The Jared Mahone Band has been selected to represent Ohio in an independent music competition this week in Chicago as the band has moved into the top five acts chosen for Indie Icon, presented by Verizon.

As a finalist, the band is being flown to Chicago to shoot a promotional music video and perform at Buddy Guy Legends blues bar. The performance will be streamed live on Verizon’s Web site on Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at www.verizoninsider.com/indieicon.

Following the performance, the music videos from the five finalists will be featured on Verizon’s Web site and voters will be able to choose the grand prize winner who will be flown to New Orleans in July to perform at the 2013 ESSENCE Festival.

For more information on the Indie Icon competition, visit www.verizoninsider.com/indieicon.

Hey people,

I’ve decided my days of not sharing any news are over. Some exciting stuff is happening with the release of our new album Mixtape so I want to make sure to keep everyone up to date. One of those exciting things has been signing a licensing agreement with Fieldhouse music, a devision of BMG/Chrysalis. They have a roster of great music to pitch for placement in TV and film and we are proud to be a part of it. When I was in NYC, I was able to meet with the staff in their high rise office in the middle of Manhattan. For this midwest kid, it was as cool as it sounds. I met such great people there, and I feel pretty encouraged with the partnership. I’ll let you know if anything more comes of it.

Since the release of Mixtape, we have received such great feedback from music lovers. Most of the feedback we have gotten from industry folks has been pretty consistent. Everyone loves it, music executives play it in their cars, studio heads have it in their mp3 players, it has become the “new favorite” album with agencies, but still, no one knows what to do with it. A bit of a backhanded flattery. Everything I hoped it would be.

We made this record for YOU. Yes, there were some hopes that it could be for everyone else, but that wasn’t the real idea of The Mixtape Project in the first place. You chose it, we recorded it. We weren’t thinking about getting suit and ties to love it. We weren’t thinking about the best way to sell it. We were just trying to make the best record for you that we could. So, the fact that any new individual accepts it, gets it, and loves it is a pretty great feeling.

So, for all of you very kind and encouraging people asking about radio play and big label contracts. . .that has never been our dream for this record. But, with Fieldhouse, maybe we’ll hear some of this stuff on TV or film.

Well, our new album Mixtape was officially released on October 23rd. The following Saturday the 27th, we provided show support as an opener for multi-platinum recording artists O.A.R. They had a concert at Millet Hall on Miami University campus for family weekend and we joined them on stage. This wasn’t like a fake opening like some bands or artists will say. Like, they will say, “Has opened for Big Name Artist” when really, they played the same festival stage as Big Name Artist or something. Even if they played the slot right before Big Name Artist took the stage, that’s still not opening for them. Granted, this was not an official tour date for O.A.R., but we were officially invited by Red Light Management to be show support. Legit, right?

I’ll have to admit, it was pretty cool. I was fairly nervous going in. Not the concert part or being on stage in front of a ton of people or anything like that. Music is music and I love to perform. It was everything else. Honestly, it was the first time I had ever been in a real pro situation so the whole etiquette of being backstage, talking with the promoter, connecting with the stage crew, etc., believe it or not, that was all new to me. I wasn’t really sure how to properly navigate that environment and come out looking like I knew what I was doing. So, about ten minutes into being there, I just decided that it was ok to be uncomfortable. I don’t know if there is anyway to know how to act in a new situation other than being kind, transparent, and apologetic about things of which I may be ignorant. So, I treated the whole thing like a big learning experience. I’m sure it was quite annoying for seasoned pros to watch someone so green fumble around, but I guess that is inevitable when it’s your first time around.

Although we may have flubbed the set list a little, I think we handled it well. Jerry DePizzo, Evan Oberla, and John Lampley make up the horn section for O.A.R. and, because Jerry was producing, they played on our record. So, in the middle of our set, we called them up on stage and they played their parts from the album with us. So, that made it extra cool. We had ten dudes on stage playing these songs that I wrote. Big sound.

All in all, it was a great experience. The next big thing coming up is our CD release party. Hopefully, we can get the horn section back up there with us, but we’ll see. We will have some guest players come up on stage from the album and we will be playing Mixtape top to bottom along with some old favorites. Kevin Daniel will be opening the show with his band. Presale and other information will be posted soon! See you there.

-Jared

In 2010, Jared Mahone set out on a creative experiment to write, record and release one song every week for an entire year.  That’s right, an entire year.  He posted an online journal and videos to capture the songwriting process and give an inside look into each original tune.  Hundreds of fans tuned in every week to comment on the newest release.  The creative experiment was called The Mixtape Project.

In 2011, Mahone took his new set list to the road, touring at more than 100 college campuses across the nation.  During the summer months, he headlined at some of Columbus’ biggest festivals, including Red White and Boom! and the Columbus Arts Festival.  The Jared Mahone Band was nominated for “Best Local Band” by (614) Magazine in 2011, and received the third place honors by voters. He also kept in touch with his Mixtape Project followers, and gave them the privilege of selecting their favorite songs from the project that would become his full-length album.

Instead of seeking the support of a music label to fund the album, Mahone turned to his loyal fan base and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign.  In just a few weeks more than 100 followers pledged $12,000 to support the making of the Mixtape record.

With a listener-influenced song list and the financial backing of his crowd, Mahone and his six-piece band sought out Columbus’ best musicians, recording engineers and producers to create an all-local project.  Jerry DePizzo, saxophonist for O.A.R., served as the producer, and the album was scheduled to be mixed by Grammy-winner Mike Landolt and mastered by Brian Lucey, who recently worked with The Black Keys.  The recording sessions began in the summer of 2011 and were engineered by Freddy Blitzer at 1305 in Grandview.

In 2012, the album was taking shape as a handful of Columbus musicians joined Mahone and his band to bring the songs to a new level. Columbus guitar legend, Kevin Oliver, a member of the HooDoo Soul Band who played and recorded with George Clinton, made a guest appearance on many of the songs.  Jonathan Elliot of The Floorwalkers joined in as a background vocalist, and percussionist Aaron Bishara of The Wet Darlings and keyboardist Kevin Sweeney added new sounds to Mahone’s originals.

While Mahone continued to tour the country, the album was being mixed and mastered.  To keep in touch with his hometown, Mahone and his band set up a weekly residency at the Scarlet and Grey Cafe on Monday nights.  These intimate shows are the best way to get to know the journey that the Jared Mahone band has been on for the past three years.  Playing all of the crowd favorites from the new album, the six-piece continues to play weekly as the album is making its way to completion.

The release date for Jared Mahone’s full-length album entitled “Mixtape” is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23.  Mahone’s band is slated to perform with O.A.R. at Miami University the following Friday the 27th.  The CD release party will take place at King Avenue Live in Grandview, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 17.