When singer-songwriter Jason Mraz stops at the Hult Center Thursday night in the midst of the tour supporting his second studio-released album, “Mr. A-Z,” don’t expect any rock star theatrics.
“We’re the most boring band in rock and roll,” Mraz said in a phone interview. But it’s not from a lack of interest. After the release of his platinum-selling studio debut, “Waiting for My Rocket to Come,” Mraz played in more than 260 shows in a series of headlining and supporting tours throughout 2003, including opening for Bob Dylan, Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band. He followed his merciless tour schedule with the yearlong production of “Mr. A-Z” and his solo acoustic road show, “The Tour of the Curbside Prophets.” Despite the success of his two albums and the incessant airplay of his 2002 single, “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” Mraz doesn’t consider himself a rock star because he is too busy to enjoy his fame.
In addition to his intensive touring schedule, Mraz said he is also faced with the celebrity responsibility of “signing shit,” doing interviews and being confronted by fans.
“I hate fucking camera phones,” Mraz said, laughing. “They’re the devil and they take really shitty pictures.”
Mraz began his career modestly, playing coffee shops in the laid back Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego. The Mechanicsville, Va., native realized his manifest destiny in 1999 with his move out west in pursuit of his musical dreams. His up-beat acoustic sets earned him a fervent fan following, and after a few self-released acoustic albums, Mraz was signed to major label Elektra in 2002.
One of Mraz’s goals is to incorporate acoustic sets into his shows.
“We’re keeping it a good part of the show,” he said. “The other night in San Francisco we did an acoustic show to a smaller crowd. I get the best of both worlds.”
Known for his ability to rhyme and creatively manipulate words, which he unabashedly promotes in his latest single, “Wordplay,” Mraz has become a favorite on the college charts. However, his audience does not influence his writing style.
“If I try to write for an audience, it blocks me. It slows me down,” Mraz said. “I do it for myself, to try and cure my mania, my ups and downs.”
Mraz wrote “Wordplay,” in part, to grab the dreaded “sophomore-slump” jinx of recording artists by the horns. According to Mraz, the song, underneath its pop velocity, is a piece of satire that beats the critics to the punch with lyrics like, “The sophomore slump is an uphill battle, and someone said it ain’t my scene.”
The rest of “Mr. A-Z” is pop-rock mixed with bits of folk, country, hip-hop, classical and even a bit of operatic aria on “Mr. Curiosity.” Mraz also utilizes the choir from his high school in Mechanicsville on “Song for a Friend,” the album’s closing piece.
Overall, the lyrics work. Even with the occasional dud, such as when he rhymes “Luna” with “moon-a” in the melodramatic “Bella Luna,” Mraz keeps the album peppy and flowing. Perhaps the best song on the album is “Clockwatching,” a song about spending time with a lover while wishing that more time was available. Where many pop albums become old and tired after a few listenings, “Mr. A-Z” offers enough variety and, ahem, wordplay to keep it interesting.
Despite his pop-stardom success, Mraz still dreams of returning to his coffee shop roots.

“But that future will be: I own the coffee shop,” Mraz said, “and I’ll make coffee and biscuits, and vegetarian food for the people who like it. And hot dogs, for the people who like those.” In addition, Mraz has a caffeinated array of ideas for his shop, including canoe night (“Where people bring their canoes”), basket weaving and snow ball fights, compliments of the snow-making machine he will own. Mraz even picked out a name of the shop, on the spot: “Eight and a half months from now, we’re making biscuits in your oven,” as in, “‘Where’s the band playing tonight?’ ‘They’re at Eight and a half months from now, we’re making biscuits in your oven,’” Mraz said.
All joking aside, Mraz takes his music and touring seriously. In December, after the “Mr. A-Z” tour concludes, Mraz is playing a show at his alma mater with the Lee Davis High School Chorus, the school’s choir.
“Deep down, I just wanted to do a performance with the choir on the album. We couldn’t get anything in the area, so we said screw that,” and decided to play in the high school’s gym, he said.
Later in December, Mraz will open five shows for the Rolling Stones.
While this will be Mraz’s first trip to Eugene, his show will be a special one, despite his assertion that he and his band, the Take It Easy Buddies, are boring. The show is a practice set of sorts for larger shows this weekend, Mraz said.
“There’s gonna be a lot of special guests that we’re using on the weekend – John Mayer, Maroon 5, and Howie Day.” Mraz then paused before adding, “and Shakira might stop by.”
Opening for Mraz are James Blunt, a singer-songwriter from the United Kingdom, and Tristan Prettyman, a San Diegan and Mraz’s girlfriend. Mraz enjoys touring with his girlfriend.
“It’s great,” he said. “We get to surf every day, golf every day, play shows together and do all kinds of things together.”
Doors open at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Silva Concert Hallin the Hult Center on Seventh Avenue and Willamette Street. Tickets are $32 for general admission, $27 for University students. They’re available through the Hult Center ticket office, 682-5000, or the Erb Memorial Union ticket office.