CalState LongBeach article about 3 of AJ's band members

Week of June 02, 2008

Cal State Long Beach Music Students Skip Graduation
to Perform in Europe with Backstreet Boys, AJ McLean

While their classmates were marching in caps and gowns last week celebrating graduation, three students from the Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), including two who could have been in their own caps and gowns, were "on the road" in a European tour, putting their talent out there for thousands to see.

Jimmy Emerzian, Mike Briones and Jonathan Bradley are currently on tour with AJ McLean, a former member of the Backstreet Boys who is currently touring to promote the upcoming release of his solo CD. They finish their European jaunt on Tuesday (June 3) in Paris.

Emerzian, a winter 2008 graduate who performs mostly on the tenor saxophone, welcomed the opportunity for some globetrotting, which began in May with a red-eye to London. "With the Backstreet Boys, we played the final show of their tour in London's O2 Arena as a teaser for AJ's solo tour," he said. "From there, with AJ, we have played London, Frankfurt, Koln, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg, and finally Paris."

The goal of the tour is to premiere McLean's solo compositions in anticipation of his upcoming solo CD. "In contrast to the Backstreet Boys' 'boy band' vibe, AJ is trying to present his music in a much more raw and eclectic light (featuring more from the jazz-funk side, with a good variety of pop and rock styles in between). Some of the tunes are sure to be hits," he said. "In March, we premiered the material in the United States with shows at the House of Blues in Anaheim and the Roxy in Hollywood. By the time we got home from each gig, there were already dozens of fan videos of the shows on YouTube. I'm pretty sure the European shows will spark just as much of an underground mania."

Emerzian completed his master of music degree with a concentration in jazz studies in the winter of 2008. He was the recipient of the Music Department's Award for Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity. He was hoping to watch the ceremony online from Germany.

While Emerzian primarily plays the tenor saxophone, he also performs on other types of saxophones as well as the flute, clarinet "and enough piano to compose, arrange and accompany in a jazz setting," he said. "Bass clarinet is my newest adventure."

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"Jon Bradley and Mike Briones are two of the wonderful young players that I had the pleasure of playing with in the award-winning Concert Jazz Orchestra," he added, "and now they're two of the first-call musicians that I'm bringing along on the AJ McLean tour to complete the horn section. The guys coming out of this department are going to be the stars of tomorrow, for sure!"

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Briones, who this semester completed his bachelor of music degree at CSULB with a specialty in trombone performance this semester, got his first-ever glimpse of the continent. "I had never even been to Europe, so visiting London, Frankfurt, Koln, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg, and Paris has been a nice little introduction," he said. "We also got a week off in Frankfurt so it was like having a paid vacation in the middle of our tour."

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The tour represented a great opportunity for Briones and he knew it. "This is my first big tour on an amazing gig," he said. "I think I have benefitted a lot from this as a musician, especially because my colleagues are great players. I was really lucky to have them with me on this trip. It makes the whole thing that much more worth the experience. The rest of the band is awesome, too. I was excited to play with them and get to know them better."

Bradley, who is pursuing a bachelor of music at CSULB with a specialty in trumpet, was also excited about the opportunity to share the stage with the Backstreet Boys. "We performed with them at the O2 Arena for a live DVD recording before an audience of 18, 000," he said. "The tour was obviously a tremendous opportunity for me as a musician, as it will add to my resume and hopefully put me in contact with other touring musicians."

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SOURCE : Mike via LD