Sunday, January 31, 2010
Pop Against the Grain, With Sounds of the ’70s
.jpg)
THEY grow up so fast now. It seems like only last summer that the Jonas Brothers — Nick, Joe and Kevin — were cementing their hold on the teenage hive mind.
But fans grow up, and artists do too: Nick, 17, the most studious and clever of the Jonas Brothers, will release his second solo album, “Who I Am” (Hollywood), this week. (His 2004 solo debut was a Christian-R&B-pop trifle.) Mr. Jonas made this record with a backing band that includes veterans of Prince’s New Power Generation. He’s calling the group Nick Jonas & the Administration.
Mr. Jonas recently spoke with Jon Caramanica about the new album, and the way his personal and professional lives inevitably bleed into one. These are excerpts from the conversation.
Q. How different was making this record than making a Jonas Brothers album?
A. It was much different. We really wanted it to feel like a record from the ’60s or ’70s, using Bill Withers and Stevie [Wonder] as our main influences as far as that goes. So there’s very few overdubs, and the vocals were pretty much all done with the music.
Q. Were there specific albums you were looking to for inspiration?
A. With the Bill Withers influence, we watched this DVD, [the producer] John Fields and I, before we went to Nashville to record. It was of him live, the one with the guitar player in the back in the full white jumpsuit. We watched that, and it kind of gave us some inspiration for “In the End,” one of the more mellow, blue-eyed soul sounding, wallet-on-the-snare-drum songs, that kind of reverbed-out soulful sound.
Q. What other things were you listening to at the time?
A. I was writing while we were shooting the TV show [“Jonas”] for Disney. My dressing room was just white walls, a TV, a couple of seats, so there was nothing more to do than write. Some recent stuff I was listening to was Robert Randolph & the Family Band, “Colorblind,” which I think is an awesome record. The Kings of Leon record was hitting right then. Also, a record called “The Outsiders” [by Needtobreathe], which is similar to Kings of Leon but more Southern rock. Jonny Lang. [John] Mayer of course. Stevie. Then lyrically, Johnny Cash was a big one. And Elvis Costello for his use of metaphors, telling what’s going on in his life without telling it all, which I think is a gift.
Q. Your reference points are pretty firmly in the ’60s and ’70s, and in pop right now there’s something unfashionable about that. Do you ever think, “Am I the only guy doing this right now?”
A. At times. The ’60s-’70s reference that I have can also shift into the Minneapolis funk from the ’80s that are so much a part of this project because the guys in the band are a part of that. But pop music is leaning more towards dance right now, and this isn’t really that. On the last Jonas Brothers a lot of what we did was our take on the ’70s and early ’80s. Jefferson Starship — I know that’s a weird reference, but “Jane” is such a great song, and kind of led to “Poison Ivy” and “Much Better.”
Q. Do you do a lot of writing that’s never meant to go in a song?
A. Yeah, more so with reviews. I like to watch TV shows and review them, listen to records and review them. Also when I know something’s not right for a song, I just sit down with a journal and write it out. It’s easier than trying to say it to somebody. Sometimes you just don’t like hearing yourself talk.
Q. Has that gotten easier over time?
A. Yeah, the people I’m surrounded by understand that’s my way of expressing myself.
Q. Do you use music to communicate in your personal life?
A. With these songs, because I’m a reserved person, if someone were to ask me if I’m upset about a relationship that didn’t go as planned, I might not show it on my face and be totally emotional about it, but I’ll put that into the song and say, “I know it’s strange for me to play you this song, but this is how I feel about it.”
Q. When you sang a duet with [your ex-girlfriend] Miley Cyrus on “Before the Storm,” from the latest Jonas Brothers album, were you worried about people overreading that song?
A. She and I told each other that we needed to be as honest as we’ve ever been in this song, ’cause we don’t really like to talk about it anywhere else. There’s another version no one’s ever heard that’s different verses, it’s more generic, but in that one we tried to be as honest as we could. We’d come to a place where it was time to put up the white flag and give people comfort that we were actually friends. It was a good moment for us to share from the heart about something we usually don’t talk about, and when it’s in your control it’s a lot more comfortable than when it’s not.
Q. Your brother Kevin was married recently, to Danielle Deleasa. Did you ever think of performing at the wedding?
A. I wrote a song that I was thinking about playing. I wrote it with Demi [Lovato]. But when I got there, I felt like the day was about them, about the bride, and I wanted all of it to be about that, so I decided not to play it and just gave a speech. But it would be great for another artist to do, like Celine Dion maybe.
Q. What does the song sound like?
A. More like Michael Bublé, that kind of sound. David Foster would produce it. I played it for them before the ceremony. That was enough.
