I think this will end up become kind of a music blog, filled with other things that pop in my mind, I suppose. I've noticed somewhat, that music fans tend to separate into two rough groups of musicians and non-musicians. Honestly I find, in many cases, that non-musicians that are true music fans have a purer and more unbiased view of music. As a musician, I have always been jealous of this and made it my goal to try to look at music in a more unbiased way, as well. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop caring about the musicality of a song (chords, melodies, tightness etc..); those things are absolutely important, but I'm no longer going to base my opinion solely on those aspects.
As I've been on this rediscovery journey, I've been trying to mostly listen to new (to me) music. For some reason though, I decided to listen to John Mayer and found myself completely inspired all over again. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of his. Sometimes, I even worry that his music is too influential for me. As such, I've tried to focus on newer things while avoiding music that puts me back in a rut. But when I listened last night something awesome happened, I heard it all in a completely new way and was inspired all over again.
I'm aware that Mayer is a big time celebrity, and with that level of celeb status, he is bound to be the center of a lot of gossip. For this reason, I think people sometimes tend to only look at the surface of his music, whether based on songs they hear on the radio, or by the interviews they may read in the press, but there is a true artist to be discovered and I can't imagine a person in the world who, after putting aside any prejudice, good or bad, and really listening to his music, wouldn't come away feeling inspired in some way.
I know sometimes it begins to sound like I'm even gushing, but there are few musical influences of mine that are as inspirational on as many levels as John Mayer. His lyrics are imaginative, relatable, and filled with strong, beautiful metaphors and stories, his melodies are not only catchy but creative and interesting, his guitar playing is expressive, tasteful, and skillful, and his songwriting is, in my opinion, in a class with some of the best in the world. Anyone who hasn't really checked out John Mayer should really do themselves a favor and do it.
I'll list some maybe lesser-known songs and what I like about them for anyone who may be interested.
Song Album
In Your Atmosphere- Where the Light Is (Live in LA).- really really good metaphors and a message just about anyone could relate to
St. Patrick's Day- Room for Squares- Great chords and melody, another cool message.
Wheel- Heavier Things- Just a beautiful song in every way, and one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard.
Neon- Where the Light Is- just a great example of talent, not to mention one of the hardest (and coolest) songs to play well on an acoustic guitar. It's a great story, and the song grooves and drives with just him and a guitar.
And for the blues-loving guitarist in me :)
Out of My Mind- Where the Light Is- Just really powerful blues guitar. Every note is just filled with passion and intensity. It's exactly what guitar playing is all about, wearing your heart on your guitar.
Well, that should be more than enough about that..
I doubt anyone is really reading this anyway, but if anyone has suggestions or comments on making this blog a little more interesting, I'd be happy to hear them.
Cheers
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