Attn: John Mayer & DMB Fans - Page 6

jira · #76 03-13-2003, 11:39 PM

Fortunate to have had Dave Mathews a few miles up the road and caught him frequently in clubs around Richmond. This was his before period, but there was a developing buzz. My brother, 10 years younger than I, dragged me to see him and I have to say initially I found guitar style fresh and eclectic, but just didn't care for the timbre of his voice. Despite my initial impression, I have become a bit of a fan, so I have to say he was an acquired taste for me.

A friend gave me John Mayer's CD almost a year ago, and I found it listenable immediately, if at points lyrically somewhat sophomoric. The best part for John is I think there's real potential. I look for him to explode, hopefully in a good way.

I have to say that I think a lot of the younger guys who are so defensive about the music they embrace could really benefit from exposure to the modern singer/songwriter tradition. If only to you appreciate artists like DMB and John Mayer all the more. There have been a lot of great artists mentioned in this thread, so do yourself a favor and seek the music out for yourself.

There is one artist that is virtually never mentioned on this forum, whose music is more than 30 years old, but sounds so fresh it will utterly amaze you. He has influenced more singer/songwriters than you can name, including one of my favorites, David Wilcox. I'm taking about Nick Drake. Nick's work is strangely reminiscient of the DMB's, the John Mayer's, and the Duncan Shiek's of today, but pre-dates them all by decades. It was way, way ahead of it's time. Unfortunately for us all, Nick died under somewhat mysterious circumstances. He was known to suffer from severe bouts of depression and there is speculation that he may have taken his own life. His legacy, however, lives on. Be sure to check his music out. If some of it sounds familiar, that's because it is. His music holds up so well he has become a recent darling of Madison Ave., showing up in artsy TV commercials.

mapletrees · #77 03-14-2003, 07:55 AM

somehow this thread is making me think of jl coombs....

you'd have to click on their return policy to find a statement and find a good photo of Mr. Coombs to get the full effect....

...and...

I like Britney!

chtaylo2 · #78 03-14-2003, 08:13 AM

jira,

Good point about Nick Drake. I only have one cd...I think its a compilation...but it's good. A little moody, but I'd compare some of Duncan Sheik's work to Nick Drake in some ways.

-Chris

chtaylo2 · #79 03-14-2003, 08:20 AM

cpmusic,

Despite the backlash against your post, I'd encourage you to give John Mayer one more try. If you still don't care for him, fine. If you have Kazaa or another file sharing program, you should download the acoustic or original versions of "Neon", "Back to You", and "My Stupid Mouth". Also, check out this link:

John Mayer Live Music

If you have a broadband or cable connection I'd check out a couple of the live videos that can be streamed from that website. Especially the first one, "Something's Missing", which is a newer song played solo acoustic.

-Chris

cpmusic · #80 03-14-2003, 02:43 PM

Thanks for the link, Chris. I'm not fond of downloading without permission (no judgment toward you or others, just my personal call) but I did watch the videos. I can go into opinionated detail if you like (maybe by email?) for now I'll just say that I'm still not a fan.

On the bright side, I think "No Such Thing" shows some real promise, and I hope he builds on that.

ky224 · #81 03-14-2003, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Not Cocky at all. There are tons of pop stars that have huge egos, but he doesn't make that list. I think people project negative connotations on other people because they don't like them.

I actually like John Mayer and his music. I was just venting out loud some of the artists I've heard that diss their fans. And I just don't understand why artists do such things. I'm sure that there are MANY misunderstandings out there...and with the degree of fame...you do lose a private life. I'm sure that there's always gonna paparazzi hanging around you and all those types of things. But when a true fan approaches you for an autograph. Sign in. Know what I'm saying?

chtaylo2 · #82 03-14-2003, 08:49 PM

cpmusic,

Oh well, I just thought you should give Mayer another try. I really like the song "Something's Missing" but I hate to try to tune my guitar to EBEF#BE to play it. Thanks for listening.

-Chris

jira · #83 03-15-2003, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by chtaylo2
jira,

Good point about Nick Drake. I only have one cd...I think its a compilation...but it's good. A little moody, but I'd compare some of Duncan Sheik's work to Nick Drake in some ways.

-Chris

Yeah, Nick's music can definitely be moody. Probably influenced by his bouts with depression, anr remember, the treatments for mental illness in the late 60's and early 70s were pretty primordial. One of the reasons I really like "Bryter Layter" is that in large measure the cloud is lifted. Still in all, stunning groundbreaking work, and I daresay this may be the first time some of the younger forum members have even heard his name.

EdZ · #84 03-16-2003, 10:48 AM

Hey, i got a question for all of the dmb fans out there. I heard this one realy realy cool song of his on tv in a concert, i cant identify it though. It has a realy long bass part in the begining, like 3 or 4 minutes long, and its a realy dark song. I loved it, but cant find it!

VFran · #85 03-16-2003, 01:59 PM

Maybe "Crush" which is on Before These Crowded Streets? Bass opens but only for a few measures and not 3 or 4 minutes.

rsimper · #86 03-16-2003, 03:29 PM

The only song I can think of with a bass solo intro for a while is All Along the Watchtower, but thats hardly a DMB song...

ky224 · #87 03-16-2003, 05:15 PM

3 or 4 minute bass solo? Watchtower is usually precluded by a solo by Stephan. Perhaps maybe you were seeing Dreaming Tree? But I find it hard to believe that they would air that on TV. (Plus...it hasn't been played live in years. Although it was teased at the Gorge this past summer) On the other hand...there was a Gorge special on Music Plus...and I think they featured a Watchtower version. So it was PROBABLY that. A bass solo from Stephan can also be seen in the Listener Supported DVD.

Oh wait. Come to think of LS was also a special on PBS. You might have seen the bass solo from there that precludes All Along the Watchtower.

Come to think of it...that would make the most sense. Listener Supported...Watchtower.

EdZ · #88 03-16-2003, 09:02 PM

I found the song, it was "What you are". It did have a very long "intro" it on the live version on tv. Sorry, i accidentally said solo, not intro. He was playing realy high up on the frets on the first string on his bass for a long time, then it went into the album version of what you are, realy cool because the lights were off and its a very dark song.

ky224 · #89 03-17-2003, 11:49 AM

Hahaha. I guess me and Ryan were WAY off.

I don't think the intro to What You Are is that long though. 3-4 minutes? No way.

EdZ · #90 03-17-2003, 06:42 PM

If i remember correctly, it was on vh1. They showed a concert, and it was realy long. Might have been a one time thing, who knows...