Festival to welcome Jason Mraz & The Superband
It promises to be a "Super" concert as the Festival at Sandpoint welcomes Jason Mraz & The Superband with the Molly Miller Trio on Friday, Aug. 2.
Mraz is living "full spiral" — that's because, as he has changed, his experiences have changed. Now, with his eighth studio album, "Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride," the musician has found himself returning to a familiar junction in space. However, the new songs, which are unabashedly pop, see Mraz reuniting with numerous collaborators, including L.A. band Raining Jane and producer Martin Terefe, who helmed the band's 2008 breakout album.
The songs grapple with the emotions and experiences that come with being in your mid-life, a time that is often ignored by pop songwriters. Its optimistic, inspiring sensibility reflects the musician’s overall approach to being in the world. It is, in fact, full spiral, reflecting the past but becoming something new.
For Mraz, "Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride" is another step forward on the unpredictable journey of life. Its optimistic, inspiring sensibility reflects the musician’s overall approach to being in the world. He continues to run his organic home farm, Mraz Family Farms, which grows coffee and avocados, and his nonprofit the Jason Mraz Foundation, which has a mission of shining for inclusive arts education, food security and the advancement of equality.
He donated all of the profits from "Look For The Good" to various charities, and actively advocates for equality, climate preservation and arts education. Mraz, a two-time Grammy winner, Songwriters Hall of Fame Honoree and spokesperson for the Good Tidings Foundation, always aims to use his position to empower others and inspire real-world change and positivity. It’s something he will carry with him as he moves into the next spiral, and one after that, and into infinity.
The opening act also promises to be a super show as everything in Molly Miller’s career has come organically.
The Los Angeles guitarist and songwriter has followed the path in front of her with a sense of curiosity and openness, proving that if you’re meant to do something, you’ll do it. From creating the Molly Miller Trio with Jennifer Condos and Jay Bellerose in 2016 to playing and touring with artists like Jason Mraz to teaching guitar at the University of Southern California, Molly brings a passion for music and a sophisticated, raw style to everything she does.
Molly’s latest endeavor is "The Ballad of Hotspur," a collection of instrumental Americana jazz songs tinged with folk and Surf Rock vibes, which harkens back to 2020 when musicians were forced off the road by the pandemic. Miller realized she could take advantage of the moment to write new music, so she and Condos began sending ideas back and forth. Eventually, the trio found themselves in the same room again.
The album draws its name from a character in Shakespeare’s "Henry IV Part 1," unfurling as a saga. Although the songs vary in style and tone, the overall piece draws the listener on an epic journey as the musicians embrace bold, playful instrumentation alongside moments of quiet reflection. From bluesy opener and first single “Cine” to jazz-tinged “Blues to Greens” to Western-inspired “66 West,” The Ballad of Hotspur showcases evocative glimpses into Molly’s experiences and thoughts over the past few years.
The Festival at Sandpoint's 41st annual 2024 summer performance series will be held July 25 through Aug. 4 at War Memorial Field.
Jason Mraz & The Superband with Molly Miller Trio is a standard show, meaning the area in front of the stage is standing-room only. Tickets are general admission and are $64.95 before fees and taxes. The gate opens at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7:30 p.m.
Information: festivalatsandpoint.com
Molly Miller Trio