Q. What about dancing? All the photos of the wedding seem to be of Joe.
A. I’m not really a dancer. I did dance, because you have to at your brother’s wedding. It’s, like, mean if you don’t.
Q. So you weren’t out there doing the “Single Ladies” dance?
A. I was out there, I was clapping.
Q. You were near it.
A. I was near it. I was watching. [Joe] started it, and everyone was freaking out because they know the video, and then Danielle came out and pointed at the ring every time, and they were playing off each other. It was almost like they’d planned it.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Nick Jonas: HOW TO GO SOLO
For Nick Jonas, things are going well. He’s sold a bajillion Jo Bros records, spent his teen years fending off fans, and dated Miley Cyrus. Now all he wants is the world to take him seriously
Text Jacob BrownHe looks the part—the coif, the confident attitude, the aloof eyes, and most of all, these pictures prove it—but is Nick Jonas a rock star? The 17-year-old has, up till now, been known as the curly-haired, youngest sibling in the Jonas Brothers. He wasn’t the lead singer; that duty fell to the more flamboyant middle brother, Joe. But he was the driving force, the songwriter, the image-maker, the brains.
Conventional wisdom has long held that Disney pulls the Jonas strings, but more often than not, it’s Nick behind the scenes calling the shots. His adult entourage laughs about calling him “the president,” but the deference they show him as he strides into the Soho Grand lobby for this interview makes clear that the nickname is no joke. Now Nick is ready to push things further. With his new band, Nick Jonas and the Administration, and its first album, Who I Am, he plans to show the world that he’s grown up.
Nick Jonas’s family hails from New Jersey, by way of Texas. His father, Kevin Jonas, Sr., a former evangelical preacher and lifelong musician, raised Nick and his brothers on a diet of Jesus and church music—much of which he wrote and sang himself. To this day the Jonas family is devout; Nick and his brothers famously wear purity rings signifying celibacy before marriage (eldest and recently married brother Kevin has presumably removed his). But Jonas, Sr. was always fascinated by the world of secular pop, and early on he exposed the family to the Billboard Top 40. Car rides were spent analyzing melodies, choruses, and hooks. “My real musical discovery started when I was 10 with Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, and acts that I connected with because they were young when they were doing it, like me,” says Nick. “Then I kind of came into my own a couple of years later, I found new artists that shaped my musical landscape. For instance, Kings of Leon played a big part in that.”
It’s significant that, without prompting, Kings of Leon is the contemporary band that Nick references. In certain ways, it is a band that couldn’t be farther from his peculiar plane of existence. In other ways, it couldn’t be closer.
The whiskey-soaked members of the alt-country and blues inspired Kings of Leon are rock stars in the
subversive mold of the Rolling Stones. Unlike Nick, they notoriously drink, smoke, and screw. Like Nick, they
possess the rare—particularly in light of today’s abysmal recording industry—ability to sell albums. The band’s last release went platinum in the U.S., sextuple-platinum in the U.K., and octuple-platinum in Australia. As a Jonas Brother, Nick can claim similar sales stats (he’s actually sold double or triple that).
But a deeper similarity explains Nick’s affinity. Kings of Leon is three brothers and a cousin: Caleb, Nathan, Jared, and Matthew Fallowill. The brothers Fallowill were raised in an evangelical Christian home. Their father had been a preacher in their youth. Of course, no one has ever accused Kings of Leon of being a Christian band, but lead singer Caleb Fallowill has no problem connecting his music career with his religious upbringing. “Every kid at one point or another looks up to his dad. I knew for a long time that I wanted to do something big, and for a long time I thought it was gonna be to take over preaching from my dad,” he says. “You wanna feel like what you are doing is important. For that reason, when we go onstage, we pour our hearts out.”
And that’s exactly how Nick sees it. “My faith plays a big part in who I am: a Christian guy playing pop-rock music. I’m in a pop-rock band, not a Christian band,” he says. “I admire Kings of Leon. I think their records are amazing. Just from hanging out with them I can say they’re good guys. It’s cool to see that they get to do what they love. But I think they clearly have an appreciation for where they came from, and it has shaped who they are.”
Nick Jonas wants, and perhaps deserves, to be seen as a rocker cut from the same cloth as the Fallowills, but he struggles to explain why he is a Disney band and they are not, why he has never rebelled like they and so many of his heroes have. “Maybe it’s about preference,” he says. “I just prefer to make people happy with my music. I prefer to see a smile on someone’s face after I sing a song.”
That may be true, but the lyrics on Who I Am suggest something more is going on. In the song “Rose Garden,” he sings the words: “She was young but not naïve/always wise beyond her years/hoping that no one would see/ every time she dried her tears.” In “Vesper’s Goodbye,” he sings: “Like a bullet through the chest/lay me down to rest/It’s a lover’s final breaths/Now I die, kiss your tender lips goodbye.” None of these lines are making anyone smile; they hint at something that, if not subversive, is at least brooding.
When that’s pointed out to Nick, it’s almost as if he hadn’t before realized that his music was no longer as innocuous as it had been with the Jonas Brothers. He admits, “Yeah, there are songs that aren’t necessarily happy songs. They more make you think. That’s intriguing to me, just as a beautiful but sad movie might be.”
So then, is it really preference like he claims, or does his religion, or Disney, or anything else constrain him to a clean image? “Constrained is the wrong word,” he says carefully. “The best way to describe it would be thoughtful, just thinking everything through. Okay, so, it’s not all uplifting on the record, but when I do a meet and greet with the fans, or any interaction with them, I’m smiling; I’m happy; I’m trying to make them happy. With the record, with the art, I do want to express myself fully; express the thoughts and stories and ideas that I have. And I think on this record I did the best job I could with that.”
