James and Jesse are still working on the new Maroon 5 album at a studio in Switzerland. Adam mentioned that he will be flying back from LA to join them:
heading back to NYC. then switzerland again to put the finishing touches on the record. including a brand new one. number 13!
Photo: Twitter
Jesse and James talked to U.S. News on the red carpet of Al Gore's Green Ball. Here are some quotes from the interview:
Jesse on the band's transportation: "We offset everything we do. We don't ever take a flight without offsetting it." he added, however, that his transportation to Washington was a jet. "That conflict of interest is big."
James on how he tries to live a greener lifestyle: "I'm unplugging appliances, setting the thermostat at a reasonable level, and wearing a sweater instead of getting it blazing in there. All that kind of stuff that I learned from my anal frugal dad. If his voice was in everybody's ear, we would save a lot of energy. That's one of the unintended consequences of the economic crisis. People will start thinking about saving energy, because they'll save money."
Jesse on the changes he's making: "At home I'm working on a huge overhaul to my house, with solar panels and water systems and a greenhouse, and growing food... We're trying to keep our fingers crossed but we're trying to stay happy too. It doesn't have to be spun in a way like, everything we enjoy has to stop if we're going to try to live more sustainably."
It's been a heady year for Maroon 5, which won a Grammy for the song "Makes Me Wonder." How did it feel to win a third Grammy?
This is the height of the
awards side of things for music, and yet that doesn't change the
feeling we have of wanting to make music that's better and better. I
really feel a sense of awe that our band is where it is, with the
ability to play places like this for 12,000 to 20,000 people. I'm
thinking a lot about how to make the most of that and do the most good.
Did you have a goal for this album? How did you try to distinguish it from your first album, "Songs About Jane"?
There was a little bit of a conscious effort to separate it from the
sound of the first record. We wanted to have the production hit a
little harder and the fidelity be of higher quality. It was something
we shot for because we had more time and we had more equipment around
us, and better instruments. But at the same time, we did the same thing
when we did the first record, which was to just record the songs that
we'd written at that point in our lives and do it the best we could.
Is songwriting a democratic process for the band?
Everybody has different musical progressions knocking around in
their heads. Sometimes those will come together at sound check or in
rehearsal, and Adam will write a melody on it. Or maybe it'll be a more
concentrated effort where Adam and I sit down at the piano. Sometimes
Adam will just be driving around in his car and have a melody pop into
his head and he'll put chords to it.
"If I Never See Your Face Again" is a beautiful, multilayered song. How did it come together?
It was a very slow, methodical process. It started with a jam that
happened in our rehearsal space based on a guitar part that James
wrote. And then James and Adam made a demo of the song in its first
form with our producer, Mike Elizondo. And he laid down a bunch of
really great keyboard parts on it. And then we brought it into the
studio and I added some (parts) and it went through about three
different versions before it finally ended up the way it is on our
record. And when Rihanna came in, we gave it to another producer,
Tricky, and he put a bunch of new little twists on it sonically. So
that song has been worked on by a lot of people.
Rolling Stone magazine described Maroon 5 as
a "high ego" group, with a complex blend of personalities and personal
agendas. Is that true?
I'm going to have to say, "Unfortunately, yes." But also
"fortunately," because we're really aware of it. There are so many ego
problems around the world. Just look at this stupid political system
we've got going with these hugely expensive campaigns just so that
people can win. All that money could actually go toward solving
problems if there wasn't so much ego. But we're working on it.
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Maroon 5 Thinks Positive
by Brian McCollum
Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5 figures his idea for newspapers is pretty nifty: Split each page in half, with bad news on the left and "the happy stuff" on other side.
That probably won't happen anytime soon, but suffice it to say the 29-year-old keyboardist is confident where his band would wind up.
"We feel like we're on a mission to go out and put positive things out into the world," he says.
So far, so good: Six years after its debut album introduced radio listeners to the band's bright, infectious sound, Maroon 5 remains firmly ensconced atop the pop-rock world -- continuing to rack up top 10 hits and versatile enough to collaborate with R&B diva Rihanna and country star Sara Evans.
"It Won't Be Soon Before Long," the band's clever 'n' catchy second record, has sold 2 million copies since its release last year, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Not quite the same pace as 2002's "Songs About Jane" -- at 4.6 million and still counting -- but solid sophomore numbers nonetheless.
The quintet, led by Carmichael and stainless-voiced singer Adam Levine, is midway through a lengthy co-headlining outing with the Counting Crows that will bring the two bands to DTE Music Theatre on Friday.
"It's a very friendly tour," says Carmichaels. "We get along with them well, and it's really great to see our fans starting to get into their music."
People!!!
hello... jesse here on the bus in Buffalo NY... sitting in the front
lounge with mickey... who's reading an article about Barack Obama...
who has some harsh words for McCain... Politics are so funny... it's
like a reality television show...
We were in Washington DC
yesterday... saw some amazing quotes engraved on the walls of the
Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials... big noble speeches... smart
people... forward thinking... that's what we've got to be right now...
ANYWAY...
hey... i'm just throwing this out there... if you can help out an
animal shelter with any kind of donation, or maybe you know someone who
is looking for a cause for their big fundraising dinner... maybe this
could be it... The Bill Foundation is a great organization that rescues
stray dogs, cleans them up and finds them loving families...
isn't that nice?
We
live in a nice world... except for all of those things that don't seem
nice... and maybe that's just the way it has to be... but maybe not...
right? maybe it can be more nice than not nice...
so... please check out this website... help out if you can. thanks a lot.
many happy returns of the day to you!!!
http://www.billfoundation.org/index.html
love,
jrc
Here is a photo of Adam and Jesse, performing at a summer camp in New York the other day.
Photo: daviddesu
