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Maroon 5
Then again, Plan B can put Plan A to shame. Singer/guitarist Adam Levine, guitarist Jesse Carmichael, bass player Mickey Madden and drummer Ryan Dusick would second that emotion, seeing as how their first shot at the big time got them some rave notices, but not much else. Now, their second shot, in the form of funky pop rock outfit Maroon 5, thanks to a song, "Harder To Breathe," has the LA-based Maroon 5 looking like the Cinderella story for 2003.
Maroon 5 is a rock band from Los Angeles, California. Their debut album Songs about Jane was released in June 2002 and is enjoying chart success in 2003/2004.
The members of Maroon 5 had been friends since attending junior high school in Los Angeles. Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass) and Ryan Dusick (drums) formed Kara's Flowers which played its first gig at the Whisky A Go-Go on September 16, 1995
The band signed with Reprise Records and released its first and only album the Fourth World in the middle of 1997. Despite support slots on tours by Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, the album failed to take off commercially and in 1999, the band parted company with Reprise Records.
Guitarist James Valentine joined Kara's Flowers and the band called itself Maroon 5. The band played show case gigs in New York City and Los Angeles. Adam Levine credited the interregnum for influencing the bands new style in an interview with VH1. ""During the time between our record deals, 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 song writing." The band signed with Octone Records, a New York independent label with distribution through BMG and an artist development deal with Clive Davis' J Records.
The band recorded Songs about Jane at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles with producer Matt Carroll, who had also produced Train, Blues Traveler and Third Eye Blind. After the release of the album in mid-2002, the band toured with Michelle Branch and Nikki Costa. In early summer 2003, they toured with Graham Colton, John Mayer and Counting Crows.
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Artist Biography - Maroon 5
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 The first single "Harder to Breathe" slowly started to pick up airplay which helped spur sales of the album. By March 2004, the album had reached the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and "Harder to Breathe" had made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. Songs about Jane had also eventually made the top 10 Australian albums charts while Harder to Breathe had made the top 20 singles charts in the UK, and top 40 in Australia and New Zealand. The album also eventually climbed to number 1 in the UK and Australia. The second single "This Love" had also made the US and Australian top 10 and even UK and Dutch top 3 singles charts. The third single, "She Will Be Loved", reached top 5 in the UK, and went to #1 in Australia, and top 5 in the US.
"Harder To Breathe," a powerhouse guitar workout, is ironically not a song about Jane. "There was a lot of pressure to write," Levine offers. "I just want to make music when I feel like making music, and when I feel forced it's kind of frustrating. Granted, I don't have much to complain about, but I thought that I was done with the album. It turned out to be for the best because it pissed me off so much I wrote 'This Love' and 'Harder To Breathe,' which are the first two songs on the record."
Plan B? Who says you don't get a second chance to make a first impression?
Members
Adam Levine (vocals/guitar)
Jesse Carmichael (keyboards)
Mickey Madden (bass)
Ryan Dusick (drums)
James Valentine (guitarist)
Discography
Songs about Jane (2002)
The Limited Set - EP (2003)
1.22.03.Acoustic (2004)
Hit singles
2004 "Harder to Breathe" #18 US, #13 UK
2004 "This Love" #5 US, #3 UK
2004 "She Will Be Loved" #5 US, #4 UK
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For more information , enjoy the official homepage of Maroon 5
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