Abre Los Ojos

If someone is thinking of you does that make your nose itch?
If they’re talking about you does that make your ears burn?
What about jock-itch? Or rug-burn?
What’s happening elsewhere in the universe to prompt that?

When another tour is nearing its finale, my eyes feel full, generating their own kind of static electricity. It’s a tired feeling. Focus goes in and out. I can no longer make sense of foreign road signs that I can’t make sense of anyway.

For this, I toss my contacts when tours are over. Of course it has everything to do with the lenses being exhausted, but I see it as a way of saying goodbye to the things I’ve seen. A closing ceremony to honor point B. And while two contact lenses don’t amount to much, I prefer to drop some weight from the suitcase before the long flight home. Every ounce counts when your bringing home books y besos for the best friends.

Y’know, sometimes the generosity of another can be quite overwhelming, but it is a good thing to practice receiving. Without people on the receiving end, there would be no givers. Every person is vital to the flow. A friend in need is a friend indeed. If this confuses your humble self, just say thank you and take the present without telling yourself you don’t deserve it. Society has a way of fooling you into feeling small or less-than if you find yourself at the receiving end of someone’s kindness. I have friends that hate when I pay for things. But I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for the kindness of those friends through the years; those who loaned me their cars, allowing me to sleep on their couch for years without paying rent, taking me to movies, feeding me, smoking me out, etc. These days, supporting someone else’s journey is more than my karmic duty. It is my greatest pleasure. Even if my contribution is just one meal, it uplifts me to fill the belly of another to fuel their continued travels. If we all Give what we Get then there will always be plenty for everyone to enjoy at just the right time.

These days I’m still at the gaping end of a horn-o-plenty so it’s easy to share the wealth. The goods just keep falling into my lap. But, while every gift has a good intention it’s hard to accept “stuff” when on the move. I rarely buy “things” on the road. Words and pictures make the best souvenirs for any adventure. Just press a flower into a notebook and call it a day.

Nothing could weigh more than the memory of Bailando con Barcelona, or cold-rocking our music over Madrid, transforming into a spit-sweaty mess to the tune of Olé. No trippy snowglobe could out-satisfy the stains of sold out shows in my shorts. Welcome to Spain. No gift shop required.


Check out the Story of Stuff at StoryofStuff.com. It’s an insightful presentation about how and why “stuff” is made and sold to us over and over again and why we think we need so much of it.

Keep this story in mind come shopping season. Maybe it’ll inspire you to invest your money in friends’ businesses or travels, in community arts programs, local charities, etc. Do it always in the name of those you love and let everyone live a clutter free life, light, and radiating with generosity from all sides of the practice.

Prepared, my eyes are off to Portugal to face off with perhaps the wildest audience this side of the Euphrates.

Question of the Moment:
Does your nose itch?

12 Answers to 12 Tweeters Questions

From RecycleOrBurn@: Whats in the mug you’re always sipping from during concerts? Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is oral demulcent sore throat syrup. It’s like tea, but more like molasses from the China Sea.


Better than what’s in the mug is how I have adorned it with two very special stickers. One is a snazzy headshot of Sathya Sai Baba throwing a high five. You probably know him for his most famous incense, Nag Champa. But in India, Sai Baba is a great Fakir, a holy man who uplifts and inspires, feeds and houses people for free. Some say is merely a master of sleight of hand as he often performs miracles conjuring up jewelry from thin air to give to his devotees as solid proof of God’s ability to provide for all. To many, Sai Baba is an avatar, an incarnation of God himself. His is a pretty trippy story.


The other sticker reps 2hip bikes, a homegrown bmx bike company in Santa Cruz, California founded by ron w. Ron is a pioneer of the vert-ramp and has been riding since before the sport was even acknowledged as a sport. He is one of the key philosophers and mentors that introduced me to the very life I have now. Pura Vida Ron. Stay Rad.