At the end of the day, the ones who really matter—Nick Jonas’s fans—don’t care about any of this. They will line up for tickets, scream their heads off at shows, and go buy an album afterward. It’s a near certainty. The critics will whine and moan about his success. But they will likely look back and see this album as Nick’s Justin Timberlake moment, the moment he transitioned out of his former boy-band plasticity into a newly independent identity. It may be tough medicine to swallow, but they’ll be forced to admit that, yes, Nick Jonas is a rock star
Source: Vman.com
Joe Aspires To Be White House Social Director?
The middle brother, Joe Jonas, was on the Hill Wednesday to advocate for The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act of 2010. Jonas met with several members of Congress, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and discussed his “iWin Joe Jonas Fun Run” that benefits the Special Olympics. If this sounds familiar, that’s because his younger brother, Nick, visited Capitol Hill last year to testify in front of the Senate on behalf of juvenile diabetes and also had a meeting with Pelosi.
Pelosi joked about Jonas fever on the Hill at a press conference for the act.
“I told Joe, ‘We had Nick, now we have Joe. Tell Kevin we’re waiting,’” she said while introducing Joe in the speaker’s office, referring to the third brother of the band, Kevin.
Along with testifying last year, Nick Jonas was in Washington for at least his fourth time this year a few weeks ago and made a visit to the White House. The 17-year-old has also been quite vocal about his desire to run for president: he sells bumper stickers at concerts that say “Jonas 2040” and more recently, he started a new band called "Nick Jonas and the Administration."
Joe knows exactly what role he’d like to have if Nick did make it to the White House. "I'd probably want to throw the parties," Jonas told POLITICO, on his way to meetings in the Capitol. "I'll go with the social director. That would be my job."
Jonas was also joined by two other brothers from a well-known family: Timothy Shriver of the Special Olympics and Anthony Shriver of Best Buddies International.
Click the video above to hear more about his charity run on the National Mall and his thoughts on a Nick Jonas administration.
Photo by Mark Wilkins
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Joe Goes To Washington, D.C.!
** MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT **
WHO: Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman & CEO, Special Olympics
Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Founder & Chairman, Best Buddies International
Special Olympics athletes and Best Buddies participants, along with coaches, program leaders and family members from 45 states.
The Honorable Tom Harkin (U.S. Senator), Orrin Hatch (U.S. Senator), Steny H. Hoyer (U.S. House Majority Leader) and Roy Blunt (U.S. House of Representatives).
Other expected special guests including: Hollywood Records recording artist Joe Jonas of the Grammy nominated, platinum album selling Jonas Brothers, 10-time Olympic Gold medalist Carl Lewis, as well as Miss Maryland USA Simone Feldman, Miss Maryland Teen USA Kamie Crawford and Miss Virginia Teen USA Jacqueline Carroll.
WHAT: Special Olympics and Best Buddies members will converge on Capitol Hill to urge for continued government support and to advocate for the proposed Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act of 2010. Following a day of meetings with Members of Congress, a reception in celebration of the inspiration, impact, and indomitable spirit of Eunice Kennedy Shriver will be held that evening.
Together, both Special Olympics and Best Buddies will urge Members of Congress to authorize The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act, which will continue a national commitment by the U.S. Congress made with passage of the 2004 Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act also includes The Best Buddies Empowerment for People with Intellectual Disabilities Act of 2009, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April 2009. This new legislation continues the legacy of Mrs. Shriver by authorizing funds for specific programs supporting persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in health, education and global program initiatives.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who passed away in August 2009, founded Special Olympics in 1968 and was a longtime board member and supporter of Best Buddies, which was founded in 1989.
WHERE: Hart Senate Building, Room 902
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
WHEN: Wednesday, January 27th
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
WHY: More than 200 million people worldwide have intellectual disabilities, making this the largest disability group worldwide. Intellectual and developmental disabilities cross racial, ethnic, educational, social, and economic lines, and can occur in any family.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Kevin,Danielle & sister shopping...
Kevin Jonas And his wife Danielle were spotted shopping with Danielle's young sister in the Willowbrook Mall
Monday, January 25, 2010
Jim Nantz: Jonas Brothers Will be Next Beatles
CBS Sports Jim Nantz on seeing the Jonas Brothers in concert.
Crazy Nick Jonas Fans on TMZ
Thats a one crazy Fan!
What do you think?
those kind of fans give us (the normal fans) a bad reputation?
What is Joe Jonas up to?
Nick Jonas is busy on the road with his band the Administration and Kevin Jonas is busy enjoying new wife Daniella, but what's Joe Jonas been up to? Well, other than pursuing an acting career, he's been busy working on some new music of his own.
"I'm just here to support Nick...a little more acting, would be awesome," he shared with MTV News on the red carpet before the Critics' Choice Awards.
Does all this talk about marriage and side-projects and acting mean the end for the Jonas Brothers? "Yeah, it's over," he joked. "Just kidding. It just makes it even better for the three of us and means that we all have our own individual styles of music that we love."
