The Mayercraft Carrier Chronicles

MCC Blogs from Sixthman

2009-04-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

They made it nice and easy for anyone who wants to read them and sent them out via email today:

One Splendid Evening Indeed

Another Day at the Office

John Mayer Deck Show Video Blog

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!

Guest Blog - Lauren's Little Sis

Lauren > Steve: The Rock Boat invades The Mayercraft Carrier

How to get the most out of your Mayercraft Carrier experience

Mayercraft Carrier 2 Comes to a Close - Wow

Mayercraft Carrier 2: Looking Back...

Cabo Orphanage

Mayercraft Guests Speak Out!

Maycraft 2009 Photography Gallery by Will Byington

2009-04-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Click here to go to the Mayercraft 2009 photo gallery.

These shots were taken by Will Byington, who was the photographer last year too, if my memory is correct.

I've spotted myself in one of them and, if you were there, I'm sure you might find some where he got you too.

TryJM: The Mayercraft Carrier 2 Collection

2009-04-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

The first post but probably the best from Susi over at TryJM. If you don't know TryJM is pretty much THE blog to get all the buzz and info. I pop by when I see a title on my RSS feed that's interesting. She's been able to get pictures, videos and reviews from a lot of folks who where there.

Again, I'm just putting this and others all in one spot. Enjoy!

The Mayercraft Carrier 2 Collection

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who sent in reviews, photos and videos. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Mayercraft Carrier 2 Review
Review and Photos by Rebecca Burdsal from Memphis, TN

I had no expectations going into this cruise except to have fun with my friends. I did the one last year with my friend Brenda and we had a blast. My friends and I decided to not do the One Splended Evening event and cruise around LA since I had never been there before. I got to see the Santa Monica Pier, Rodeo Dr., the Sunset Strip and Hollywood. My friend Brenda got accosted by the evil queen in Snow White on Hollywood Blvd. We also stayed on the historic Queen Mary. We boarded the Splendor about 11am and after checking out our rooms and doing the safety precautions we got our spot on the Lido deck's upper balcony for the sail away show. Seeing Mayer come out in his little short shorts with Carl and James both looking like Issac from the Love Boat was hilarious. We all really enjoyed Mayer's set on the Lido deck and hearing "Heartbreak Warfare" for the first time. I also got informed right before Mayer came on that I will be the Maid of Honor at my BFF Lauren's wedding next year! I met Lauren and my other friends because of John Mayer's music about 5 years ago. Okay moving forward, that night we went to see Erin McCarley's show. I thought she was really adorable and we all really enjoyed her set. My friend Nikki got to do the wine tasting with her the next day. We also stayed around for Guster. I've never had the oppurtunity to see them but have heard how fun their shows were for years. I agree they are a lot of fun. Towards the end of Guster's set we went on over to the DRH show to try and get a spot. The El Morroco was packed so instead of trying to to fight to see over people we just decided to sit down and enjoy listening to David play. For those who have never listened to David Ryan Harris you must. He has great lyrics and his voice is amazing, simply amazing. I was able to see over people when Mayer came out to play with DRH because Mayer's just so damn tall.

The next day was the first full day at sea. We decided to take this oppurntunity to get a sun tan or in my case a nice sun burn. I took a picture of one of my friends sleeping on the deck, but she would kill me if I ever posted it. Later that night after dinner we decided to hang out for the James Hunter show at the El Morroco because my friend Nikki is a fan. Hunter is very much rockabilly music. If you're a Brian Setzer fan then I think you would like James Hunter very much. After Hunter we got our jackets (because it was COLD) to go out on the Lido deck for O.A.R. and then back to the El Morroco for Ryan Shaw. I have to say Ryan Shaw was a lot of fun. My favorite part of the evening is when he got a very talented passanger named Mimi up on stage and they tore up Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart". It was really really good. Afterwards my friend Lauren and I decided to check out the disco before going to bed. Some guy named John Mayer was in there making a spectacle of himself. Yeah, never heard of him. Learned some things about what can go down on international waters though.

