{"id":52591,"date":"2023-07-19T09:33:25","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T13:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=52591"},"modified":"2023-07-19T09:33:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T13:33:26","slug":"on-stage-extra-john-ondrasik-is-a-man-of-many-talents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=52591","title":{"rendered":"On Stage Extra: John Ondrasik is a man of many talents"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

John Ondrasik<\/p><\/div>\n

John Ondrasik, a veteran rocker from Los Angeles, wears many hats.<\/p>\n

He is a singer\/songwriter who plays keyboards and guitars. He is a philanthropist. He is a principal figure in a family business that has been around since 1946. He is a man who looks at the plight of people in Afghanistan and Ukraine and does what he can to help.<\/p>\n

When Ondrasik wears his hat as a musician, he performs with a band pseudonym \u2013 Five for Fighting.<\/p>\n

Currently, Five for Fighting is on a national tour sharing the bill with the Barenaked Ladies. The tour will touch down in Philadelphia on July 19 at The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/themetphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Five for Fighting existed as a concept long before it existed as an actual band. Ondrasik’s solo studio project was done under the name Five for Fighting. It wasn’t until later that Ondrasik assembled a band to head out on the road.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Five for Fighting became well known — first to fans of alternative rock and then to the large number of music fans who heard Ondrasik perform at the \u201cConcert for New York City\u201d at Madison Square Garden. His popularity moved to a new level with his song \u201cSuperman (It’s Not Easy)” with its anthemic line, \u201cEven heroes have the right to bleed.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to making albums, Ondrasik has always been more concerned with quality rather than quantity. Five for Fighting\u2019s debut album, \u201cMessage for Albert,\u201d was released in March 1997 on EMI Records.<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u2019s sixth \u2013 and most recent \u2013 album was \u201cBookmarks,\u201d which was released in September 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing a lot of stuff outside of the music business lately,\u201d said Ondrasik, during a recent phone interview from his home in Thousand Oaks, California.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a family business as wire artisans that was founded by my grandfather 78 years ago. I\u2019ve been working a lot with that. My son works here too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u2019s birth name is Vladimir John Ondrasik III. The family patriarch Joseph Ondrasik emigrated from Slovakia in the early 1900s and relocated from the banks of the Danube River to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

In 1911, using knowledge he brought with him from Slovakia, he opened \u201cWire Products\u201d in downtown Los Angeles. They made items such as lampshade frames and baskets for the tuna industry of San Pedro. In 1946, Ondrasik\u2019s grandfather and grandmother 1946 opened \u201cPrecision Wire Products\u201d in downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u2019s interest in music goes back to childhood days \u2013 learning piano as a child. In his teens, he learned to play the guitar and started to write music. While he also learned to sing opera, he decided that he would like to be a singer and songwriter. While in college, Ondrasik continued to pursue music in his spare time. He graduated from\u00a0UCLA\u00a0with a degree in\u00a0applied science\u00a0and\u00a0mathematics.<\/p>\n

Just before the turn of the century, Ondrasik began his music career in earnest.<\/p>\n

Five for Fighting\u2019s critically acclaimed debut album,\u00a0\u201cMessage for Albert,\u201d was released in 1997 but the breakthrough came in 2001 with the Grammy Award-nominated platinum-selling song, \u201cSuperman (It\u2019s Not Easy),\u201d from the platinum certified\u00a0\u201cAmerica Town\u201d LP.\u00a0\u00a0The single was a chart-topping hit at both Top 40 radio and at Hot AC.<\/p>\n

In 2004, Five for Fighting recorded the platinum-certified album, \u201cThe Battle for Everything,\u201d which yielded the retrospective double-platinum hit, \u201c100 Years,\u201d a song that spent 12 weeks at #1 at Hot AC.\u00a02006 saw the release of\u00a0the \u201cTwo Lights\u201d album, which featured the hit songs \u201cThe Riddle,\u201d \u201cWorld\u201d and \u201cFreedom Never Cries.\u201d\u00a0 In 2009, the \u201cSlice\u201d LP included the certified gold hit \u201cChances,\u201d which was featured in the Academy Award-winning film \u201cThe Blind Side.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, Ondrasik created a new song specifically for the\u00a0100th\u00a0episode of \u201cHAWAII FIVE-0.\u201d The song was titled, \u201cAll For One.\u201d Five for Fighting\u2019s\u00a0music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercials, including the\u00a0Oscar-winning\u00a0\u201cThe Blind Side,\u201d \u201cThe Sopranos\u201d\u00a0and the CBS drama,\u00a0\u201cCode Black.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t done much recording recently \u2013 except for the Afghan song and the Ukraine song,\u201d said Ondrasik.<\/p>\n

In September of 2021, Ondrasik released the powerful, \u201cBlood on My Hands,\u201d a protest song that takes a non-political, moral stance against the 2021 United States chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