Joe also shared that he's been working on some of his own music, which means that soon enough the Jonas Brothers could be competing for spots on the charts.
"I'm doing a lot of writing and I'm not sure where that will pick up," he said. "I'm kind of sure, but I can't really talk about it. I'm excited. It's gonna be a really cool 2010. [Nick's] music and the music I'm writing and Kevin's music that he really wanted to start writing. I think all of our music together after all this time is really going to make it a great tour and a new album. So it's great to be able to have these opportunities to do these different things."
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Nick Jonas Steps Out Solo to Show "Who I Am"
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - When Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers, announced his solo side project, the Brothers went on the offensive to ensure their fans that the trio is not breaking up, posting that fact in all caps on their MySpace page. What more evidence does a teen girl need?
Nick Jonas & the Administration's "Who I Am" (Hollywood Records), which hits shelves February 2, isn't a teenybopper project, but rather one that combines Jonas' youthful appeal and the experience of rock-solid industry veterans. The Administration comprises John Fields -- the Jonas Brothers' longtime producer -- on bass and former New Power Generation members Sonny Thompson, Michael Bland and Tommy Barbarella.
The album was recorded in two weeks at Nashville's Blackbird Studios, although the 17-year-old Jonas says he was stowing away solo song ideas -- ones with a rougher edge than those he writes with his brothers -- for the better part of two years. The first single, "Who I Am," debuted on the December 2 telecast of CBS' Grammy Awards nominations concert. It holds at No. 8 with a bullet on Billboard's Heatseekers Songs chart and has sold 120,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The band is on a 14-stop club tour to promote the album, including dates in New York at the Beacon Theater and in Los Angeles at the Wiltern. During a practice session for the Grammy nominations show in Burbank, Calif., Jonas sat down with Billboard and talked about the new album, what's next for the Jonas Brothers and why his first stop after he's elected president of the United States will be Roswell, New Mexico.
Billboard: Why did you decide to record a side project?
Nick Jonas: This all came about around two years ago when I started writing some songs that stylistically weren't right for the Jonas Brothers. I was finding inspiration from Elvis Costello, Prince, Stevie Wonder -- all these guys that I've really admired. After writing about eight or nine songs, I thought, "It would be great to go record this some day." The timing worked out -- we had two weeks off from some touring and recording that my brothers and I were doing -- and so I went to Nashville with the Administration and I made this record.
Billboard: Two weeks is a tight deadline to record an entire album.
Jonas: Nashville was intense, and going into it I was excited, but a little nervous. But once I got there and sat down with the musicians for 10 minutes I knew it would be possible. It was really less than two weeks -- it was about eight days -- and then the mixing went on for another four. I left with a CD and was really proud and happy about it.
I just think that it's all about learning from each other. When we got there it was me sharing an idea for a song, and if it wasn't completely finished, then we'd work together to make sure it was done. It was recorded like a record from the '60s or the '70s, in the sense that we're all in individual isolation booths and we're recording simultaneously as opposed to what you do in a lot of pop music these days, which is record one thing and go to the next, (with) a lot of overdubs. We decided to make it kind of raw and real, and there are very minimal overdubs. It felt like a real recording of a band and it made for a good vibe in the studio, too.
Billboard: Was it difficult adjusting to this new style of recording?
Jonas: Going into the whole recording process, I really didn't know what to expect. I'd met some of the musicians before -- Michael Bland and John Fields -- but Tommy Barbarella and David Ryan Harris (who played guitar on the album; Sonny Thompson is the guitarist for the tour) were new. I sat down with them and talked about how I saw it going down. It was a learning process in a lot of ways. It was the best class I could ever be a part of.
Prince plays a big part in this whole project because a lot of the guys are from the New Power Generation, so a lot of the time I was like, "I really think we could do it like this Prince song!" -- kind of forgetting for a minute that these were the guys who played it and they were all right there with me.
Billboard: Talk about "Who I Am," the single and the album.
Jonas: Of all of the songs (on the album) it's probably the most personal in the sense that it tells a story about me. This one is just about wanting to find someone who loves you for who you are. It's kind of a hopeful song. It's actually the second song we recorded for the record and so it was early in the process, but still one of my favorites.
Some of the other tracks that are standouts for me are things like "Rose Garden" -- that was the first song I wrote for the record. It's a story about a young girl who finds her safe place in the rose garden -- wherever it is in life where you feel most comfortable, where you can be yourself, where you can find love or just be alone if you need to.
Nick Jonas gets loose in Minneapolis.
Star Tribune photos by Jeff Wheeler
By Jon Bream
Nick Jonas talked more onstage Thursday at the State Theatre than he probably has at all the other shows combined on his first solo tour.
What was it? Having two members of the Jonas Brothers band (guitarist John Taylor and Twin Cities keyboardist Ryan Liestman) in the house? Being in the hometown of his new (side project) band, the Administration? Or bowling at Gameworks in Block E before the show?
