Eric Krasno welcomed John Mayer for the sixth installment of his Plus One podcast. The show, launched last month, has provided consistent star power with guests such as Dave Matthews, Marcus King, Chris Robinson, and more.
The Soulive/Lettuce guitarist was joined by the high-profile solo artist Dead & Company guitar player for a wide-ranging conversation. The two discussed the songwriting process and how it changes with age, how they each find new music, and, of course, the Grateful Dead.
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In a preamble to the interview, Krasno admits that he has known Mayer for some time but that the two never got a chance to really sit down and have a full conversation like the one he is about to play. The interview actually comes from backstage at LOCKN’ in 2018 when Mayer was headlining in Dead & Company with Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti, and Oteil Burbridge. Krasno, meanwhile, was at the festival with Lettuce, who performed several times throughout the weekend including a late-night tribute to Jerry Garcia Band. The two musicians go back quite a ways, stretching back to 2006 when Soulive actually opened for Mayer when he was touring in support of Continuum, an album Krasno says is a favorite of his to this day.
The interview opens mid-conversation where Mayer says the prescient line, “I do find that interesting about people, that if both of us were on a deserted island…no, no, no. If the both of us had a virus we’d probably split the antidote and both die.” From there, Krasno inquires how Mayer discovers new music, which quickly transitions into Mayer’s assertion that many musicians at their age (they are both 42) begin to get “phased out.”
“And I’m very curious in not getting phased out,” Mayer said. “That doesn’t always mean making what everyone’s making, but I think that if you can come to an understanding of it, you don’t have to get phased out.”
The interview proceeds to cover a lot of ground in the proceeding hour of dialogue. Of course, the two touch on their wealth of Grateful Dead knowledge, with John’s tenure in Dead & Company as well as Krasno’s experiences playing with Phil and Friends. Rather than fanboying over their favorite “Playing in the Band” jams, the two musicians discuss appreciating the Dead’s music while still keeping their own styles and not attempting to emulate the band’s signature feel, with Mayer saying “it’s just not honest” to try and write a Dead song if you weren’t in the band.
Listen to John Mayer on the Eric Krasno podcast Plus One.
Eric Krasno Plus One — John Mayer
New episodes of Plus One are available every Monday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Osiris Media‘s website. Scroll down for a list of upcoming episodes.