The next day (Sunday) we ported in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. My cabinmates and I decided to do an excursion. I think it was called the Land Boat, Beach and Shopping excursion. We boarded a small boat that was serving complementary margaritas. I totally took advantage of that many times over ;) After about 40 mins of cruising around and taking pictures of our cruise ship and the Arch we headed back to dry land. We then got on two shuttle buses that headed to a beach resort for lunch and soda. Our tour guide on the trip's name was Nacho and he is originally from West Virginia. I go all the way to Mexico to meet an American. We relaxed on the beach and got to talk to some really nice people that were also on the cruise. After the beach we were shuttled on over to the mall for shopping. I got an offer to join Sam's Club in Mexico. It's nice to know if I needed to buy anything in bulk I was covered. We also made our way over to the Hard Rock Cafe' for t-shirts as I'm a HUGE Hard Rock collector (I have over 60+ t-shirts from around the world). I bought my BFF back home a Bon Jovi Hard Rock tee as she's a huge fan and my dad a baseball cap. Then we made our way back to the shuttle. We drove past the famous Cabo Wabo club that Sammy Hagar owns as well as learned that Madonna, Celine Dion and Brad Pitt and other celebrities own homes in Cabo San Lucas. We got back to the ship about 2pm and decided to go up on the Lido deck for the sail away show with Matt Hires and Jessie Baylin (who came out on stage in a Mexican wrestling mask).

After dinner I decided to check out the ship alone for awhile because I had already seen Justin Nosuka and O.A.R. and that's where my friends were going. I gambled in the Casino because I love slot machines even if I don't win. I spent 10 minutes playing the same $1 bill. Then I went on over to catch the Martin Sexton show at the El Morraco. Martin Sexton was really enjoyable. It was nice to sit back and relax while listening to his music. After Martin Sexton's set I decided to get down further for the back to back James Smith and DRH shows. I sat on the front row and decided I didn't really want to be front row for a comedy show (done that before). So I sat on the second row. I got to talk to a really nice girl named Erin and her friends. She let me know what to expect from James Smith this year. Mayer introduced James Smith. Some of the jokes I kind of remember from last year but most of the set was material I haven't heard. My friend Lauren said she hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. After James set Mayer came out and did his own. I know the Perez stuff made it to the internet. I'm not going to go on about it other than Mayer was being Mayer. I will say he addressed the media crap and made a joke about the book thing. It was nice to see him having a great time and being himself. He also did a bit of an open mike night. I have to say I was really really tempted to go up on stage because I've always wanted to do stand up. I had I been drinking that evening I totally would have and made an ass of myself. Some people bombed and some were funny. John got his brother Carl to tell us a little story that involved a Hormel cheese platter. What innocense I had left is now completely gone after Carl's set. So what happened in the El Morroco will stay in the El Morroco ;)

Before the DRH show I found my friends and sat with them over to the side. Carl walked past me and I asked him about the Oscar Pool he use to do. I believe in '06 and then in '07 were the years I did it. I've been wondering if he was still doing that because it was always fun to have money riding on the winners. Hell, I make a list of who I think is going to win anyway might as well have some money riding on it. He said he hasn't done it in awhile. He then said he might do it again if he gives "a shit". Hopefully he will because it was fun. Again DRH was awesome and Mayer got up on stage for a bit. After the DRH set we went to the club and then to bed.

