Sony Music UCLA Alum and Five For Fighting mastermind
John Ondrasik will be playing at the House of
Blues tonight.
By Alex Palmer
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
Tonight, a Bruin returns to his old stomping ground intending to
entertain, to inspire, but mainly to rock his fans and friends.
John Ondrasik, the piano man more commonly known by his stage
moniker Five for Fighting, will be performing his blend of rock and
pop music tonight at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.
Ondrasik (pronounced “on-draw-sick”) is currently
best known for his sweeping ballad “Superman,” but the
singer-songwriter hopes to showcase his other material at
tonight’s show.
Los Angeles is familiar territory for Ondrasik, who was born and
raised in the San Fernando Valley and graduated from UCLA as an
applied mathematics student.
“My mom graduated from USC and my dad graduated from UCLA.
I grew up with the rivalry in my blood,” Ondrasik said.
Perhaps as a ploy to bring his son over to the blue and gold,
Ondrasik’s father was taking him to UCLA basketball games by
the time Ondrasik was three. The musician still tries to make it to
games as often as he can.
Basketball isn’t the only sport that interests Ondrasik.
His stage handle originally comes from a penalty call in hockey
(when a rowdy player gets five minutes out for fighting).
It was Ondrasik’s mother, a professional pianist, who
introduced him to music by teaching her son how to play almost
before she taught him to walk.
Despite his skill at the keys, Ondrasik lost interest in piano
by the time he hit junior high.
“Then I learned the true meaning of music ““ to meet
women,” Ondrasik said. “I couldn’t carry my piano
on my back to parties, but I could carry a guitar.”
As he entered high school, Ondrasik picked up a guitar (he stole
his sister’s) and threw himself into songwriting. He’s
been writing and performing ever since, and recently his efforts
have paid off.
“America Town,” Five for Fighting’s sophomore
album, has sold surprisingly well and spawned a No. 1 hit with
“Superman.”
But financial success has made far less of an impact on Ondrasik
than the emotional impact his music has had on fans.
“It’s been humbling to see what my music has done
for people,” Ondrasik said.
In particular, Five for Fighting’s single struck a chord
with Americans after Sept. 11.
The song’s touching melodies and poignant references to
the challenges of heroism and day-to-day living made it a source of
comfort to many. The power of “Superman” was clear to
Ondrasik’s during of his performance of the song at the 2001
Concert for New York.
“I will never be able to process all the emotions I
experienced that night. From unimaginable sorrow to incredible
triumph, it was a night of a lifetime,” Ondrasik said.
Ondrasik takes his music seriously, illustrated by the songs on
“America Town.” Despite its pop melodies, the album is
thoughtful and touches on themes ranging from the lies of
politicians to the pain of divorce.
Five for Fighting’s new single, “Easy
Tonight,” was written right after the Columbine tragedy in
1999 and deals with a high school student’s struggle with his
girlfriend’s suicide.
“I feel like it’s actually a really positive song.
It’s about a guy who doesn’t know where he’s
going but knows he’s going to make it through,”
Ondrasik said.
But the song that Ondrasik is most proud of is the
divorce-themed “Love Song,” which he has been
performing for over six years and feels that it is both lyrically
and musically the strongest song on “America Town.”
Five for Fighting will be performing all of these songs tonight
at the House of Blues.
Ondrasik is enjoying his current success but hopes to make a
lasting impact on his listeners.
“We need songs to place our memories. When I hear (The
Police’s) “Every Breath You Take,” it brings me
back to that party on Gayley. I want the songs I write to have that
kind of effect,” said Ondrasik.