Most drummers live for a solo during a concert. But Scott Underwood doesn’t even need his sticks for some time in the spotlight.

The Train drummer has been marrying couples on stage during the group’s tour this summer.

“We wrote the song ‘Marry Me,’ ” he said. “People were writing in saying, ‘Can I please propose at your show?’ And people were getting on stage and proposing. Or sometimes people would propose right in the audience, and we would just hear this uproar like back in the audience somewhere and you’d see a guy on his knees.”

Train’s manager suggested one of the band members become an ordained minister. Underwood got online with the Universal Life Church.

“It’s a really cool experience to be marrying people and to have such a pivotal role in their relationship,” he said. “I know it’s a pretty heavy role; if I look at it and think about it too much, I will get nervous, but I just am enjoying it.

Train

“I was having actually too much fun when we first did it, and I’m jumping around the stage to get the audience going. And my singer, Pat [Monahan], was like, ‘Dude, you got to chill; this is like their moment, not your moment,’ ” Underwood said and laughed.

The Grammy award-winning group known for “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” definitely is having fun since taking a break from 2006-09.

“We were not getting along as a band or enjoying what we were doing,” Underwood said during a call from a tour stop in St. Louis. “I think we were just disenchanted with the whole thing and also took everything for granted. We just decided to take a break instead of just continue to be unhappy.

“During that break, we just realized, No. 1 that what we have in Train is very rare and precious, and it’s something that we’re really lucky to have. It’s a gift that was given to us, and we should appreciate it and respect it and treat it well.”

Underwood, Monahan and guitarist Jimmy Stafford also realized they wanted to write more up-tempo music.

And they did. “Hey, Soul Sister” from 2009’s “Save Me, San Francisco” topped the charts in 15 countries and was the biggest selling single of 2010.

“We want to make people dance,” Underwood said. “We come from the era of, like, grunge rock and indie rock and stuff back in the mid to late ’90s, so when we were first writing songs, it wasn’t about dancing; it was about being bummed out and nobody loves me and I’m misunderstood and all that stuff.

“We were those guys for sure, but we’ve evolved with the rest of the world into, like, let’s party and have fun. That’s the era we’re in, and it’s nice to write music that contributes to that — I want to be cheered up at shows.”

The band from the city by the bay continues to crank out good times on its sixth disc, “California 37,” which includes the hits “Drive By” and “50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” which features David Hasselhoff in the video.

“David Hasselhoff is hilarious,” Underwood said. “He’s funny just being in a video; seeing him now is funny.”

Train will pull in for a 7 p.m. concert Aug. 14 at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre. Andy Grammer and Mat Kearney will open. Tickets range from $39.50 to $65.

Tags: Toledo Zoo, Train

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2012 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, In Concert, Music.
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Three years — that’s how long Andy Grammer toted around a car battery to power his guitar amp so he could perform on the streets of Santa Monica, Calif.

“There was one night after I went home I had to write myself a little song to keep at it. It’s a fun thing, but it grinds on you a little bit — it’s very little money, and it’s just a little bit difficult.

Andy Grammer

“So I wrote myself a little pick-me-up song, and people seem to like it,” he said.

That upbeat, infectious track, “Keep Your Head Up,” became Grammer’s first hit last year from his self-titled debut.

“I think you can write happy music that’s still grounded, you know, it doesn’t have to be airy-fairy. It can just be like a real part of the day, a real part of life,” the singer said during a call from Kansas City, Kan., where he was doing a radio promotion.

The follow-up single, “It’s Fine By Me,” also showcased his pop and soulful sound and shot up VH-1’s weekly video countdown.

“When you put out an album, you think: Will people like this? I hope they will,” Grammer said. “And now to be on my third single, that’s pretty cool. You can’t ever really expect that; you hope it, you dream it, but you can’t expect it.”

Grammer just finished shooting a video for “Miss You.”

“It uses glow sticks in a really cool way. I’ll leave you with that to make sure everyone checks it out.”

Brightening up someone’s day is the songwriter’s goal.

“I would just like to transform someone’s otherwise lame car ride into a really cool experience. I’ve had car rides to the dentist that were just normal and then ones where you put in someone’s CD and you had like an experience. You felt something,” he said. “And that doesn’t have to be a deep feeling; it can be just a happy, roll-down-the-windows, freak-out feeling or maybe a lyric hits you in a certain way.”

Grammer will open for Train at 7 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre. Mat Kearney also is on the bill. Tickets range from $39.50 to $65.

Tags: Andy Grammer, Toledo Zoo, Train

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, In Concert, Toledo Zoo.
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Jason Mraz, “Love Is a Four Letter Word”

While alternative acoustic music is firmly in his wheelhouse, Jason Mraz continues to defy expectations by experimenting with a plethora of genres on “Love Is a Four Letter Word.” As the title of the album implies, there is plenty of his typical catchy love songs and wordplay to go around, but there is just as much experimentation.

The genre jumping leads to some great results, like “I Won’t Give Up.” The acoustic-country song about commitment to a relationship sounds like a toned-down version of something Rascal Flatts would sing with a touch of Ray Lamontagne.

Jason Mack

Mraz has consistently managed to produce a pair of radio hits on each album while doing his own thing. His debut album “Waiting For My Rocket To Come” blew up in 2002 thanks to the tracks “You and I Both” and “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” while stellar songs such as “Sleep All Day” flew under the radar. On 2005’s “Mr. A-Z” it was “Life Is Wonderful” and “Wordplay.” Mraz reached new heights of popularity in 2008 on “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things” with “Lucky” and “I’m Yours,” which set a record with 76 weeks on the Hot 100 chart.

“I Won’t Give Up” will be one of the hits on this album. Candidates for the second single include “5/6,” “The Freedom Song” and “Who’s Thinking About You Now.”

On “5/6,” Mraz embodies the spirit of ’70s funk with a sound between Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. He keeps that vibe going while giving the horn section a workout on the soulful reggae track “The Freedom Song.” “Who’s Thinking About You Now” is a jazzy ballad with Mraz’ trademark playful lyrics such as “I scan you like a credit card, connecting freckles like I do the stars.”

Despite a decade passing since his debut album, Mraz continues to find new ways to stay fresh. The result is several hits with a couple misses and an overall solid album. The artist is bound to miss a couple of times when putting 18 tracks out there at once.

***1/2 out of 5

Train, “California 37”

Train had all the makings of a one-hit wonder in 1998 when “Meet Virginia” climbed the charts. They managed to stave off that label with the title track off their follow-up album “Drops of Jupiter.” The release of “Calling All Angels” set the stage for Train to really take off, but the band all but disappeared after that, including a three-year hiatus, before dominating the charts in 2009 with “Hey, Soul Sister.” Despite the band’s momentum heading into “California 37,” Train comes to a screeching halt.

The band tries too hard to be catchy on the album while forcing references to California into songs more than The Beach Boys reference surfing. The first track of the album “This’ll Be My Year” seems to pay homage to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with its up-tempo wordplay. The country duet “Bruises” with Ashley Monroe has potential, but the vocals are overpowered by the strings.

The lone exception to the album’s mediocrity is the first single, “Drive By.” The song provides just the right balance between playful lyrics in the verses and a catchy chorus. However, you’re better off buying the single and leaving the rest of the album behind.

** out of 5

Tags: "California 37", "Love Is a Four Letter Word", Jason Mack, Jason Mraz, Train

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 5:44 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, CD Reviews, Music.
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