Who owns john mayer

It was this ephemeral experience. When I spoke to Trey Anastasio about playing guitar at the Fare Thee Well shows last year, he told me that he spoke to you at one show, with a little bit of advice — to just be yourself when you played with those guys. There was a drum solo happening [ laughs ]. Someone instilled that in him. He helped instill that in me. Trey told me he studied for months, on his own, for Fare Thee Well, before he got to rehearsals. How deep was your study? I studied for a long time, from April to October, pretty much until we went up [onstage].

I approached it geometrically. Guitar players think in shapes. These are newly minted, artisanal ideas, created on the spot. And there are a couple of things in there that are essential to the music floating and not sinking. They are easy to learn but take a lifetime to master. You have to remember it every time you play. When I was growing up, everybody said it was noodling.

There is a little noodling. And you have to do it within a measure. I would record these rehearsals, go back to L. This guy hung out in the same part of the [guitar] neck for so long.

The guitar has this wonderful breath, this inhale-exhale to it. People have already made their judgement of whether I can cut it. Now I can make this the sequel. Listen to that. Are there songs you feel you are shaping and changing as a member of this band?

That would be the most treacherous thing in the world for me to do. If there was a way to do it that was loving and not revisionist history …. Just paying it forward.

That sounds really exciting — to do half that, half new stuff. I have this feeling-slash-dream — that the shows, as they go this summer, will attract more people. Now is your chance to fly. Newswire Powered by. Close the menu. Rolling Stone. Log In. To help keep your account secure, please log-in again. But Mayer was nothing if not thorough about taking on the role. When it comes to playing live, the jam band environment seems to bring out the team-player in Mayer.

Certain songs have bluesy in-roads and Mayer employs his well-honed chops to bring flamboyant interpretations to the music. Elsewhere, the more psychedelic material leaves room for wandering melodic noodles where the destination may be predetermined, but the route to finding it is a little or a lot more flexible.

Embracing simple, scale-based melodies without the large leaps and bends associated with blues soloing, Mayer is able to meander rather than race and, with trademark chromatic passages, channels Garcia effectively and respectfully. On stage, Bob Weir looks like a cross between a wise mentor and a proud father figure as he and Mayer trade looks and licks. Thanks to Mayer, the live experience that captivated fans for decades is far from dead.