Music

ARLINGTON – Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas feel at home in Dallas. Well, as much as huge pop stars constantly traveling and soaking up the adoration of fans around the world can feel at home in any one place. Bring up the subject of Dallas-Fort Worth, specifically Westlake, where the Jonas Brothers bought a house last year, and 21-year-old Kevin Jonas flashes a quick smile.

"We actually grew up here," he says during an interview last week at Cowboys Stadium, where he and his brothers will kick off their 53-date tour June 20. "We lived here for about five, six years. I was born in New Jersey, then we moved to Arizona where Joe was born and then we moved to Dallas where we lived for about six years. That's where Nick was born. Then we went back to New Jersey, of course.

"But we've always felt a very close connection with Dallas," he continues. "We wanted a place that was kind of in the middle, a great place for us to get away."

Nick Jonas chimes in: "There are times the coasts can be a bit ... crazy stuff. We live on a golf course, which is great. It's just a good community, family vibe. We found a great home, and we love it here." Right now, the brothers are relishing their local digs since they get to come home every night after tour rehearsals.

These guys also cherish the opportunity to be onstage, particularly the stage built for the 2009 world trek. It's essentially three octagonal platforms connected by runways. The JB logo sits in the middle of each platform.

The in-the-round setup provides all sorts of eye-popping opportunities, most notably a crane that will hoist the guys out over the audience. Expect six full-color lasers, three moving video screens, 350 lighting units and a water feature that the Jonases hadn't seen yet.

"We're really excited about it," Kevin says about the tour. "It should be fun. We can't wait until we have an audience."

The crowd at a Jonas Brothers concert is, as you would expect, mostly made up of female teenagers and pre-teens. Then there's the array of parents forking over the money for tickets and chaperoning the kids.

The brothers have performed before Dallas-Fort Worth audiences four times since early October 2007. That's when they caused major traffic congestion as fans tried to get to the trio's State Fair of Texas gig.

Then in late February 2008, with a second show five days later, they took the Nokia Theatre stage in Grand Prairie. Both concerts were sold out. A mere four months later in early July, the brothers caused more ear-splitting pandemonium at Superpages.com Center.

And there was more: Last Thanksgiving, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas played the halftime show at Texas Stadium during the Dallas Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks football game. D-FW admirers can't seem to get enough of this affable group.

Kevin, the eldest of the trio, tends to be the most talkative. He's gregarious, easygoing, a poised young man. Joe Jonas, the middle child at 19, has the rock-star mystique. He's the least loquacious of the bunch, yet the one that seems most ready for attention. Nick, 16, is intense, no-nonsense. The youngest in the band, Nick was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes about three years ago and is now the newest spokesperson for Bayer Diabetes Care.

As a unit, there's plenty about the Jonas Brothers that makes them atypical teen-dream sensations. They have the constant attention of Tiger Beat magazine, naturally, but they picked up musical cred by gracing the cover of Rolling Stone. Their pop-culture fame extends to a recent Good Housekeeping cover.

Then there are the purity rings.

The brothers have been ridiculed and criticized for vowing to stay pure until marriage. Actor-comedian Russell Brand made an off-color joke about the rings at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. He later apologized for his comments. Earlier this year, the animated comedy series South Park dedicated an entire episode to the Jonas Brothers that poked fun at the purity rings. But the Jonases won't back down.

"It's something that we choose and we like to keep private," says Nick. "Certain journalists do sometimes have an agenda. That just is. But it's just about taking it day to day, taking those gradual steps. It's a crazy ride we're on, and we're just enduring it."

Amid the roller coaster fueled by Disney-generated domination that includes a TV show (Jonas), a TV movie (Camp Rock) and a theatrical concert film (Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience ), among other things, the brothers are blossoming into serious musicians. They write their songs, as well as play guitar, piano, keyboards and drums.

"For us it's just a natural growth as musicians and artists," says Nick about the artistic progress.

"When you're out on the road, you learn a lot. When you're being inspired by new artists, you learn a lot. The truth is that pressure is more about just becoming who we are as musicians and artists and learning as much as we can. Music is a never-ending journey. It doesn't stop. There's always something new that you're listening to, getting into. So we're enjoying that ride."

With each subsequent studio album, the Jonas Brothers have upped their artistic ante.

On 2007's sophomore effort Jonas Brothers, the 1.7 million-selling breakthrough, there was plenty of infectious pop with just enough crunch and muscle to keep it contemporary.

On 2008's chart-topping A Little Bit Longer, which sold 1.5 million copies, they experimented with a more aggressive power-pop sound while toying with elements of R&B, rap and folk. They even enjoyed the prestige of being nominated for a Grammy in the coveted best new artist category.

Their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, which arrives in stores Tuesday, should be a higher step in the creative ladder. The CD's title is "poetic," Nick says, and it describes themes in the songs – lies and half-truths (Lines), obstacles ( Vines) and societal strife (Trying Times).

One track, "Before the Storm," is a duet with fellow teen star Miley Cyrus, Nick's ex-girlfriend. That collaboration is obvious. But this one isn't: "Don't Charge Me for the Crime" finds them collaborating with rapper Common. Another guest on the record is blues singer-guitarist Jonny Lang.

That could be heady stuff for the Jonas Brothers' young fan base. Or maybe it's not.

Joe believes the emerging maturity is seamless on both sides.

"We're able to have fans always kind of either watch the things that we do on YouTube or on TV or listen to our new music," he says. "They kind of follow our career naturally because they want to hear us. I think they are growing up along with us."