The next day was our last the ship and that boat was rocking like a &*%$#@ %^&*!@. Side to side to the point I felt like a drunk woman running into people even though I was stone cold sober. I couldn't get breakfast without feeling I was going to fall on somebody. After breakfast my friends got a table for the string of Lido deck shows that afternoon. I decided to hunt down my other friends there who were going to the Q&A. If you were on the Mayercraft last year you got to go to a Q&A with John. I went to see if there was a line forming and decided to stay. Sixthman let us in early and I ended up sitting a row behind where I sat the previous year for the Q&A. I talked to a really nice lady while waiting for it to start. The Sixthman people were taking question submissions. For the hell of it I submitted the same question as I did last year not thinking it would get picked. I wasn't even going to do one. Dammit my question got picked and so did the lady I sat next to and my friend Brenda. I think the smiley face on my question did it :) So we all had to head to the back and come up one by one. I was kind of nervous to have to say anything in a room full of people but it was lot of fun to be apart of that whole experience. I asked him about who he would like to perform with that he hasn't since he's performed with the greats such as Eric Clapton. If I had money riding on his answer I would have won. I had an idea that he would say someone up and coming or who hasn't been discovered yet. I really liked that answer because it's what I would have expected. My friend Brenda asked about his management team. She went to the Q&A with Mayer's management people and said it was really interesting to hear how people get into the various parts of managing bands. The nice lady I sat with asked him about his foundation. I loved his answer. Just like many people that are reading this, I've had people in my own family serve in the military as well as friends who have family in Iraq. My dad, who is now in his 80s, served in WWII. So to hear Mayer talk about wanting to help the troops returning home from war was just so good to hear. I wanted to rush the stage and give him a hug for that. My dad and I had a coversation prior to me leaving about how much more there needs to be done for them and how different it is now coming home now from when my dad left the military in the late 40's. When Mayer said some of them told him they can't sit with their back next to a window, I've heard many military people say that. I hope that John will let us fans get involved in his efforts to help the returning troops out because I really want to. After the Q&A Mayer decided to sign autographs. My friends Brenda and Mary don't know how I got to that stage so fast and neither do I but before I knew it I had his signature and I got a chance to thank him for wanting to help the troops. As always, such a sweet heart. I can't repeat enough how much more I think of him as a person after what he said. That's how to use your celebrity... to help others. We weren't allowed to use a flash so all my shots from the Q&A are on the fuzzy side.

Since it was cold that day I bought the yellow Mayercraft Carrier sweatshirt and wore it out on the Lido Deck. Lauren, Brenda and I decided to explore the ship. The decor was pretty tacky. It's like pepto bismol and a tiger got into a fight on this ship and were splattered everywhere. That night we went to dinner again and then on to the Mayer show. The show was a blast! I know he was out there for awhile but the show seemed to go by way too quickly. This was the first rock concert that I've been to that actually literally rocked back and forth the whole damn night. I loved the random name shout outs. He shouts out "Nicole" and my friend Nikki was excited and then my friend Brenda started yelling "Becky" (my nick name) and not two second later he gives a "Rebecca" shout out. That works too. Later that night he gave Debbie a really cool shout out for all the taping she does for the Mayer community. That was cool of him. As much as I love Mayer's original music I flipped out when he went into "Digging In the Dirt" by Peter Gabriel. That brought me back to senior year in high school playing that tape in my '91 Mustang LX. It's off of Gabriel's album "US" if anyone cares to pick it up.

After the show we went to party at the disco. Mayer breezed right past us going to the DJ booth. I have to say I really enjoy Mayer as a DJ probably because I'm only a year older than he is and knew 95% of the music he was playing. It helps being familar with the music. I loved that he played the Bobby Brown song from the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack and "the Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground as well as Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", Lady Gaga and even Britney Spear's "Womanizer" and Kelly Clarkson "Since You've Been Gone". Though the Toto was kind of random but whatever it was still fun. It's also mandatory now to play Kanye West "Stonger" when I'm at a dance club and he so did that without me having to go up there and bug him about it. He played "Start Me Up" and "Miss You" (which he sang some of) by my favorite band in the whole frecking world the Rolling Stones. My friend Stephanie (a HUGE Stones fan) will get a kick out of that. We also sang along with Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" not once but twice in the span of 10 minutes. I out stayed all my friends because I was really enjoying his selection of music but when he said this is the last song I bolted because by that time my back was killing me and I knew I would be dead to the world if I didn't get any sleep. We did the dancing all night last year too and I was so tired. I figure what the hell I can sleep on the plane.