In July 2022, Ondrasik performed his new Ukraine tribute song, \u201cCan One Man Save the World,\u201d with the Ukrainian Orchestra in the ruins of the Antonov Airport in Kyiv in front of the Ukrainian\u2019s beloved Mriya, the world\u2019s largest cargo plane \u2013 the plane that Putin cynically destroyed at the outset of the war.<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u2019s passion for supporting humanitarian efforts and freedom has been a longstanding commitment for the artist as well.\u00a0The song was\u00a0inspired by the courage of President Vladimir Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.\u00a0\u00a0The video debuted on\u00a0Good Morning America\u00a0and went viral worldwide.<\/p>\n

According to Ondrasik, \u201cIn sharing this musical collaboration on such hallowed ground, I saw firsthand the fortitude and grace of the Ukrainian people who, whether they are playing a violin or driving a tank, will not be deterred by Putin\u2019s atrocities and aggressions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proceeds from the single and its companion video will benefit the NGO Save Our Allies and further its mission of providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u00a0has also given countless performances for the USO and has participated in keynote speaking engagements across the globe. Over the years,\u00a0Ondrasik\u00a0has given away five volumes of his compilation, \u201cCD for the Troops,\u201d to our U.S. Armed Forces, and more than one million copies have been distributed to soldiers worldwide.<\/p>\n

Ondrasik\u2019s charity site\u00a0www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com<\/a>, inspired by his song, \u201cWorld,\u201d has seen fans uploading videos showing their respective interpretations of a better world.\u00a0 That initiative has raised more than $250,000 for five designated charities \u2013 Augie\u2019s Quest, Autism Speaks, Fisher House Foundation, Save the Children and Operation Homefront.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for fans, there is no new album on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such an effort to do an album,\u201d said Ondrasik. \u201cI try to write songs that people will hear \u2013 not necessarily with radio play. With successes with two songs without having to deal with record companies, I am thinking about a new album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWriting a record is so insular \u2013 and then you get out of that dark room for a year, tour and get exhausted \u2013 and then go back to the room. Touring is so exhaustive. The recording part is easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, it\u2019s great not to have that pressure. With the last two songs, there were no expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlbums don\u2019t exist like they did. It\u2019s a shame. I always liked the deeper album tracks. Songs 3-10 were the joyful part of writing. Still, at the end of the day, a good song is a good song.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been doing a little writing. When I was touring in the U.K., I wrote some notes that could become songs. Hopefully, I\u2019ll put some things together after he tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Five for Fighting will be joining\u00a0Barenaked Ladies\u00a0on their\u00a0Last Summer on Earth\u00a0tour\u00a0from June 28-July 22.\u00a0\u00a0Ondrasik\u00a0will bring along his band, drummer\u00a0Randy Cooke<\/a>\u00a0(Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart), bassist\u00a0Sean Hurley<\/a>\u00a0(John Mayer, Ringo Starr,\u00a0Alanis Morissette), and guitarist\u00a0Peter Thorn<\/a>\u00a0(Chris Cornell, Melissa Etheridge, Don Henley).<\/p>\n

According to Ondrasik, \u201cThe boys and I are thrilled to be back in the bus this summer opening for Barenaked Ladies across the United States. Our summer 2022 post pandemic headline tour was a poignant reminder of how fortunate we are to share the communal experience of live music with audiences, and we are grateful to be back, again, living our childhood dreams and having the A-TEAM of Pete, Randy, and Sean alongside me every night brings me inspiration and great joy, both on stage, and off. So here we go! If this tour really is the \u2018Last Summer on Earth\u2019…there’s no place I’d rather be!\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ondrasik, this tour is the right time and the right length.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re out with the Barenaked Ladies for one month,\u201d said Ondrasik. \u201cIt\u2019s perfect. A month is enough. And they\u2019re my buddies. We\u2019re excited. Barenaked Ladies put on a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barenaked Ladies\u00a0is a Canadian\u00a0rock band\u00a0formed in 1988 in the\u00a0Toronto\u00a0suburb of\u00a0Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their\u00a0self-titled 1991 cassette\u00a0becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada.<\/p>\n

The band’s style has evolved throughout their career, and their music, which began as exclusively acoustic, quickly grew to encompass a mixture of pop, rock, hip hop and rap. In the 2010s the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom\u00a0The Big Bang Theory.<\/p>\n

The band’s live performances feature comedic banter and free-style rapping between songs. They have won multiple\u00a0Juno Awards\u00a0and have been nominated for two\u00a0Grammy Awards. The group has sold more than 15 million albums and singles and was inducted into the\u00a0Canadian Music Hall of Fame\u00a0in March 2018.<\/p>\n

Video link for Barenaked Ladies — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Uf3uik5QH40<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Video link for Five for Fighting — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Bm3XEsIXJaI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on July 19 at The Met, which also features Del Amitri as an opening act, will start at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times John Ondrasik, a veteran rocker from Los Angeles, wears many hats. He is a singer\/songwriter who plays keyboards and guitars. He is a philanthropist. He is a principal figure in a family business that has been around since 1946. He is a man who looks at the plight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,15226,15227],"class_list":["post-52591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-john-ondrasik","tag-the-met-philly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52591"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52592,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52591\/revisions\/52592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}