paisleywookiee
Rock Star
- Messages
- 8,988
dream theater and tool are uncle music
I’m cool with this assessment.
dream theater and tool are uncle music
I have no idea what kinda music you're into AA. I have no idea if this will go over any better than Bonomassa-does-Angus-in-a-pop-context:Jim Campilongo?
![]()
My wife prefers Rhoads playing to Mayer, or maybe because he's cute and resembles Heather Locklear?When I'm cooking, I get to pick the music.
She totally called it though: "You just read something about his guitar playing didn't you?" Guilty as charged.
My wife's pretty all over the place, but if I'm honest if she's cooking dinner, she's 100% calling out club jams from '05-'10My wife prefers Rhoads playing to Mayer, or maybe because he's cute and resembles Heather Locklear?
But I'm with you, JM is an accomplished player for sure and he can write a catchy tune, but his singing style only takes me so far before I move on.

My wife likes a variety but her happy place is 80's music, and mostly the hair metal kind. hahaMy wife's pretty all over the place, but if I'm honest if she's cooking dinner, she's 100% calling out club jams from '05-'10![]()
I'm not really a Mayer fan (I think he's good at what he does, but I don't listen to him at all), but for me the appeal of his playing is more just his melodicism. He's definitely blues-influenced, but yeah I don't think that is what is best about his playing. Not too dissimilar from what I'd look for from someone like Garcia (though without all the obvious bluegrass & country influences) or from a lot of r&b players. Like something like his lead parts in "Try", from his actual blues rock project, do a lot more for me looked at that way: tons of singable lines, but only "bluesy" in a superficial way, like how a lot of jam band and jazz is "bluesy" (and I don't mean that in a bad way). He's really good at playing memorable parts that serve the songs he is playing.
I've only really listened to a couple of Mayer's songs. I liked them. But I haven't had any desire to go through his catalog.
And yet, I own a PRS Silver Sky - the man knows how to spec a Strat that's for sure.
I don't get this -- his work doesn't say much to you (totally fine) nor does the work of technical players who play a thousand notes (also totally fine). Why would you respect one more than the other?I am not super in to most of his work, but I respect it a LOT more than the technical players who can play a thousand notes really fast that say nothing.
I think Flint spring is cool if you want a spring reverb that has no drip and doesn't sound like a real spring reverb, but that also doesn't sound fake in the cartoonish way some bad digital spring reverbs sound fake.
I don't get this -- his work doesn't say much to you (totally fine) nor does the work of technical players who play a thousand notes (also totally fine). Why would you respect one more than the other?
I’m cool with this assessment.
I definitely didn’t mean it in a bad way!
Especially since I mentioned Tool too. My “curse” is that I was so deep into Tool in high school that tuning to drop D just instantly turns me into an Adam Jones Riff Regurgitater.
This thread made me realize that the songs I know of him came out in 2001 and 2006.
Hmmm. I have a different take on Bonamassa.
I don't like his albums/tours. At all. My take is that a lot of that is driven as much by "this is a show I can put on that people will love and turn out for" as much as it is by artistry. I'd call that more craft than art in that regard, I guess. And I think that's a lot more of how he sees himself than any sort of deep artist.
But albums/tours aside, lord does he have a deep well of knowledge not just about instruments but about how they were played, which can be really cool to see/hear. I love this track and all of his playing on it, especially the solo at 1:52. And that he brought a vintage SG, but with the twist of it being a Vibrola model and then actually used the virbola...![]()
Joe B. came a bit late for my tastes, because the last blues/blues rock inspired artists I really got into besides SRV or 90s Clapton - were guys like Ian Moore, Doyle Bramhall II, and even Todd Park Mohr. So very early 90s thru late 90s. There were others but those guys I really dug for that style at that time. A lot of stuff afterwards came across as too generic or refined.I agree with all that 100% and that may be why I don't connect with the music at all, if it's simply a vehicle to tour.
There's likely not a single Bonamassa gear vid I haven't seen, I love vintage stuff and am a big appreciator of his collection and knowledge/backstory on everything. I'd go see him live as I suspect I'd get into the music more in that setting than listening on a stereo.
I'm surprised all these pages of Mayer talk and his last decade doing the Dead thing hasn't been brought up
I've always respected him as a skilled guitarist even though his original music does nothing for me. I think he does a great job at the fake Jerry thing while still infusing his own style, despite how much hate he gets from a lot of deadheads. I'm a lot more into his playing in that regard
Shre(a)d & CompanyI think he does the Jerry thing but his own style very well. It’s the rest of D&C that kills it for me, unless you speed up the tracks 50% plus!
Since he is now the controlling owner (51%) of D&C, I do wonder where he plans to take it as the old guys retire or die off. I think there is a lot of potential for him and a new generation of musicians to make the material their own and take it in different directions, but I have no idea what the fan reception would be.
