The Grownup Noise Kicks Off their Tour Tonight in Cambridge

One of our long time fans and supporters of Green Leaf Reviewer, The Grownup Noise, is once again hitting the road and they open their summer 2010, coast to coast tour right here in their hometown tonight.

It’s their fifth tour but this year things will be a little different. As many of you who have been reading for a while know the band has toured for the past couple summers in a van who’s diesel engine was converted to also run on veggie oil. The band had a love-hate relationship with the van, which they lovingly named Lorian, but after far too many incidents last summer, she was officially retired.

But does that make these guys & gals any less responsible when it comes to touring? Heck no!

This year the tour, aptly dubbed the “Mom & Pop Tour”, will only feature three band members, who will all take turns bouncing around between instruments. It sounds pretty rad and high energy to me! The energy on stage unfortunately will not propel them all the way to California of course so they made some adjustments.

The band will be touring in a smaller mini van, and they even went out to procure smaller amps in order to reduce what is being toted around in it while on the road. They won’t be dragging a trailer behind them so, as they put it, “the band [is] focusing more on reducing rather than recycling” this time out.

They certainly care about their overall impact and do whatever they can to ensure their footprint remains as small as possible while they bring their fun grooves to the ears of eager fans. Yea for that!

They are touring the release of their new EP Shall We? and it really should be a rocking good time. I fully intend to get out to The Lizard Lounge on Mass Ave in Cambridge tonight to see the first show of the tour and highly encourage all of you to find the date closest to your town so you too can catch their act.


July 31st Boston, Ma. Lizard Lounge
August 3rd Montpelier, Vt. Langdon St. Cafe
August 8th Dayton, Ohio South Park Tavern
August 9th Chicago, Illinois Elbo Room
August 11th Minneapolis, MN Acadia Café
August 13th Denver, CO Walnut Room
August 15h Albuquerque, NM Atomic Cantina
August 16th Tucson, AZ Skybar
August 17th Los Angeles, CA Room 5
August 19th San Diego Winston’s
August 20th San Fran, CA Kimo’s Penthouse
August 21st Sacramento, CA The Naked Lounge
August 25th Portland, OR Ella St. Social Club
August 26th Seattle, WA Comet Tavern
August 27th Spokane, WA TBD

To read about the band’s former adventures with Lorian or their continued efforts to spread the word on veggie oil you can click here.

Luckily I Am Married

Otherwise I would become a groupie, attending every show, to hold up a sign that says

For Jason Mraz.

Just when I thought this guy could not get any cooler he proves me wrong by hooking up with Reverb. The not for profit group, founded by Guster member Adam Gardner and his wife Lauren Sullivan, is primarily focused on helping musicians green their tours and, in addition to Jason, have worked with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, The Fray, Maroon 5 and so many more it would be impossible to list them all.

The far reaching efforts of this organization are definitely impressive as they educate and provide advice for anyone who has a tune in their ear; everything from carbon offset programs for fans (because of the travel to get to the show) to green cleaning supplies for the tour bus. Their list of business partners and non profit group affiliation is really impressive.

This video includes a new song which sets off the images really nicely and Jason sits beside the ocean, intermittently discussing the benefits of getting together with Reverb.



I am giving both Reverb and Jason a Four Leaf Rating for such solid efforts in spreading the eco-tour word!

Say it with me -- “C’mon Jason, let me interview you for this blog because you are certainly doing your part to help green our world and we all love you for it!”