Whatever it was, the 17-year-old star was looser than usual onstage and more fun than at a JoBros gig. He was even exchanging laughs with the members of the Administration. And he yakked and yakked about everything from how his hair always stays the same even when he sleeps (he's not growing an Afro, he insisted) to bassist John Fields' uncle (Steven Greenberg) having written "Funkytown" and being at the concert. For a full review, click here.
One complaint: By adding an extra, unadvertised opening act (Liestman’s cool band the Rule), the 7 p.m. show did not end until after 10 p.m. That’s too late on a school-night for Nick’s youthful audience. (Early exits by Moms and daughters weren’t uncommon.) Putting the Rule on before 7 p.m. would have been advisable because most of the fans were already in their seats anyway.
Nick Jonas & the Administration played all but one of the songs from their forthcoming CD, “Who I Am,” plus a couple of numbers (Stay, While the World Is Spinning) written since the disc was recorded, a few covers and, of course, some JoBros tunes.
Here is the set list:
Rose Garden/ State of Emergency/ Olive and an Arrow/ Last Time Around/ Inseparable (Jo Bros)/ While the World Is Spinning/ Black Keys w A Little Bit Longer (JoBros on piano)/ Vespers Goodbye/ acoustic covers of Owl City’s Fireflies, Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody, Taylor Swift’s You Belong with Me/ Stay/ Conspiracy Theory/ Stronger/ Tonight (old JoBros song redone on new CD) ENCORE Who I Am
The Administration's rhythm section: drummer Michael Bland and bassist John Fields.
Nick channels the Purple One
Was it the setting or just the sincerest form of flattery? Nick Jonas' concert was rich in Prince vibes and showed off his solo musical powers.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here for a thing called Nick Jonas & the Administration.
There was such a pronounced Purple vibe Thursday night at the sold-out State Theatre in Minneapolis for the side project of the youngest Jonas brother that it wouldn't have been surprising if Nick, 17, had broken into a PG version of Prince's "Darling Nikki."
The sound of Nick's new group was decidedly Prince-like at times, the lights were heavy on the color purple, and the usually introverted Nick eventually found his inner rock star and practically channeled the Purple One on a couple of numbers, complete with falsetto.
Nick knew he was in Minneapolis, home of all four members of his Administration, three of whom used to play in Prince's New Power Generation. The fourth guy was Minneapolis-bred bassist John Fields, whose uncle (Steven Greenberg), as Nick explained to the crowd, wrote "Funkytown" (the last song broadcast before Nick took the stage).
"This is a funky town," Nick declared shortly after he had played "Last Time Around," the turning point in the 95-minute show.
Before that, Nick had played proficiently but without any commitment, conviction or spark. His band -- all the members are old enough to be his dad and have played with one another for years -- was terrific. Then suddenly, Nick cut loose, climbing atop an upright piano and jumping off with a flying leap, shouting "wow" and then doing some spins. He carried on like a rock star instead of a studio geek making his music sound just right.
There was such a pronounced Purple vibe Thursday night at the sold-out State Theatre in Minneapolis for the side project of the youngest Jonas brother that it wouldn't have been surprising if Nick, 17, had broken into a PG version of Prince's "Darling Nikki."
The sound of Nick's new group was decidedly Prince-like at times, the lights were heavy on the color purple, and the usually introverted Nick eventually found his inner rock star and practically channeled the Purple One on a couple of numbers, complete with falsetto.
Nick knew he was in Minneapolis, home of all four members of his Administration, three of whom used to play in Prince's New Power Generation. The fourth guy was Minneapolis-bred bassist John Fields, whose uncle (Steven Greenberg), as Nick explained to the crowd, wrote "Funkytown" (the last song broadcast before Nick took the stage).
"This is a funky town," Nick declared shortly after he had played "Last Time Around," the turning point in the 95-minute show.
Before that, Nick had played proficiently but without any commitment, conviction or spark. His band -- all the members are old enough to be his dad and have played with one another for years -- was terrific. Then suddenly, Nick cut loose, climbing atop an upright piano and jumping off with a flying leap, shouting "wow" and then doing some spins. He carried on like a rock star instead of a studio geek making his music sound just right.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Nick Jonas Acoustic Set - Chicago - 1.17.2010
Nick Jonas singing Rose Garden and Who I Am
this was before his concert on 1.17.2010
he was originally going to go around and meet all of the fans
he met half, then got called to soundcheck
so he sang these two songs for the other half of the fans.
Sixty seconds with Nick Jonas
Indy: So you just wrote and recorded a new song on the road?
NJ: Yeah! We just finished up in the studio a little while ago. It's a new song called "Stay," and we recorded it on our day off. The song is about falling for someone, about those feelings, so it's great when you have a good inspiration to write something.
Indy: Who are you dating this week? I can't keep track.
NJ: Oh? Well, I think I'd prefer it to stay that way, maybe.
Indy: Fair enough. So your nickname in the Jonas Brothers is actually "The President"?
NJ: Yeah. And it's kinda funny, 'cause it's actually longer than my real name. It was a nickname given to me because I was always very serious. So it just stuck, and now it's kinda played a part in my adventures with this new side project [Nick Jonas & the Administration, whose debut album comes out next month] and become an inspiration for the name of the band.