The first Mayercraft was fun but this one needs a new word for fun. It topped it and then it crushed it. I had a lot of fun with people who have been a big part of my life over the last 5 years. We had so much fun that we're all going to do our best to go yet again next year. I have to thank Sixthman and John Mayer for making this an experience my friends and I will never forget.

The following photos were taken by Brittney, including one of her with David Ryan Harris and one with Bob Reynolds:

The Mayercraft Carrier 2
Review and Photos by Jennifer Brindley

Alrighty. I have some time now so I thought I'd tell you guys about the cruise and share some photos! I do have to make a few points:

1. Next year I'm SO there. The moment I find out that it's been planned, even if the ship is going to Iraq, I'm buying tickets.

2. John Mayer is really, really cool, and really, really tall. Apparently he's 6'3", which I did not know until I came home and looked it up. (I'm a bad fan.) After seeing him walk right in front of me in the underbelly of the ship, I really had to know the numbers on his height.

3. I won't have any interest in going on any kind of cruise other than one involving music the way this one did.

4. I felt sublimely happy at the end of the last full day on the cruise. Sublimely, weightlessly, euphorically happy. It was the best vacation I've ever been on.

5. I swear that John Mayer and Chris Thile look straight at me a few times during each show. I now have proof.

Have I shown you the ship yet? This thing was AMAZING:

The room stewards left really cute towel animals:

Daniel took this one of me while we were doing our lifejacket drill:

My seething jealousy capturing him shaking hands with some people:

Serenaded by "La Bamba" in Cabo:

In Cabo, we had drinks with Ryan Shaw and his guitarist Johnny Ash. I took this one of Ryan just chillin' out:

Cabo:

My view out the balcony when we docked:

John Mayer DJ'd in the "Disco" after his 2nd show. It was a HUGE clusterfuck in there. But, we fought it so I could attempt getting a photo.

John Mayer Breaks Out New Songs, Comedy Act on Mayercraft Cruise Carrier 2

“I feel like the kid in that YouTube video coming back from the dentist,” John Mayer joked midway through his second headlining show aboard the Mayercraft Cruise Carrier 2, referring to the stoned viral-video sensation. “You know at one point on this boat you all went, ‘Is this going to last forever?’ ”

But the voyage came to an end hours later, after the 2,800 on board enjoyed four days of nonstop music (sets from 15 artists), booze, pizza, wine tastings, hangover yoga sessions and a flip cup tournament. Organized by Atlanta-based Sixthman — the brains behind the singer-songwriter-filled Rock Boat, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man Cruise and the upcoming Elvis Cruise — the second annual Mayercraft Carrier was the bigger, badder, kink-free version of 2008’s inaugural voyage. The Carnival Splendor, the cruise company’s largest and newest vessel, provided Mayer with plenty of room to frolic with his fans (sans neon-green Borat mankini) or retreat to privacy when he wasn’t jamming or busting out his stand-up comedy act.

As the boat left the Port of San Pedro headed towards Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Friday, March 27th, Mayer donned an itty-bitty sailor’s outfit and took to the Lido deck stage with his brother Carl and comedian James Smith to welcome all aboard. “The ocean was created in 1923 after humans demanded a place to swim,” Mayer deadpanned before telling everyone, “Enjoy yourself and be nice to your livers.”

Mayer MCed at the ship’s disco on Friday night and invaded the DJ booth Sunday and Monday nights to play his favorite tracks (including cuts by Girl Talk, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Prince and Tom Petty) into the wee hours. Mayer also joined David Ryan Harris, a singer-songwriter who has played in Mayer’s band for the last few years, onstage and took part in a Q&A session with returning passengers where he candidly addressed queries about his new album (hopefully out this year) and shared details of his new passion: helping returning war vets transition into civilian life. But perhaps the most-buzzed about moment was Mayer’s unscheduled Sunday night comedy act. The sometime stand-up had the crowd in stitches with his own short routine (check out clips on YouTube), before inviting crowd members onstage to face-off with impersonations.