VivaLaCarlZ Asks: what does the line “taste these teeth please” in “Plane” mean?
If you don’t brush your teeth for a while they tend to get fuzzy like they’re wearing sweaters. “Taste these teeth” is an invitation to kiss; ergo, undress me from the sweaters…

ColbertGal5 is curious to know: How many hats do you own?
It’s taken me years to find a system to travel with more than one hat. In the past I would just wear my hat constantly to avoid it getting smooshed in my bag. But on this tour I came up with the perfect storage solution. I now keep four hats stacked upon each other in a cardboard box in my suitcase, well stuffed and padded, inside and out, with my socks and underwear. Not to pat myself on the ass or anything, but I thought that was a rather keen way of using supplies I already had to cushion the hats and keep them company. Hopefully this doesn’t make you think twice before asking if you can have my hat.



Mry13 wonders: How or why did you choose those clothes to perform "Shower me with your love" in 1991? Spell Check tells me this is how you spell Cummerbund. I do as I’m told. And in the 8th grade, I was told to wear one. A good way to know whether you have it on correctly is if you can catch crumbs in the pleats or if girls are not speaking to you.

A good question from Cocoa3C: Why did you decide to change your lyric “God Forsaken” to “God intended right?” Songs don’t have to be written in one sitting. I allow lyrics to evolve, or rather, reveal themselves naturally. The term “God Forsaken” is simply turning a phrase, but in fact the phrase means to withdraw or remove the right. A “God Intended right” is a more powerful suggestion implying that Love is meant for all by all and it gives us more of a lift when we shout it.

The_littlest@ poses a big question: hugs or kisses?
Besos.

07Kje07 wants to know: I’ve been a fan of your blog since 2007. Why did you start writing your blog? Since 2002, long before anyone ever uttered the word blog, I’ve been maintaining a journal on my website. I do so as a way of extending love beyond my capacity in music and for writing directly to my expansive family and friend-base.

Our official message board, RKOP, has an extraordinary archive of posts from days of old. I started freshnessfactorfivethousand in 2007 because blogspot offers a layout that’s familiar to read and easy to use, welcoming pictures, video and comments. FF5000 is where I post my blog first, followed by Myspace, and from there it is syndicated to every other network including Facebook and JasonMraz.com

PaulCulliFord@ is perplexed: Yeah, why don’t you do your own tweeting? Two main reasons for not twittering myself are A) I’m a blogger and B) I don’t have a personal relationship with a handheld device.

But I do choose to use Twitter as a powerful medium to inspire people and connect, just as I do with music. Tricia Huffman, our resident Joyologist (Yoga Instructor, Raw Food Chef, Life Support, Etc) is at my side every step of the tour. I ask her to post affirmations, thought provoking questions, and clever insights. She is NOT pretending to be me. She is however, the ultimate tour insider and we are all grateful for her commitment to this circus and her fondness for Tweets. Without her, we may not have a Twitter account at all. Take this answer for example. 140 characters just don’t fit into my realm of typing.



DaisyClvr is a strange girl who asks a strange question: Would you like to be kissed by 10,000 ladybugs simultaneously?
Heck Yes. That sounds much more pleasant than being kissed by 10,000 Lady GaGas.

Eckie Asks Politely: How do your band compositions come together? Do you write them or does the band figure it out? How does it work? I write and arrange most of the songs at home where I do a silly job playing the drums and bass too. Eric Hinojosa, our keyboard player lives just around the corner so he and I are known to stay up all night blazing on sounds, synths, and reverbs, which determine the required layers. Toca Rivera is our harmony finder for all the vocal parts. When I bring in the rest of the band for tour rehearsals, new rhythms are created and applied by Drummer Michael Bram and Bassist Bruce Hughes with hits and segues suggested by all, especially Grooveline (Carlos Sosa, Reggie Watkins and Fernando Castillo.) The horn section has written every one of their brass arrangements for both album and stage. Come show time, all band members are vital to the expansion of the arrangements and overall sound. Also, we do not advocate the use of backing tracks and in fact have never played along with a pre-recorded song. What you hear at a show are real guys playing real parts. I can’t speak for their clothing however. Give it up for my Super Band!



kaywynn@ says: My friend Chulo is coming to your concert on 9-16 in TX. Are you still ok with fans taping favorite song at ur concert? What about your record company?
Yes. We still encourage taping at the concerts. This is a tradition I’ll never turn my back on. I grew up listening to Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead and DMB bootlegs among others. Thru this art form I get to sit-in on extended jams with special guests, hear the banter between songs, all from many concerts I wasn’t even alive for. I’d like to think that a recording of our show in TX could be heard seven generations from now in Chulo’s Great-great-great-grandson’s flying car.

