Maroon 5 Blog

James & Jesse in the Studio

James and Jesse are still working on the new Maroon 5 album at a studio in Switzerland. Adam mentioned that he will be flying back from LA to join them:

heading back to NYC. then switzerland again to put the finishing touches on the record. including a brand new one. number 13!

Photo: Twitter

Adam at Katsuya

Adam dined at Katsuya in LA on Friday night wearing a Guns N' Roses t-shirt.

Photos: JustJared.com

Adam Spotted in New York

Adam was spotted out in New York on Thursday with his new girlfriend.

More photos at JustJared.com.

Adam Brody Takes Inspiration from Maroon 5

Adam Brody (of The O.C. fame) will be starring as a singer in a new movie with Megan Fox called 'Jennifer's Body'. He mentions to MTV that part of his inspiration for the role came from Maroon 5.

MTV: Your look in the film seems a bit Jared Leto-esque. Was that intentional?

Brody: Yeah, there's some Jared Leto in there. I threw in a bit of Brandon Flowers. There's a little Maroon 5. There's no nail polish, but there's a little bit of eyeliner.

MTV: Have you ever met Jared? What would you expect him to say to you after this movie comes out?

Brody: I don't think he'd take it as a total homage to him. The only guy I've met is Adam [Levine], the dude from Maroon 5, and he's a nice guy. And there is a Maroon 5 joke in the script, so maybe he'd say something.

MTV: What is it?

Brody: I say, "Do you want to be rich and famous like that dude from Maroon 5, or a huge suicidal loser?" That is what my character is aspiring to — the fame and fortune of Maroon 5.

MTV: Hopefully, Maroon 5 never sacrificed anyone to achieve their fame and fortune.

Brody: I don't care. Maybe they did?

Adam in New Video Game 'Band Hero'

Adam has been re-created as a character in Band Hero, a new video game where people can play along to 'She Will Be Loved' with the band on screen.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the game, Adam said:

“It was really a surreal thing going through the whole process. They put you in this amazingly dorky suit with lights all over it, which makes you kind of look like what’s-his-name in Running Man, the big fat guy that lit up like a Christmas tree?"

 

"It’s really surreal lipsynching to your music in a concrete warehouse, with video game programmers staring at you and laughing. It’ll be pretty cool to play myself. It’s the height of video game narcissism, being your own avatar.”

“I’m a fan of so many different types of music, and I just thought it was cool that they were extending beyond their standard rock n’ roll tunes, and going into new areas. Basically, with the record industry being in the state it’s in, it’s nice to have a new and innovative outlet for your music.”

 

Adam also mentioned Maroon 5's new album:

“I don’t want to spoil it too much. But they always say you have your whole life to make your first record, and five minutes to make your second, which is kind of true. I like the second record a lot, I’m very fond of it. I think there are maybe things I would do differently now, if I had a chance to go back. But I think the third one is really great because it’s kind of taking the best elements of both the first and second one, and kind of striking a balance. I always think whatever record we’re putting out is our best one. So this one’s our best one. And our fourth will be better and so on and so forth until we finally reach Wyld Stallyns status.”

Adam Answers Your Twitter Questions

Photo: Adam's Twitter

Adam took to his Twitter page this afternoon to answer questions from fans. Below are a selection of his answers.

SmileyKC: When is the next album? info please :o)
Adam: We are currently recording our record. New record out hopefully later in the year or first thing next year for sure.

midy125: Will you be going on tour once this record is released?
Adam: Expect a two year international tour beginning early next year. We can't wait!

ferlarios: What can we and what can we not expect on the album? What would you say the difference is when compared to SAJ and IWBSBL?
Adam: The new one is very much a mixture of the first two records. However the mentality behind it is closer to SAJ.

PennyxxLane: What are u most excited about the new record?
Adam: What most excites me about this new record is the attention to detail. Every word, melody, riff, rhythm, carefully scrutinized.