Then there was the music: Mayer’s Friday afternoon acoustic set sprinkled in old favorites (”My Stupid Mouth,” “Sucker”) with live set standards (”Good Love Is On the Way,” “Belief”) and the debut of “Heartbreak Warfare,” a tune whose lyrics (”Red wine and ambien / you’re talking shit again / it’s heartbreak warfare”) made it hard to avoid thoughts of the rocker’s recent tabloid romance.

Each passenger attended one of two headlining shows in the ship’s Spectacular Spectacular lounge. Mayer’s playing felt refreshed since he’s been off tour since last summer, and his seven-piece band injected a new energy into the arrangements — Monday’s “Vultures” got more funky with an amped-up bass and vocal scats, while Saturday’s 16-minute rendition of “Wheel” took the poetic song to new, self-proclaimed “spacey” levels. Mayer also indulged fan requests at Saturday’s show, breaking out favorite “3X5″ and incorporating the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” as an intro to oldie “Love Soon,” while he turned the middle of Monday’s set into an impromptu Q&A with fans.

The music kicked off Thursday night with One Splendid Evening, an event benefitting VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, which included acoustic performances by O.A.R., Guster and Erin McCarley as well as sets from Gavin Rossdale, Sara Bareilles and a duet between Jordin Sparks and Mayer. Mayer did a short set of his own material, which included the debut of “Half of My Heart,” a new tune with a more folky sound. Then he switched to axman mode as Sparks joined him for her singles “Tattoo” and “One Step at a Time” before turning Mayer’s already soulful “I’m Gonna Find Another You” into a stand-out bluesy number.

The crowd skewed younger than last year’s (likely due to the college-age fanbases of O.A.R. and Guster) and many took to the upper decks for some Cali sun (or, in the case of one inspired couple, photos to document their wedding aboard the ship). Guster turned the end of their Monday night headlining set into a free-for-all jam session for all the bands on board, inviting amusing renditions of “Margaritaville” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

And while the ship has barely docked, a third edition of the Mayercraft Cruise Carrier is already in the works — although Mayer’s joke about heading to Alaska is indeed just a joke.

Source: Rolling Stone

Inside the MayerCraft 2

Meg Jarrell may not have hung out with John Mayer during her time aboard the Mayercraft II—but she certainly heard stories about him. The singer-songwriter laid low for most of the trip, but stopped by for performances by some of the other artists and made frequent appearances at the ship’s small onboard disco.

Friends of Jarrell’s said Mayer took to the turntables at the club Saturday night. The singer partied until almost 7 a.m., joking with his brother Carl who said that because they were in international waters: “You can have sex with John Mayer and still be a virgin!” Jarrell, who was also on Mayercraft I last year, says Mayer’s well-known around the ship for being a ladies man. “John flirts with everybody,” she says. “Come on—the getup with the sailor shorts? He’s hilarious.”

Fans on the cruise decorated their doors with tributes to Mayer. (One even featured the guitarist in the infamous, neon-green Borat mankini he wore last year.) The five-day voyage, which took off from Los Angeles for Cabo San Lucas on Friday, was packed with about 3,000 guests.

So what about that new song Mayer debuted onboard, “Heartbreak Warfare,” that’s reportedly about Jennifer Aniston? Mayer told cruisers in a Q&A that while he knew people would chalk up the lyrics to a certain relationship, that’s not really what it’s about. While he opened up during the onboard conversation, giving his signature long and rambling answers, he made a point to pre-screen all the questions so nothing too personal would slip by. “Everybody wrote down what they wanted to ask and his staffers picked questions,” Jarrell says. “They specifically said you had to ask the questions you wrote down.

While Mayer did a lot of hiding, he made a point to reach out to some young fans during the Q&A, who were sitting in the front row with their parents. “You should be in bed!” he joked, before handing them some of his guitar picks.

Source: Radar Online

Some photos taken by Judy & Erik from Los Angeles, CA:

The following photos were taken from Marianne from San Diego, CA:

Here are some photos taken by Carter. The funniest pics were probably from the "Heroes and Villians" night when she and her husband Mike dressed up as Padme and Anakin from Star Wars and got pics with Carl Mayer! (The great one is with Mike impaling him with his light saber.)

