DISNEY HALL'S POP PRINCE JASON MRAZ BRINGS A LOYAL - AND EXTREMELY HIP - FOLLOWING TO L.A.'S HOTTEST VENUE.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

A coffeehouse atmosphere at Disney Hall? If anybody can serve it up, it's easygoing pop phenom Jason Mraz, whose downtown dates this week promise to attract a crowd more at home with John Mayer than Mahler.

While a cup of joe at Frank Gehry's joint is priced a little steeper than at the San Diego java hut where Mraz first heated up, the buzz is just as strong. Mraz's tuneful, syncopated delivery and slyly autobiographical songs fit the bill for benign bohemia in the first pop event at the city's strikingly modern concert space.

``It's such an amazing place,'' said Mraz, who turns 27 on June 23. ``I'm so happy to get the chance to play there. It's especially nice because it's not a band show. It's just me and my guitar. I'll have the freedom to tell stories and talk to the audience. It'll be a complete change of pace.''

Mraz isn't a mirage. The singer-songwriter built a loyal grassroots following after his debut album, ``Waiting for My Rocket to Come,'' began attracting word-of-mouth raves and a stream of e-mail postings at the end of 2002. The slow growth saw two singles, the funky-folky ``Remedy (I Won't Worry)'' and ``You & I Both,'' top radio and sales charts as Mraz remained on the road adding to a swelling fan base, and the album sold almost 800,000 copies.

Now in the midst of a solo acoustic tour, Mraz - who headlines Disney Hall on Wednesday and Thursday and plays a series of dates this fall with the Dave Matthews Band - sang the national anthem at Game 2 of the NBA Finals last week at Staples Center and will perform on local radio Star 98's ``Star Lounge'' after 3 p.m. Wednesday.

``Jason's doing a lot of things right,'' said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, a weekly publication covering the concert industry. ``He developed organically before radio started playing him so he wasn't rammed down everyone's throats. Plus, he's got a manager who knows the concert biz; he's playing some very nice arts venues on this tour.''

Mraz's success didn't happen overnight. After dropping out of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, where the Virginia native studied musical theater, Mraz went to California to try music, even though he'd been playing guitar for only a short time. During a visit to Las Vegas in 1999, he sang in a hotel room for friends and strangers, among them the powerful promoter and manager Bill Silva. That led to a residency at Java Joe's, the Ocean Beach coffeehouse where Mraz began to draw notice, and he eventually landed a contract with Elektra/Atlantic Records.

Dane Venable, the label's vice president of marketing and artist development, recalls the company's first showcase for Mraz at New York's Mercury Lounge two summers ago.

``We thought there'd be 50 to 75 company people and that would be it,'' he said. ``When we got to the club, the entire front of the stage was filled with college-age fans who knew every single word to every single song. Where were they from? How did they find out? They were San Diego and Los Angeles college kids who'd seen Jason in California and were back home in New York for the summer. A simple e-mail blast had alerted them to the show and completely shocked us at how loyal his fan base was. From that point, word-of-mouth on Jason's live shows led the way.''

For his part, Mraz points to obvious role models such as Matthews, whose wide following also grew out of strong campus support, and Mayer, the pop heartthrob he's frequently compared with. It didn't hurt that Mraz worked closely with producer John Alagia, who not coincidentally helmed projects by Mayer and Matthews.

``I love those guys,'' Mraz said. ``If my name is gonna be used along with Mayer and Matthews, it's an honor. I realize that being a new guy, that's the way it is. You're gonna need a comparison. I remember when Matthews was starting to break, everyone said he sounded like Hootie & the Blowfish.

``I was a pop music kid. Growing up, all we had was the radio and my dad would listen to an oldies station that played '50s and '60s and soul and Motown. I had a lot of respect for that. Then, I got into hip-hop and dance music and in high school Dave Matthews started to break and that's where I started to become more songwriter-oriented. I'd been singing my whole life but Dave introduced me to a new generation of singer-songwriters. My dad had Cat Stevens and Jim Croce - I got it but I didn't live it. But through Matthews, I started listening to jazz because suddenly there was a saxophone in my life.''

Despite some similarity in tone and audience demographics, there are major differences. Mraz's stream-of-conscious wordplay, scat-inspired singing and musical sound blending folk, jazz and hip-hop elements sets him apart from the blues, rock and jam-band influences of the others.

``I really love writing lyrics,'' Mraz said. ``I love words and internal rhymes. I think of lyrics as a very rhythmic instrument and to twist a message around in there is fun. That's where I really get the most pleasure.''

Mraz also has a well-developed goofy side. The cover art of ``Waiting for My Rocket to Come,'' for example, has him posed on a curb next to a rooster. He sings lines like ``making friends with the ketchup and salt'' as a lament. And as a fashion plate, he's an excellent singer - just note the large collection of trucker hats.

Hold everything! Does this mean polyester caps at Disney Hall? Howard Sherman, vice president of operations at the Music Center, is thinking beyond the sweatband.

``Mraz is a good place to start the (leased event) season,'' Sherman said. ``Now that the Philharmonic is at the Hollywood Bowl for the summer, it's a good chance to bring new people to Disney Hall and hopefully develop a new audience. The hope is once they experience the concert hall, they'll come back to other performances.''

Other leased events at Disney Hall this summer include David Byrne, Jewel and the Indigo Girls. Mraz, though, will attract the youngest crowd - primarily high school and college females, and some males, ages 15 to 28.

``Jason's fans appreciate that he treats them with respect, and takes them on an adventure,'' Venable said. ``He's very comfortable with himself and is able to put his audience at ease. Jason's audience will grow as his music grows.''

Mraz, who has proven he can cause a stir playing by himself on a tiny stage while customers sip dark French roast, is confident his future is assured. He'll probably always be a popular performer because of the premium he puts on audience interaction (he releases a live CD/DVD on Aug. 24 - ``Tonight, Not Again: Live at the Eagles Ballroom,'' recorded last October in Milwaukee).

``I can live with going back to my own thing in San Diego and playing to my regular crowd,'' he says. ``In the meantime - explore, explore, explore.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

JASON MRAZ

Where: Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Tickets: $28.50 to $38.50. Call [phone].

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(1) Taking ti downtown

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz bringing a hip young crowd to Disney Hall

(2) no caption (Jason Mraz)