John Mayer - My biggest influence

At first, I hated John Mayer. "Your Body Is A Wonderland" made me want to puke at first, but that's before I actually took the time to see what this guy was all about. I started to get into him when I picked up the acoustic guitar. This is when his album No Room For Squares was out. After learning some of his songs, I noticed he was different from other artists in the Pop/Rock category. This guy made you feel like he was your best friend. His lyrics - relatable. His songwriting - relatable, poppy, catchy, stylish. Acoustic guitar playing - great rhythm, interesting use of chords, solid.

This first CD didn't truly hit me for how awesome it was until I saw him grow as an artist. Heavier Things came out and showed Mayer's love for electric guitar. He was still holding back from showing off his impeccable guitar skills, but this CD was definitely a great transition into what genre he really wanted to get into - the blues.

Mayer released a live album with his trio called Try! which showcased gritty rock and blues original songs and unbelievable renditions of some cover songs by renown artists such as Jimi Hendrix for example. He nailed everything. He played the guitar effortlessly and really started to come into his voice.

I heard from a friend that when he went to high school, he sat in the cafeteria during lunch in the corner by himself playing the guitar. People in his high school knew him as "John, oh yeah, that kid who plays guitar." Well, that surely paid off.

Continuum really put me over the edge. I became a die hard fan after this CD came out. It made me look at songwriting in a complete different way. There's so much headroom in this album and the whole album contains this "vibe." It makes me think of rock albums that were recorded in the late 60s - the albums that you can listen to 15 times through without becoming sick of them.

What makes John Mayer a superstar is obviously his songwriting skills first. He continues to write hits after hits as he grows as a musician. He taps into different styles of music and consistently succeeds. His lyrics are always relatable. Now, he's known as one of the best guitar players of our generation. Amazing performer. Hilarious person. He understands the social networking age as he engages his audience through his website and Twitter.

If you aren't a John Mayer fan yet, please go listen to him. Go buy his newest DVD called Where The Light Is and you will be amazed.

This guy is my biggest influence, and I practice every day for hours upon hours hoping to get a chance to meet with him and hopefully play with him one day.