Here are some photos taken by Scott Lee - including some cool ones of the comedy night and a DRH show:

Thanks to Laila from the beautiful San Diego for sharing the following videos:

Bob Reynolds Solo "Sweetest Berry" & DRH Jam on Electric Ladyland

John joins DRH on stage for a cover of Albert King's "The Hunter" El Morocco Lounge MCC2 3/27/09 Featuring John Mayer, Bob Reynolds, Brad Mason, Robbie McIntosh, JJ Johnson, Michael Chaves, Sean Hurley & David Ryan Harris

2nd DRH Show in El Morocco Lounge David Ryan Harris ft John Mayer performing "Sweetest Berry"

Some other random videos:

Welcome:

John & Jordin Sparks collaborate on "I'm Gonna Find Another You" at One Splendid Eve:

The Sign at Show 1:

Heartbreak Warfare at Show 1:

Neon at Show 1:

Wheel at Show 2:

Guster & O.A.R. - Blister in the Sun:

Matt Hires - Honey:

Justin Nozuka - Ain't Sunshine:

Cambria Detken sings Collide for John:

John Mayer DJing at the Mayercraft Disco:

John Mayer in the disco:

Blues stuff at Soundcheck Party:

Stand Up Comedy:

MCC2 Updates coming

2009-04-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

The cruise ended on Tuesday and it's now Thursday. I've been enjoying being in my hometown of L.A., but I'm flying back up to San Francisco tomorrow. Once I do, I'll get on bringing all the blog posts I can find together here.

It was definitely a great time.

Living Under A Rock? MCC2 Information

2008-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

If so, here is the good news a few days late.

The second Mayercraft Carrier Cruise is scheduled. So if you didn't go on the first, get thyself to the MCC website and register to get info.

The info:

Mayercraft Carrier 2
Dates: March 27 to 31, 2009
Long Beach, California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

LiveJournal - Kittenblues11: Mayercraft - Day 6

2008-03-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Mayercraft - Day 6

Feb. 27th, 2008 at 10:13 PM

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Today was our only day at sea on the Mayercraft. Now because we were all up so late the previous night - we all got to sleep in just a bit. I think we were all up by 10am. We got dressed and what not and then headed over to the main theater for a Local-83 invite only Question & Answer session with John Mayer! Awesome! So we get down there about 30 mins. before they open the doors just so we can make sure we get good seats. We get in....John comes out....and answers questions for like 45 mins. If you have not heard it yet...get onto MSM and download Debbie's recording....it was pretty great. John was very hung over..haha

ok - Q & A over - we make a mad dash over to the Lido Deck - John is giving a 45 min. show! We were able to find a pretty awesome spot for just getting there an hour before the show started. I heard that there were some people that had been waiting for 7 and a half hours...now THAT is crazy. I went and got some burgers and fries for us to eat while we waited for we were famished! The show started and the man CAMEOUTWITHNOSHIRTON BAHHHHHHH. I nearly died.

It was hands down the BEST...well....one of the best concerts I had ever been to. He played quite a few songs that he had not played in years....we also got "Say" and song he has not played live yet. Now....I was able to get a bit of video....video to come....

a few songs into the show...John had to take a "piss" and something happened....ok ok...every JM show that I go to....I;ve always wished that DRH (John's back up guitar player) would break into a little "Pretty Girl". I'm a huge DRH fan and have NEVER seen him perform live. So as John says he needs to go take a piss and leaves the stage...Davis Ryan Harris does what? Starts singing Pretty Girl. I nearly fainted.....and when John came back....he joined in!!!! BAHHHHHH DREAM NUMBER 405 COME TRUE!

After the Lido deck show we booted over to another stage for the only DRH show. We had awesome seats waiting for us thanks to friends....and it was the best show ever! I've waited 4 years for see DRH live....and it was freaking awesome!!!!!!!!