Indy: The Administration [who worked with Prince] seem to be helping you explore classic R&B.
NJ: I think so. And the guys in the band will definitely mention [soul artists'] names that I've never heard about before, so I'll check it out online and get inspired from that.
Indy: Even though you're serious, I'm betting you watched that Jonas Brothers South Park episode and at least chuckled.
NJ: I can honestly say that I didn't watch it. I don't know that people would say that they'd actually watch 30 minutes of someone poking fun at 'em — that's not the best way to build up your self-confidence. But I think it is a compliment, in a bit of a strange way. And there are things I've seen in the past that use us as a punch line that I think are hilarious. But in that one particular case, I decided not to watch.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Joe Jonas Visits Hilary Duff
Joe Jonas looks a little surprised to be greeted by paparazzi as he leaves pal Hilary Duff’s home on a rainy Wednesday afternoon (January 20) in Toluca Lake, Calif.
The 20-year-old singer has been enjoying the rainy weather. Joe tweeted this afternoon, “Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.” We’d have to agree with you there, Joe.
Nick Jonas makes a worthy departure
POST-DISPATCH MUSIC CRITIC
Nick Jonas showed himself up Tuesday night at the Pageant, where his new side project, Nick Jonas and the Administration, delivered a more musically satisfying experience than any Jonas Brothers concert.
Nick Jonas and the Administration is a much more scaled down and less teen-friendly outfit than the Jonas Brothers. Brothers Kevin and Joe are out of the mix and former members of Prince's old New Power Generation band are worked in.
None of that stopped Jonas' core crowd from coming out. The Pageant was packed with young girls, teens, and, in many cases, their parents.
For this departure the Jonas brother, who some consider the most talented of the pop-rock trio, eschewed his usual boy-band roots for a funkier soul sound, showcased on his upcoming CD "Who I Am."
"These songs look into my life, things that are real with me that I wanted to share," Jonas said. He hasn't yet fully mastered the art of what it takes to be a full-fledged front man, but he showed promise.
The new songs were by no means complicated, but they were often more textured than a typical Jonas Brothers song.
A full list of new songs such as "Last Time Around," "State of Emergency," "Vespers Goodbye" and "Conspiracy Theory" were rolled out and treated by fans as if they were old favorites.
Some of the songs felt that way. Best among them were "Olive and an Arrow," "Stay" and "Rock Garden," the kind of old-fashioned R&B numbers Prince could appreciate. During "Rose Garden," fans tossed long-stemmed roses on stage, and he took one in his mouth.
He also performed songs he wrote after he made the CD, such as "While the World is Spinning."
For good measure, Jonas also mixed in "classic" Jonas Brothers tunes such as a remix of "Inseparable," and also "Black Keys" and "A Little Bit Longer." He performed the latter two at the piano, and used the moment to talk about 2010 being a year of new beginnings and not letting anything slow you down, a reference to his diabetes diagnosis several years ago.
After talking about what a good year it was for music in 2009, he performed Owl City's "Fireflies," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" and even Taylor Swift's "You Belong to Me." Only "Fireflies" felt unnecessary.
Later in the concert he performed a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Signed Sealed and Delivered," but his rendition was pale version of the original.
Jonas, who had time to hang out in St. Louis Monday, name-checked Ted Drewes, the City Museum, and the Gateway Arch. He bypassed going up in the Arch, saying it wasn't for him.
Diane Birch opened with songs from her latest CD "Bible Belt."
Nick Jonas and the Administration, Diane Birch at the Pageant, January 19
By Annie Zaleski in Fiesta!
Nick Jonas is polite. He has a firm handshake. He takes after his father -- a man wearing a cozy sweater who smiles jovially and also shakes hands warmly, while thanking me for coming to the show. I'm backstage and upstairs at the Pageant, and Nick Jonas is asking me what I thought of his show with the Administration.
| Annie Zaleski |
| The St. Louis setlist. Notice the song near the end that wasn't played, but was originally supposed to be. |
But let's backtrack. Kevin Johnson, pop music critic for the Post-Dispatch, arrived at the Pageant after I did, and happened to be sitting next to me. We started chatting, and he mentioned something about an email he and I were cc'd on. I hadn't checked my email in several hours, and so he explained that Nick Jonas and the Administration's tour manager had emailed us: The musician wanted to meet us after the show, because he wanted our opinion on it.
Now, lest you think that this is a regular occurrence for a music critic, think again. This never happens. Let me repeat: This never happens. For starters, we generally don't hang out backstage at a show, or pal around with famous rock stars. Interviews we do tend to be over the phone, in advance. Music journalism is not a ticket to the glamorous life. I'm certainly fine with that; I didn't get into this business to pal around with famous people.
Besides that, musicians often don't read their press. (Can you blame them? Would you want to read paragraph after paragraph about how much you suck?) And if or when they do, you rarely hear reactions to your stories - good, bad, angry or otherwise. In other words, it's practically unheard of for a musician to reach out like this - especially right after he's played a show.
