Noel Rivera

Noel "Toca" Rivera is a musician, vocalist, and percussionist (djembe) for singer-songwriter Jason Mraz.

In his album Love is a Four Letter Word (2012), Jason Mraz performs the song "I Never Knew You (Live EP Version)" with Rivera.

Music career
Rivera met Mraz in 2001 when Mraz was making himself known by performing at several San Diego coffee houses. Mraz had been performing weekly at these hot spots, one which also put acclaimed singer Jewel on the map. Rivera, his brother Carlos, and Mraz created a trio of two guitars with Rivera on djembe. The three musicians went on the road, traveling all over California in a beaten Winnebago. Later, Carlos left the band, so Rivera and Mraz formed a duet, receiving passionate fandom and praise wherever they went. "I dig the groove Toca lays down with his drum," Mraz says about his fellow musician, "and the delicate touch he finds on the harmonies. He's like every member of the Dave Matthews Band and Boyz II Men rolled up in one prize wind-up teddy bear designed to beat a drum." After several years, Elektra signed the dynamic duo and released their first album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which featured the top 20 single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)". With Mraz, Rivera has achieved the feat of incorporating traditional drumming into modern day Rock music. Mraz calls Rivera a "vocutionist" - a percussionist who also sings. Three years after the release of Waiting for My Rocket to Come, Rivera and Mraz signed with Atlantic Records and released their second album, Mr. A-Z.

Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)
Rivera performed with Jason Mraz's touring band including drummer Adam King, bassist Ian Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa along with a guest appearance from Blues Traveler lead John Popper.

Touring and Mr. A–Z (2003–2008)
On July 26, 2005, Mraz released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z with Rivera doing vocals on several tracks, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5. In March 2006, Jason Mraz performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.

In July 2011 it was announced that Jason Mraz would embark on a mini-global tour in September to November 2011, with occasional full band shows, but mostly as an acoustic duo with long time performing partner and friend, Rivera. The special shows marked the ten-year anniversary of the independently released Live at Java Joe's album. Mraz and Rivera played in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Berlin and Prague.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008-2009)
Rivera did more background vocals on Mraz's third album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., most notably on the hit single "I'm Yours".

Love is a Four Letter Word (2009-present)
On April 17, 2012, Mraz released his fourth album, Love Is a Four Letter Word. On the iTunes and jasonmraz.com bonus track edition of the album, Rivera and Mraz perform the song "I Never Knew You".