After DRH....we are wiped...sheesh...it's been a long day of concerts....but wait...it's time for the Superbowl! They broadcast the game on all the TV's on the ship including the jumbo one on the Lido deck. As I was passing by...I ran into Jenny....one of only 3 Vancouverites on the ship! Woooohoooo! I was wearing my BC Lions Jersey....so what better time for a photo op?

Now....time for dinner. Between all the drinking and everything....by the time dinner came...I was just done. I only ate half of my dinner and did not even order dessert! The waiters all sang to us....Waiting on the World to Change...it was pretty funny...they all had cue cards.

Dinner is over....but wait....one more concert....John Mayer's second main show!!!!!!! Dinner ended at 9 and show started at 10:30........so we are there in our seats (errr, place to stand) by 10:00pm. The show f'ing rocked!

The last song of the night.... Martin Sexton came out and they did a song together....FREAKING AWESOME!

1am - and I'm just beat. I know tomorrow morning we dock in Miami and Mayercraft will be over....so instead to going to the club to dance the night away with the rest of the girls....I got some beers (and a smoke) and headed up to the Lido deck, alone, to just relax and take everything in. It had pretty much been one of the best weeks of my life....and I just needed to reflect.

LiveJournal - Kittenblues11: Mayercraft - Day 5

2008-03-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Mayercraft - Day 5

Feb. 24th, 2008 at 8:07 PM

Saturday, February 2, 2008

So before I start forgetting, I'd better post the rest of Mayercraft....get ready for a ton of pics!

Saturday we were up early to to get off the boat for our tour bus to explore Freeport was leaving at 8:00am. We got up, threw on some clothes and staggered off the boat. Freeport was kinda a hole. I mean....there was a KFC (Let's get american) and a bunch of damaged houses from the hurricane 4 years ago. The beach however was amazing!!!!! I'm SO glad we ventured over to the beach!

Once we got off the boat.....here is what I saw!

Here are some pictures I took in Freeport, Bahamas

We got back on the boat around 1:00 in the afternoon. With no concerts or anything going on on the boat until 5pm - Laura & I decided that we were going to get in some pool time! We found Whitney & Carolyn and the 4 of us got deck chairs and tanned together. Then .... I started to drink....and then I started to drink more....

and then everyone just started showing up! Jenn & Kimmy showed up....Will & Jeff showed up....and then we also made some more friends... (Julie, You are killing me!)
Then (Oh my goodness) JJ (John Mayer's drummer) walked by. He stopped to hang out for a bit and chit chat.

After JJ left..Will (Colbie's guitar player) came by and TOTALLY started flirting with Laura. hahahaehehehe...it was pretty awesome. So anyways....I continued to drink and drink ....and then around 5pm Laura and I headed back to our room to get ready for 80's night! Wooohooo! Now because I was a little tipsy (and continued to drink beer in the shower) I was a mess. I even foolishly put face cream in my hair thinking it was hair cream. A big thank-you to Kimmy for pulling me together. She brought the 80's tunes to get us in the mood and she helped me with my dress. Here was the finished product!

Laura, Kimmy & Jenn and I met up with the "gang" and all headed to dinner. My drunkeness was started to wear off (thank goodness) and we all enjoyed an amazing dinner. The waiters even did a boogie for us.....hahaha, it was freaking hilarious. I think we finished dinner around 9:30 and then....we de-80'ed. Our 80's outfits were only gonna last so long....and we needed to get changed....
After dinner we headed off to Colbie's show. It was awesome! Huge surprise at the end when John came out and did a song with Colbie. MY FIRST JOHN MAYER SIGHTING!!!!!!!!!
Afterwards...... we were off the the night club!

OK OK OK OK - so we get to the night club....and right away I see that there is a big VIP area cornered off and right away we know....John Mayer is gonna be there later! Well, the girls (and Steve) right away hit the dance floor and start groovin'! I then see the flashes of camera and the squeel of the girls and know that John and his "gang" have arrived. Now....we just keep dancing and doing our thing....and then I just say "Fuck it" I am never ever going to get this chance again.....I'm going up to the VIP area to see what I can see. So with camera in hand....off I go. Now I don't get very close at all...and really could not see much. I can see John and his friends having a good time. John then grabs a bottle of Tequila and some shot glasses and starts handing out shots to fans!

