted by Adam Levine, a guitar wizard with a captivating voice and a strutting attitude, and backed by powerhouse players James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, the band blends elements of R and B and funk influences into their rock and roll songs. Maroon5 is not here to shove their ideas down your throat, but when Adam's belting out a tune and the band is drawing a mesmerized audience into their world, you know they mean it.
Schoolmates since junior high school, Maroon5 (formerly known as Kara's Flowers) played their first show at The Whisky in Los Angeles on September 16, 1995. Hundreds gathered to see their eclectic mix of pop, punk and rock music. It was their energy onstage that made the audience take notice.
By summer of 1997, Kara's Flowers had released "The Fourth World", their critically acclaimed debut album on Reprise Records, and the band immediately set out on the road playing with bands like Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger.
Kara's Flowers left Reprise Records in 1999 to start a new musical direction. After years of experimentation and exploration (as well as the addition of guitar wizard James Valentine), the unique melding of rock, R&B and soul emerged that now defines Maroon 5's musical style. Their sound had begun to transform as the band members absorbed new influences through their college experiences. From its roots as an alternative-rock band in the tradition of acts like Weezer and Nada Surf, Maroon 5 began to experiment and evolve. Hints of R and B and folk were gradually woven through the alternative rock fabric that was the band's musical base. New songs like the album's first single, "This Love," as well as "Sunday Morning," "Secret," and "Not Coming Home" reflect a sound evocative of the band's deep interest in soul music.
"During the time between our record deals," Adam recalls, "I spent a lot of time in New York where I was exposed to an urban and hip-hop culture in a way that had never happened to me in L.A. It turned me on to an entirely new genre of music which has had a profound impact on my songwriting."
After performing showcases for senior executives at many major labels, Maroon 5 ultimately chose to sign with newly founded New York City based independent label, Octone Records (www.octonerecords.com) is distributed by BMG Music Entertainment and has a Joint Venture deal with Clive Davis and J Records.
The band recorded "Songs About Jane" in Los Angeles with producer/mixer Matt Wallace (Train, Blues Traveler, Third Eye Blind, Faith No More) at Rumbo Recorders, the same studio where such seminal artists as Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Smashing Pumpkins and John Mellencamp have recorded some of their best work.
Now based in Los Angeles, Maroon 5 regularly plays to sold-out crowds at many of the city's finest clubs such as the El Rey, House of Blues and the Viper Room and have already opened for artists such as Michelle Branch, Evan and Jaron and Nikka Costa.
With "Songs About Jane", Maroon 5 is up to the task of converting music lovers into their groove-based rock and roll world. As declared in "Shiver," "I won't be satisfied 'til I'm under your skin."
Maroon 5 All Music Guide Biography
A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul sex appeal made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with such radio-ready songs as "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide . Previously, bandmates Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums) had spent the latter half of the '90s playing in the modern rock outfit Kara's Flowers, releasing their debut album for Reprise Records while still attending high school. The record tanked, however, and Kara's Flowers found themselves dropped from the Reprise roster. After briefly attending college, the bandmates regrouped as Maroon 5, added former Square guitarist James Valentine to the lineup, and embraced a more R&B-influenced sound. Several years later, the quintet had officially risen to the forefront of popular music with the multi-platinum releases of Songs About Jane and It Won't Be Soon Before Long.
Songs About Jane propelled the band into the mainstream, but the album was not an immediate hit. Octone Records had signed the newly christened Maroon 5 in 2001, and the debut album Jane received a lukewarm response upon its in June 2002. "Harder to Breathe" became a radio staple 17 months later and was soon followed by the omnipresent "This Love," whose steamy video (featuring frontman Levine and a barely clothed girlfriend) effectively wooed the TV-watching crowds at MTV. Songs About Jane finally entered the Billboard Top Ten in August 2004, more than two years after the album's release, and subsequent singles like "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" helped the album move over 2.7 million copies by year's end.
Maroon 5 toured exhaustively in support of Jane's slow-developing success, issuing two stopgap recordings -- 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live Friday the 13th -- while canvassing the world alongside the Rolling Stones and John Mayer. Their schedule was especially trying on percussionist Dusick, who sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and was often unable to play. By fall 2006, Dusick had been officially replaced by Matt Flynn (the former drummer for Gavin DeGraw), and the revised band released its sophomore effort in May 2007. It Won't Be Soon Before Long proved to be less popular than its predecessor (which had sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone), but it still enjoyed double-platinum certification while spinning off the chart-topping single "Makes Me Wonder." Maroon 5 had cemented their status as pop/rock heavyweights, and they now had the powerful connections to prove it. Released in late 2008, Call and Response: The Remix Album reinterpreted the band's catalog with remixes by such influential figures as Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell Williams. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Songs About Jane propelled the band into the mainstream, but the album was not an immediate hit. Octone Records had signed the newly christened Maroon 5 in 2001, and the debut album Jane received a lukewarm response upon its in June 2002. "Harder to Breathe" became a radio staple 17 months later and was soon followed by the omnipresent "This Love," whose steamy video (featuring frontman Levine and a barely clothed girlfriend) effectively wooed the TV-watching crowds at MTV. Songs About Jane finally entered the Billboard Top Ten in August 2004, more than two years after the album's release, and subsequent singles like "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" helped the album move over 2.7 million copies by year's end.
Maroon 5 toured exhaustively in support of Jane's slow-developing success, issuing two stopgap recordings -- 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live Friday the 13th -- while canvassing the world alongside the Rolling Stones and John Mayer. Their schedule was especially trying on percussionist Dusick, who sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and was often unable to play. By fall 2006, Dusick had been officially replaced by Matt Flynn (the former drummer for Gavin DeGraw), and the revised band released its sophomore effort in May 2007. It Won't Be Soon Before Long proved to be less popular than its predecessor (which had sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone), but it still enjoyed double-platinum certification while spinning off the chart-topping single "Makes Me Wonder." Maroon 5 had cemented their status as pop/rock heavyweights, and they now had the powerful connections to prove it. Released in late 2008, Call and Response: The Remix Album reinterpreted the band's catalog with remixes by such influential figures as Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell Williams. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
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