Jonas Brothers Cover ‘Time Out NY’

-The Jonas Brothers are the cover boys for the latest issue of Time Out New York. In the article, Nick, Kevin and Joe give their opinion on music, their favorite things to do in NYC and more. There are four different covers. You can buy your copies HERE.

To check out the photoshoot, go HERE. To read the full article, go HERE.

What they want from music reviews

“First you look at the number of stars,” Joe says, laughing. “I think for us it’s interesting when you have a guy that loves the Rolling Stones and he’s reviewing a Kanye West record. You gotta get the right people to review things.” In relation to the band’s own oeuvre, Joe is pragmatic. “I know you can have a very eclectic field of music, but someone who loves underground hip-hop is not particularly gonna love our album.” Our music editor Smith, a hip-hop lover, metalhead and unabashed Miley Cyrus fan, mildly clears his throat. Still, the Jonases are quick to admit that they do have something to learn from the critics. “Totally!” Kevin concedes. “I recently did an interview with [country star] Brad Paisley, and he said, ‘I hate it when they’re right!’”

“I enjoy writing reviews,” Nick says—quickly, seriously. “I do it, like, for fun.” When he was being homeschooled, he explains, he wrote music, movie and TV reviews for extra credit: “There was a show called Kid Nation where they sent 50 kids out into the wilderness to try and survive. It got shut down for legal reasons—I don’t know how it was ever on TV—but I was so amused by it.” He pauses. “There was this kid who just drank a whole thing of, like, Clorox and… So I would write up these reviews, and hope to go to college one day to study English literature.”

How they hear new music

“A lot of our friends pass bands along to us, and we check ’em out, and obviously iTunes is a big one,” Joe says. “Genius sidebar!” his big brother firmly asserts. Then Nick: “I’ve always said that it’s important as an artist to go on a musical journey and discover what you like and you don’t like. And the Internet’s a good way to make that happen—but also, growing up in a musical home introduced a lot of different styles to me.” Ah yes, the Jonas parents: Kevin Jonas Sr., then a pastor, and his wife, Denise, were traveling musicians, and the brood spent a good deal of their early life on the road as their folks spread the word through music. Kevin remembers their dad playing them Carole King’s Tapestry and getting them to listen for a bum note in one of the songs. “Like, ‘Listen to this, riiiiiiight…now!’?” Nick explains. “My dad pointed out to us that’s kind of the beauty. They didn’t have Pro Tools back then, but then you think about it, and the fact they kept it in keeps the song pure.”

On their favorite artists

Why I love… Brad Paisley, by Kevin Jonas
“I’m a huge country music fan, always have been, and American Saturday Night is an incredible record. Most of his records have a feeling of old country, but then you get the taste of the new—and the new is definitely progressive. This record really takes leaps and bounds; there are blues songs on there, there are a couple of piano songs, there’s a four-piece string and jug band… So there’s an eclectic sound, but the storytelling and the songs are incredible.”

Why I love… The Zutons, by Nick Jonas
“We were over in Europe touring with Avril Lavigne last year, and their album had just been released. We were jet-lagged, falling asleep. We had the TV on, it was a music special, and the Zutons were playing live in a studio—and they were just incredible. The album really inspired the sound for our next record, because of the girl who plays sax. It was one of those things where it was kind of…off? But it was great. I think the kind of late-’60s rock sound they have going on really is awesome, the vocal sound is great. For top picks, there’s a song called ‘Bumbag,’ which is great. ‘What’s Your Problem?’ and ‘Little Red Door.’ You Can Do Anything is definitely one of my favorite records, ever.”

Why I love… Green Day, by Joe Jonas
“I definitely thought it was going to be really hard to top the last Green Day album, ’cause American Idiot was so massive, you know? But 21st Century Breakdown is really consistent. It’s not so political; I mean, there’s small things in there, but generally it’s way less so. Like, ‘Know Your Enemy’ could be the guy at the 7-Eleven who you just can’t stand. As songwriters, we don’t like to get into too much politics. But some bands do it well, and Green Day is one of those bands.” Kevin: “And remember that kids are going to be listening to it.” Nick: “That’s the thing: Our little brother’s eight years old and he loves Green Day. He just thinks they’re awesome. They’re this generation’s rock band.”