Where was Mraz?, some wonder

By Jack Gillum

Jason Mraz never showed. And many Santa Clara students are asking if he was ever slated to perform at all.

"I was kind of bummed because I was confused whether Jason Mraz was really going to show up or not. Everyone had been talking about it, but nobody would really confirm anything at all," said sophomore Eric Rojas, one of about a hundred or so people who anticipated the rising star to play in the Brass Rail at the Benson Memorial Center Saturday.

What they got instead were three lesser-known bands -- at a cost of $20 per ticket -- and a promise that Mraz would perform on-campus at an unspecified time in the not too distant future. Maybe.

TV Club organizers pitched the concert as a fund raiser for a possible late-night variety television series, said Center for Student Leadership officials. Club president Michael Castellano said it was also a friend's 19th birthday party.

If that seems a little confusing, just wait.

Despite Castellano's guarantee, CSL director Jonathan Gray still doesn't know who Mraz's manager is, and he's still unaware of any upcoming concert.

In fact, a spokesman at Mraz's booking agency, Little Big Man in New York, said Mraz was never contracted to perform at Santa Clara. "Nobody ever contacted me. I know nothing about a Santa Clara play," he said.

Castellano negotiated Mraz's appearance through a third party, who was a friend of a fellow TV Club member. He seemed sure that things were a go.

"We thought this kid had the credentials and that everything was going to be all right," Castellano said. "If people feel swindled, then we feel awful. There was never a malicious intent. We worked countless hours to make sure it was a great concert."

Castellano said he told fellow club members not to advertise that Mraz was making an appearance.

As for the future show, Castellano admits he doesn't know a precise date, and points out that anything can happen between now and then â€" whenever "then" happens to be.

"Britney Spears could break her leg the night before a concert and couldn't come," he said. (For the record, Britney isn't coming to Santa Clara.)

Many enjoyed the show's ambiance; a stage crammed with posters and American music memorabilia brought some to their feet. A handful of concertgoers relaxed in cordoned-off "lounges." More than 100 crammed together near the front of the room, a space typically reserved for neighborhood meetings, but not new to performances.

The three-hour show included guitarist Rodney Branigan, band Sol'Jibe and singer Andrew Ripp. Both Branigan and Sol'Jibe performed in The Bronco for free the previous weekend.

Castellano said that the club, when officially recognized this quarter, will petition the student senate for discretionary funding. The money will pay for rented equipment for producing the TV show, he said.

Neither the club nor CSL could comment on funds raised from ticket sales.

CSL normally requires at least 10 days to sign a contract. Club members, instead, presented CSL with a proposal for their April 12 concert on April 6.

"The planning for a concert is huge," Gray said. The university requires signed contracts for bands and sound crews.

(As a comparison, band Maroon 5 signed with the university in mid-February for a May concert. But even Gray admits the size of the two â€" Maroon 5 sold out at 1,700 and Saturday's concert only in the low hundreds â€" are different.)

One performer seemed a little fazed at the last-minute planning.

"It was kinda spur of the moment," said Sol'Jibe's Tim Snider, but added: "It's always fun to play."

» Contact Jack Gillum at (408) 554-4849 or jgillum@scu.edu.