Evelina75: Can we expect some thumping guitar solos from the new album?
Adam: Man I love guitar solos more than you know. They just sound a bit dated at this point. We will try and squeeze one in though.

nadianlee: Are you doing a B side to this album like you did for It Won't Be Soon Before Long?
Adam: There will most certainly be a plethora of b-sides.

greeneyes730: What is your favorite city in the world?
Adam: My hometown. The fair city of Los Angeles. How I love her so. I wear her on my sleeve. Literally.

ZairaAmaterasu: Which historical or fictional character, being allowed, would you like to talk to?
Adam: I'd love to sit down and talk to Mickey Mouse so he could dish the vast history of shady disney dirt.

222tattoo: OK a deeper question. What are your views on God?
Adam: I pray only to one god. John Stamos.

BiboDano: What is your favorite dish?
Adam: I'm a big fan of those square ceramic ones. Very sleek.

Chelseycottrill: Do you sleep with socks on?!
Adam: I sleep naked. Except I wear one mitten on my right hand. And a bra.

haecena: Will you show your dance moves in your next video? ;)
Adam: New dance moves for this record: I'm working on a new one. I'm gonna call it "the awkward jew shuffle".

gradytr: How many tattoos do you have and which is your fav?
Adam: My favorite tattoo is my butterfly tramp stamp. It's the most "me".

April7901: If you could play onstage with anyone - alive or dead - who would it be?
Adam: It would be incredible to sing with Sir Paul McCartney.

jennyrake: If you could cover only one prince song, what would it be?
Adam: I'd love to cover "I wanna be your lover".

natalielovesm5: What is your definition of success?
Adam: My definition of success. Loving and being loved. Helping and being helped. Being able to wake up every morning and smile.

shannahsJJAMM: Was your ride yesterday on a motorcycle? Do you ride by yourself? U have a bike back home? If so, what kind?
Adam: I'm a big Harley fan. However I've recently had a European love affair with a triumph. Which I guess has become my mistress.

Third Album News

It has been announced that Maroon 5 will be working in Switzerland next week with producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange on their third album.

Adam spoke to Rolling Stone about the news:

Levine says the band has been working on new tunes for months, and there’s no indication they’ll be finished with the sessions anytime soon. “We don’t have our return flights booked,” says Levine, before adding that he can’t say much about the record because “it hasn’t necessarily taken shape yet,” and that fans should not expect collaborations with other artists. But it does sound like Maroon 5, he promises. “It’s what it is,” he muses. “It’s us, just newer, better, fitter, happier, stronger. It’s going to be good.”

Here's more from an NME interview with James:

"The two stand out songs so far are called ‘How’ and ‘Don't Know Much About That'. It's still hard to say what the vibe will be yet, so much will change once we get in the studio and past this demoing phase. There have been a batch of straight-ahead rock songs and a batch of more dance-y and classic soul-influenced tunes.”

Adam Remembers Michael Jackson

Here's Adam's tribute to Michael Jackson, taken from the latest issue of Rolling Stone.

I never met him, but he was probably the single most important musical influence for me. I would say even before I got into the Beatles, I was into Michael Jackson. If you were living in 1984 and you were five years old, that was your world. Wearing the glove, dancing around the living room. That was your life. He was so all-consuming at the time. That was probably the biggest he ever was. His death has launched a lot of retrospectives and people are celebrating his music, but, I haven't stopped celebrating Michael Jackson since 1984. I've been blasting since the '80s. He was a very rhythmic kind of singer and writer, so his melodies were all very rhythm based. He played off of the drums a lot and I learned how to do that from Michael Jackson. There's no way it could have been from anyone else. He started that whole type of writing.

Mickey at Phoenix Concert

Mickey outside The Wiltern in L.A. with Tennessee Thomas and Z Berg from The Like on June 28th.

Photo: optionthis @ flickr.com

James Now on Twitter

James now has his own separate account on Twitter.

Follow him here: twitter.com/jamesbvalentine