Untitled Demo, 1999 by John Mayer
What an incredible three days of shows. Challenging, enlightening, thrilling, frightening, and most of all, calibrating. I feel so spot-on as to where I am as a musician, there’s no telling what I may hear myself sing in ‘06. It was such a sweet homecoming, to see all the faces of the friends who supported me when I first started out in Atlanta.
I think the only way to put these shows out is in their entirety; that said, I couldn’t put another note of music out before I release Continuum. I’m a studio-album making musician with side projects, and not the other way around. You get me?
I hope some of you who weren’t aware of Eddie’s before might decide to go visit it some night if you happen to be in Atlanta. There are so few rooms like it left in the world, it’s almost a national landmark in some ways.
So here we go, into Christmas, into changing out of our street clothes and into the washed-thin hospital gown of identity that is visiting the entire family. We will be repeating to ourselves “I have, in fact, lived my own life between the moments spent at this table.” You know, when I first started writing that I was thinking it was a bummer, but now I kind of like the idea. Let’s go home and blend in with the scenery.
Speaking of going home - this is all too good a segue - A good friend of mine from my early days in Atlanta sent me a demo I’d recorded at his studio in December of ‘99. I haven’t heard or thought of this song since then, but it’s pretty interesting. Before I ever saw a business card from a record label, I wrote this song, supposing that I’d spent 5 years trying to be a successful musician and failed. The song is my coming home and realizing that I had to give the dream up. I remember wanting to call it “Five Long Years”, except there’s a blues tune, I think by Eddie Fulsom, by that name already. I think I’ll call it “Untitled Demo”.
Totally new old stock song, as unearthed by Tommy Smeltzer. Hope you enjoy it. My Christmas present to you.
To everyone who considers me a part of their “Music I Like” list, thank you for another wonderful year. This was my year off, by the way! Wait until I really turn it all back on.
And to the many people whose profile pics include them posing with their guitar, you excite me to no end. There is a movement, and it will turn the world of music on its ass and chest and neck in the coming years. Never practice, always play. The best facets of classic American music are going to come back in the form of you all.
And to my gorgeous wife, Denise, who has stood by me this entire time, our beautiful children, Mother Nature Mayer and my little man, Camel Invador Mayer, Daddy loves you.
I always go a paragraph too long. My calling card.
With Love
John