But Jonas has been meeting journalists on this entire tour, which is serving as an introduction to his newer, more mature material. Strangely, I'm a bit nervous during the show, not sure what to expect when we do meet - mainly because it's rather intimidating. It's like having your mother-in-law ask you what you think of her cooking, as you're in the middle of munching on some (perhaps dubious) culinary concoction. What if the songs weren't good? What if I had to lie about their quality?
Thankfully, this isn't the case, which makes the encounter that much less nerve-wracking. And so the show ends, we meet the tour manager near the stage, and Kevin Johnson and I head upstairs to the Pageant's backstage area. We wait around a bit, and then Jonas appears. He's still wearing his same outfit from the stage (a brown shirt, jeans and a necklace with a few charms on it) and is ruddy-cheeked from performing.
After an awkward, "you go first - no, you go first!" between Kevin and I, he begins talking. Jonas listens intently as Kevin tells him his impressions of the show. I chime in with some statements after - I mentioned, as I hinted at in the review, that the end of the show was strongest, and that I liked the song "Rose Garden" quite a bit. We're standing in a hallway, but things are casual and, surprisingly, not awkward.
Jonas reveals inspirations for some of the newer songs (Maxwell and Marvin Gaye) in response to Kevin's comments, and remarks that they should record the power-pop tune "While the World is Spinnin" after I note that I liked it. Throughout our brief conversation, though, I get the impression that Jonas really is interested in hearing what I have to say, that my input is valuable.
Now, I write a lot of show reviews, as regular readers of this blog know. But my words are thrown out into the vacuum of the Internet, or spread throughout the city in the print edition of the paper. Rarely do I feel like my thoughts have actual, tangible value or impact. And yet in this brief instant, I do. It's a testament not only to Jonas' polished demeanor, but the genuine, sincere undercurrent to his actions. He certainly doesn't have to meet with journalists, much less invite them backstage after a 90-minute show, when he's obviously tired. It doesn't get much more dedicated than that.
Nick Jonas & the Administration
Nick Jonas & the Administration
By Mikael Wood
Last March I watched bassist Sonny Thompson and drummer Michael Bland back up Prince at the Conga Room during the Purple One’s typically audacious three-gig L.A. Live stand. Tonight those two players — along with producer John Fields and keyboardist (and fellow Prince sideman) Tommy Barbarella — will take the stage at the Wiltern with another pint-sized star whose artistic ambition exceeds his physical stature: Nick Jonas, known to tween-pop fans around the world as the youngest Jonas Brother. On February 2 Jonas is set to release a quickly recorded solo disc, Who I Am, the Huey Lewis-ish title track of which he debuted at last month’s televised Grammy-nominations concert; according to reports from the road, Jonas’s current live show (which touches down at the Wiltern for four nights) includes stuff from Who I Am, several JoBros jams and a handful of covers. In New York he did “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.” Maybe we’ll get “Darling Nikki”? Also Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Joe Jonas Is Ready For 'A Really Cool 2010'
" I think all of our music together after all this time is really going to make it a great tour and a new album," Joe says
Joe Jonas chatted to MTV about his ACTING CAREER AND WRITING: 'I'm just here to support Nick and hopefully someday soon act, which should be cool, a little more acting, which would be awesome.'
Does all the talk about marriage, side projects and acting mean end of Jonas Brothers? 'Yeah, it's over. Just kidding. It just makes it even better for the three of us and means that we all have our own individual styles of music that we love. I'm doing a lot of writing and I'm not sure where that will pick up.
I'm kind of sure, but I can't really talk about it. I'm excited. It's gonna be a really cool 2010. [Nick's] music and the music I'm writing and Kevin's music that he really wanted to start writing. I think all of our music together after all this time is really going to make it a great tour and a new album. So it's great to be able to have these opportunities to do these different things.'
Joe Jonas as James Bond - The 5:19 Show
Joe Jonas said he wants to be in a Bond film. Wonder what that would be like? Hmmmm...
Check out 5:19 live online Mon-Fri bbc.co.uk/switch and on BBC2 on Saturday afternoons!
Selena & Nick Reunite on a Platonic Bench
Former non-lovers Selena Gomez and Nick Jonas got cozy on a park bench by Lake Michigan in Chicago this weekend.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Nick Jonas 'will try to balance bands'
Nick Jonas has said that he wants to work with the Jonas Brothers as well as on his solo career.
In October, Jonas announced that he had decided to form Nick Jonas and the Administration to explore different material.
However, Contactmusic reports that he is hoping to balance both acts.
"My thought is the two can definitely exist," he said. "2010 will be a year of learning. We all have individual things we'll be doing and just learning how to balance each one of our individual dreams along with our dreams together."
Jonas added that he decided to create the side project because he wanted to play songs that he "didn't think were necessarily right for the Jonas Brothers's sound".
He has previously described his solo music as "intimate".
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kevin and Danielle CR PUPPY LOVE
Kevin and new wife Danielle with their new puppy Riley from CR PUPPY LOVE
Our breeder said that the couple glowed with happiness ....Kevin and Danielle had newlywed bliss wrote all over them
Joe Jonas: Single and Loving It
Joe Jonas, who has dated such beauties as singer Taylor Swift and actress Camilla Belle, is taking a break from the dating game.