MintsOnPillows@ dives in with: Whats the deepest philosophical belief that’s helped you the most?
Row, Row, Row your Boat
Gently, down the stream
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
Life is But a Dream

...If you missed the philosophy in that, I encourage you to slow your boat and read it again.

Thanks for the inquiries. We'll take more questions on Twitter this Friday for more answers next Monday. Meanwhile, answer this one for yourself:

Who are you grateful for?

Easy Being Green

To some, breakfast is just a Poptart. That’s a plastic food product and an American English term for Danish. To the Danish people, a Danish is called Vienerbrod, which actually translates into Bread from Vienna, a city in an entirely different country. In France they call it a croissant, also known as coffee and a cigarette. While an English breakfast consist of baked beans and blood sausage or is sometimes just a tea referred to as English Breakfast. The guys in our crew think breakfast comes in a Red Bull can. But then again, some people eat nothing at all. and I marvel at this.

When you wake up, you have an extraordinary opportunity to put something powerful inside of you that will energize, nourish and sustain your being for the whole day. Ordinary breakfasts don’t usually cut it. The body spends an exhausting amount of time digesting the food you eat in search of nutrients, but by the time the top coating of sugar has faded from your blood flow you’re fast asleep at your desk. I can attest from years of snoozing thru first and second period in high school and college.

Therefore, I would like to take this time to formally apologize to Ms. Lohr. My failing was caused not by you or your boring algebra course after all. It was indeed the Frosted Flakes. For this, Tony and I are very sorry.

Come to think of it, I slept thru many jobs once I got out of high school. When I worked for my dad on construction sites I would slip into the cab of the truck for a siesta. When I managed a tobacco store, I made sure the door had clanging bells that would alarm me whenever a customer came in. When I was a stock clerk at the craft store there were more than enough cardboard boxes for me to build my own private hideaway, Fort Slumber.

For years I thought I was just naturally tired, lazy, and/or disinterested in working. But I’ve proven that case wrong over the past 17 months playing and promoting the current album, We Sing We Dance We Steal Things (still available far and wide btw!)

The secret to a great day is how you start your day. And for the past year and a half I’ve avoided eating a heavy traditional breakfast. Instead, I merrily jumpstart my day with the ever-so-awesome Vitamineral Green from Healthforce Nutritionals.


One heaping scoop of this stuff in the morning provides an insane amount of goodness for the body. The powdered greens (from dehydrated plants and algae among other things) taken by itself is enough to live on. It goes straight to the blood and straight to the brain and stays with you all day. I stir mine every morning with ONE-Brand Coconut Water, but I prefer to blend it also with some Flax Oil, Freelife Goji Juice, Avocados, Maca Spice (the Peruvian Viagra) and a few dates. I even do Cayenne pepper on mornings that I want something savory. The flavor options are unlimited and there’s no way you can overdose on the stuff.

Award winning Author and Marathon Runner Haruki Murakami writes, “…(a) condition for being a gentleman would be keeping quiet about what you do to stay healthy. A gentleman shouldn’t go on and on about what he does to stay fit.”

But I’m no gentleman and I practice unconditional love, which is why I don't mind mentioning it. Perhaps Vitamineral Green can simplify your morning and amplify your days as it has mine. I constantly face the challenges of appearing in new time zones, performing late shows followed by early morning flights and repeat workdays, trying on new languages and meeting all kinds of new people that I care to be present for. Traditional breakfast doesn’t help me rise to the occasion. The delicious green shakes do.

Think about it for a second, would you rather start your day with something fattening and/or sugary that ends up around your waist or deep in your ass, or would you rather feel light and energized with a glow that people can recognize? Remember, you are what you eat.

This is not an advertisement. It’s just a friendly traveler’s tip about health and vitality. And if I can still be enjoying it on the road, you and your loved ones will certainly enjoy its benefits in your own home.

Click here for more information and order some today!

Have a great weekend!

