MAROON 5

Fronted by vocalist/guitarist Adam Levine and backed by James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, Maroon 5 blends elements of funk and blues into their rock & roll songs. Friends since junior high, Maroon 5 (formerly known as Kara's Flowers) played their first show at The Whisky in Los Angeles in 1995. By summer of 1997, the band had released The Fourth World, their debut album on Reprise Records, and they were out on the road playing with Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger. Kara’s Flowers left Reprise in 1999 to start a new musical direction. After years of experimentation and exploration (as well as the addition of Valentine), hints of R&B and folk were gradually woven through the alternative rock fabric that was the band’s musical base. "During the time between our record deals," Levine 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 labels, Maroon 5 ultimately signed with Octone Records. The band recorded their latest album, Songs About Jane, in Los Angeles with producer/mixer Matt Wallace (Train, Blues Traveler, Third Eye Blind, Faith No More) at Rumbo Recorders. Now based in L.A., Maroon 5 regularly plays to sold-out crowds at many of the city’s clubs, and they’ve opened for artists such as Michelle Branch, Evan & Jaron and Nikka Costa.