"This is the longest I've ever been single actually," Jonas told PEOPLE at the Critics' Choice Awards on Friday night in Hollywood of his eight-month relationship hiatus. "I love it. I still date and things like that but just not committed, which is nice."
The middle Jonas brother was on hand to support his younger brother Nick, whose group Nick Jonas and the Administration was the house band for the VH1 award ceremony. So while Joe's younger brother goes solo and his older brother Kevin gets accustomed to married life, the 20-year-old Jonas has his sights set on tackling Hollywood.
"I love to make people laugh. If I can make people laugh, then I feel good," says Joe, who is currently reading scripts. "For me, acting is something you're able to be eclectic. That's something that I would really like to be a part of."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Joe Jonas: Ready to Go Brotherless Like Nick?
If Nick Jonas can do it, his brother Joe can do it, too.
We're talking about breaking away from the Jonas Brothers for awhile to make his own music.
Joe's being coy about whether he has a Nick Jonas and the Administration-like project up his sleeve, but…
"I'm writing songs right now," Joe told me at last night's Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood. "I'm writing a lot of music."
The 20-year-old JoBro smiles when asked if he's planning on following in Nick's brotherless footsteps. He declines to say yes or no.
"It's going really well," he said. "I've written about five songs with some of my friends in different bands and things like that. With Grammy Week coming up, all my friends and all these musicians are flying in. I love writing with musicians."
And that's not all that Joe has going on. He's reading scripts.
"I'm looking forward to doing more acting," he said. "I know everybody says this, but I want to be able to do everything. I won't be satisfied until I'm ready to do every kind of role—from a villain to a comedian."
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Nick Jonas On Fronting The CCMA House Band
So what can we expect to hear on the show? Sounds like a little of everything! “[The producers of the show and I] work together on this one to come up with a list of songs that I feel comfortable with and that they were comfortable with as well,” Jonas said. “It’s a big list, but it should be good to see it all come together.” The show will also feature tons of hilarious actors and comedians, so hopefully someone in The Administration has perfected their rim-shot.
Follow the latest movie and entertainment trends on our Tweet Tracker, and tune into the the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards tonight at 9PM EST - only on VH1.
New Jonas Magazine Issue!!!
New Jonas Magazine issue will be available on the magazine website today
dont forget to check it out :)
http://www.jonasmagazine.com.
dont forget to check it out :)
http://www.jonasmagazine.com.
Jonas Magazine Joe Desktop Background
JB Blog: Help Haiti
As you have already heard, the earthquake victims of Haiti need our help.
We just want our fans to know that we have made a contribution to our friends at Convoy of Hope through our charity, Change for the Children Foundation. Convoy of Hope has a warehouse just outside Port-Au-Prince that was fully stocked with food, water and purification devices prior to the earthquake but those supplies will only last so long and need to be replenished as soon as possible.
Any support to Convoy of Hope will provide the necessary supplies the people of Haiti need to survive but also give them hope in knowing that the rest of the world is joining in the effort to repair and rebuild not just the country but their lives.
Even the smallest contribution will go a long way.
You can donate any amount through Convoy of Hope: http://www.convoyofhope.org/
We love you!
JB
Kevin, Joe and Nick
Youngest Jonas brother steps into the spotlight
"It's so much different than anything I've done in the past, so I can never assume anything, and I didn't with this," Jonas says in a phone interview from Nashville, Tenn., the third stop on the Nick Jonas and the Administration tour.
"That's why we wanted to make sure we had a real intimate vibe, in case the tickets didn't sell. Once I saw it was selling, it was a relief."
The tour, including next week's Pageant date, is largely sold out, whether it's from the Jonas name, curiosity about Kevin and Joe's little brother or genuine interest in the music on his upcoming CD "Who I Am," scheduled for release Feb. 2.
The idea for the side band came about after he realized that new tunes he was writing didn't necessarily sound like Jonas Brothers songs, he says.
"These songs were just pouring out of my heart about things I was going through, and I sat down with management and told them my idea of doing the record," Jonas says. "It was about me branching out and finding my own sound."
"Who I Am" was recorded in about a week and a half, and "we recorded it like it was the '60s and the '70s, with a real raw rock feel," he says.
The "we" in this case are some former members of Prince's NPG band, who are also part of the Jonas' touring band.
"Those are musicians I was really inspired by," Jonas says. "I learned so much from them."
Asked who's likely to be the tougher boss — Nick Jonas or Prince — Jonas laughed. "I don't know. I think Prince is amazing and much more talented than I, and more opinionated."
Naturally, Jonas' detour has led some people to wonder whether there's trouble in the Jonas camp.
"It's just a side project I'm able to do," he says, adding that his brothers are supportive. "They were at the first couple of shows, right there singing along and cheering."
Jonas will squeeze in at least a few Jonas Brothers numbers in concert.
"I'll do some songs I like singing, that I have a connection with, and that the fans are more familiar with," he says.
But unlike a JoBros concert, which have been known to come with their share of frills, he says with this show "the focus is on the music and having a musical experience."
STLTODAY.COM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
