The long, slow rise of Maroon 5 shows that the music industry still knows how to break a band if it wants to (it just doens't seem to want to very often anymore, or more accurately, it doesn't seem to have the patience to very often anymore). We have three reviews of their Songs About Jane album, the first published in October of '02, and the other two in May of this year, neatly pointing out how long this one has been out there percolating. Another indication of the label's patience is that M5 appeared on SNL in February of this year, performing songs from an album that was released in '02 - that has to be a record.
AP talked to the band, which will be touring with John Mayer starting in July:
- Adam Levine of Maroon 5 doesn't mind living on a bus with four other guys. In fact, he finds it "comforting."
Life has changed so drastically for Levine and his bandmates that the quintet is happy to enjoy a little stability — even if comes in the form of a tour bus where they share sleeping quarters, a bathroom and personal space.
"Life on the tour bus is a lot different than everybody thinks," Levine told The Associated Press.
"I think it's really comforting to be on a bus, because you know the routine, you wake up, roll out of bed, maybe play some video games, maybe jog, maybe lift weights, maybe read a book ... but regardless, you're doing something during the day to kill time that is beneficial to you or the people around you."
For a band that has become one of this summer's breakout acts (their debut album, "Songs About Jane," has sold 1.5 million copies and they currently have a top 10 hit with "This Love") — routine is a rare pleasure.
After disbanding his former project, Kara's Flowers, Levine formed Maroon 5 in 1999 in search of new horizons. Adopting a purer rock and soul-inflected sound (and adding another guitarist), Maroon 5 signed to Octone/J Records, recorded "Songs About Jane" and never looked back.
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