Have I mentioned I talked to John Mayer once?

What follows is possibly the greatest never-actually-published article the Daily Beacon at UT ever had submitted. Maybe I'm just saying that because I'm the author; maybe I'm saying it because it's about John Mayer (I'm a fan); maybe I'm just saying that because of the douche-y circumstances surrounding its never-being-published (damn you, entertainment editor!). I don't know.

But I do think you should give it a look - it might inspire you to listen to the man, the myth, the legend (if you do get so inspired, I recommend John's "Free Fallin" cover from his live album Where the Light Is).

Grammy-nominated Artist Returns to Knoxville

When he steps out of his tour bus this Tuesday into the frigid Knoxville air, just five days before one of the most pivotal moments of his career, John Mayer will be at the pinnacle of a profession he may have only dreamed about a short eight years ago. He enters Knoxville’s Civic Auditorium with five Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year for his latest, Continuum, which debuted at the #2 spot on the Billboard charts, and Best Rock Album of the Year for his stint with the John Mayer Trio in a live album called Try!. He has seen each of his three major label albums produce multiple hits and award nominations, all well before he sees his 30 birthday this October. Even so, it is doubtless when his feet hit the pavement, even as he steps on stage before thousands of people, somehow John will consider it all just another day in an amazing music career.

It was 2001 when Mayer’s first album Room for Squares hit store shelves, but it seems even longer ago when compared to the growth of his musical style and lyrical perspective in Continuum. Compare previous hits like “Your Body is a Wonderland” to his new, more determined hit “Waiting on the World to Change” and his progression as an artist becomes more clear – take these lyrics from the anti-war themed “Belief” as example: “What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand/Belief can/What puts the folded flag inside his mother’s hand/Belief can.” This gradual change though, was not a conscious decision.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a conscious decision,” Mayer says, regarding his musical shift. “There’s as much conscious or unconscious decision in changing anything else in your life, like if you said ‘I’m going to stop swearing all the time.’ All those changes are completely relative to the changes you make as a musician. Music’s stayed so close to me that however I’ve changed, it’s going to change.”

Perhaps the only thing capable of outpacing Mayer’s lyrical progression is his ability with a guitar. From Room for Squares’ mellow, poppy, rhythmic beats (typified by the single “No Such Thing”) to an uncharacteristic grind and crunch to his riffs in 2003’s Heavier Things (the under-rated track “Something’s Missing” has probably his hardest licks), Mayer appeared to have raised his standard as one of our generation’s best rising guitarists. With Continuum, Mayer continues his progression by entering the lingering blues style of guitar, which until this album’s release was considered little more than a forbearer of popular rock and pop music. In his latest approach, Mayer unapologetically revitalizes a dying genre with the swagger of a card player with an ace up his sleeve. But with this trend of groundbreaking guitar progression, will John Mayer ultimately be remembered as a guitar composer, the Eric Clapton of our era, or will his lyrics remain his most influential aspect?

“I don’t think I’ll be remembered for my abilities as a vocalist, but I do think I will be remembered as a vocalist,” says Mayer. “I think that has to do with the lyrics being stronger than the guitar playing. I don’t mean being better, I mean having more power than the guitar playing. That’s an early choice I made in my career; you either give power to the guitar playing and let the lyrics follow, or the other way around, and I think the way to reach more people is to really take a lyrical approach to it.”

After three previous Grammy awards and over 8 million records sold, one could say that Mayer has become an influence of his own in the music business. To date, Mayer has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including BB King, the Dixie Chicks, Kanye West, and Alicia Keyes. Though his mainstream appeal allows him to invest in many genres of music, none of his abilities as an artist are lost in the process.

“John Mayer is great because of his versatility as an artist,” admits Catherine Pendleton, a sophomore in Child and Family Studies. “There’s no one out there who can blend as many genres of music as he can.”

Somewhere in the thick of his daily devotion to his musical career, Mayer does actually have a life of his own, one that he even portrays openly and in his own way. Loyal fans will be familiar with his (almost) daily blogs on JohnMayer.com, where he reveals a less serious approach to life that goes mostly unrepresented in his music. On it, you will find his latest music videos, random videos of his own, his view on the Grey’s Anatomy scandal, and even a blueprint for his own ketchup-packet-like peanut butter applicator. He also sheds some light on his side project in New York City’s stand-up comedy network, which is a significant and rather unforeseen step from his music career. Whether or not he brings some of his routine with him on his tour remains to be seen.

Mayer’s performance at the Civic Auditorium begins just five short days before the Grammy awards in Los Angeles, but Knoxville is no stranger to the man’s success as a musician.

“John played a packed show at Blue Cats just after Room for Squares came out, so Knoxville’s been supporting him for a while,” says Paige Travis, a representative from the Civic Auditorium.

Given the prestige of the artist and the familiarity with his name in this city, there is little doubt of the quality of the show that is expected Tuesday. Through the skills and abilities as a musician and beyond the multiple intriguing facets of Mayer, one question still remains to be answered: where, exactly, can he go from here? John Mayer, undoubtedly, will answer that question, one show at a time.