Mmmmusic

I am grateful to have music in my life. My mom was the first person to turn me on to it. She sat me at the piano, shaped my fingers to help me make sense of chords, and we would play chopsticks over and over again. My step-dad, an incredible drummer, gave me a drum kit for my 10th birthday. That gift taught me the essential rock/rap beat, a cross-stick over the hi-hat and snare while the foot slams the kick on the 1 and 3. Even if I never pursued music as a career, those few musical moments introduced me to an organized and expressive way of being that would carry over into friendships and academics, improving my attitude and overall performance at school.

I am so grateful for the many, many amazing music teachers in the public schools who kept me enrolled in the power of self-expression and group participation. I am thankful for that extraordinary study of sound and the opportunity to play when the age was most appropriate for playing.

Please support arts programs in your community, especially in the schools. At the very least, it’ll give the graffiti on the overpass some depth.

I am also thankful to Rick Alvey and everyone at Mechanicsville Music for being such a generous supplier of instruments and instruction for the Richmond and Hanover County communities in Virginia. Here's a pic of Me & Rick.


I am thankful for the music of Bushwalla, and Eric Hutchinson. I am grateful for John Gonzalez, a keyboard wizard, who turned me onto the music of G. Love & Special Sauce way back in 1994. I am grateful to G. Love and his Philadelphia Special Sauce for simmering for so long and still tastin’ oh so good.

I am grateful for K’naan for sharing his life experiences, joy and wisdom with us thru his powerful music.

I look forward to seeing all of the above at the upcoming Gratitude Café Tour, kicking off in 2 weeks! All Aboard. This circus is coming to town.



More Gratitude Posts to come. What are you Grateful for?

789…10

On this, July 8th, 2009 I offer up ten things I’m grateful for today, for summer, for love, and for reasons that don’t need explaining.

1.) Beautiful Sunshine & Warm Running Water
2.) Summer Dresses. Hello legs.
3.) Freedom and ability to play music all over the world
4.) Freedom too, as in loving whomever I choose, regardless of race, religion or gender.
5.) Kittens
6.) Scooters!
7.) Café Gratitude and the question of the day.
8.) My Loving Families far and wide from Mechanicsville to San Diego.
9.) Bob Marley: Live at the Roxy (great record!)
10.) You reading this. (a great person!)

In Joy as Always,
Jason

Where mindful children trek through the wetgrass is a fine community faire.

At the tent poled city of Glastonbury, (population 200,000) I witnessed only a fraction of the humble madness. Should I wake up tomorrow transformed, believing life’s purpose is a Papier-mâché balloon rising on a single candle of love’s light, I will not be surprised.

From this view I can see resonating vividly over tangled and knotty hairs, halos bright enough to sunburn. A merry many dress in a very natural way of being, neither a dusty nor a muddy one per se, but certainly in a style responsive to or inspired by dance, considerate of five plus days of bare moon on flesh, bare foot in boot, and bare back on the hillfronts. Already a memory from this height, the code of dress comes together; a patchwork where the sum of colors are the non-colors of incense. Ash. Smoke. Vibe.


Flown are flags of the festival poetics, the proud, as if to say here we are. We send ours with theirs. Happinesses postmarked. Love from the breezes. Everyone is pollinating. Everyone is seeding and sowing and singing to their green or golden fields. We pick from the best of the bands we’d love to see. We pick flowers we are grateful to eat. We pick up Lisa Hannigan. We pick of the freshest habits, higher and mightier than before. We are in communion with the healing artist. This is Home to All.


We pick up hitchhikers.

We become the hitchhikers, coasting on the fumes of music, the melodies of the minstrel near, far and farther still away. Every sound is heard suggesting that Rock and Roll for yet another year goes undisturbed.

And
May God Bless Michael Jackson, his family, and the many surviving friends and fans. His entire life was everyone’s story to follow. Let us create the ending as one of peace. He leaves behind so much music that everyone you know has at least one favorite Michael Jackson song, something that really gets them dancing or singing, forgetting all else. That’s a tremendous accomplishment. All I can say about his extraordinarily generous and gifted life is Bravo.

all aglow at glastonbury

Enjoying the trip.
Stories to come.

Love from Grasstonbury,
-jason