I was freaking out knowing that I was there! I then decided to leave the club and go back to our room and grab my Room For Squares CD cover and a picture I took of John a few years back at a Vancouver concert. Now I have been trying for 4 years to get my RFS CD signed....and I figured that if it's ever gonna happen....tonight might be the night!. I got back to the night club and was able to pick a different spot and took a few more pictures of John chatting it up with fans....

I just kind of hung back and was just observing everything. Then Colbie Caillat came into the VIP area. John got up to greet her and chat for a bit. As he was heading back to his seat I held up my CD cover(with the picture tucked in it) along with a sharpie in the other hand above my head. OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS. John saw me, pointed at me and walked over. HOLLY SHIT!!! My legs started to get weak....and ...ya. He came over and took the CD our of my left hand and then went back to his seat? What the heck? Why did he not take the sharpie? Was he planning on keeping my stuff? What was going on? I dunno I dunno? I could see him looking over the CD cover and looking at the picture I look. He spent a good 20 seconds looking at the picture. Then he pulled a sharpie out of his back pocket and started writing. Oh my goodness....bahhhhhhhhhhhhh! As I started to freak out more (all in my head) John then got up and walked back to me and gave me back my stuff. HOLLY FEAKING GOODNESS. After 4 years of making a serious effort of trying to get an autograph...I did it!

After that I ran back to the dance floor to show the girls. They were SO excited for me and could tell that I was still freaking out! ha ha ha. I boogied with them all for awhile longer. Around 3am (I think) we all went and grabbed some pizza...hung out for a bit...and then went to bed.

One of the best freaking days ever!

MySpace.com - Ms. Amanda Jayne : The Mayercraft Baby

2008-03-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

THE MAYERCRAFT BABY

It is about time that I told you all a little about my trip. For starters, what is the Mayercraft? John Mayer hosted a musical cruise to the Bahamas and I went on it. It sailed from Miami to Freeport and back. For anyone who knows I am not a fan of Miami. I find the people to be rude. The men rude, the people rude. Perhaps the fried shit in the cuban food makes people edgy. I know, its the fucking humidity.

So the boat... I shall begin with we were on the Carnival Victory. I have never cruised but I was a bit paranoid. Alright, I watched Titanic and Poseidon before I left. I know the boat would never hit an iceberg in the caribbean but a rogue wave to flip the boat over, duh. I was paniclaidened during the safety drill. It gave me bad anxiety to have the life jacket on... At least i could let go of John and watch his body sink to the bottom as the life boat comes to rescue me to the Carpathia... Oh wait, bad dream. It was a dream I had the night before (yes only two hours of sleep thanks to some major fat bitches who didnt pay their way.)

The food was eh. The dining room kicked ass as i loved our servers Jin night one and night three Juan. The other man on night two had the odacity to give me lip when i wanted another lobster tail and shrimp. We did meet cool people such as Melo and his wife from Vegas. Cant remember her name. And Big John who gave me a half bottle of Petron. Speaking of Petron, thanks Tony Held for Ginell's shot. Number 8 hit alot. Thanks to Barry for my drinks. If you didn't you can do it next year.

So John has alot of fat fans. Alot of fans with bad attitude one called me an annoying bitch. Ugly cunt. Some gals, now I am a big gal, even wore bikinis. Gee wanna scare John. But he had his moment... Borat swimsuit. Thank god I didnt see it. I would have thrown up. His fans were rude, kinda ruined it. Leave him alone! I never saw john other than the times we were supposed to. (The local Q and A and the shows). I was bummed because i was the last question at the q and A. I wanted to know his plans for the trio... But people had lame as questions like about his bucket list and shit. Fuck you eat a hot pocket.

I love Sherrod... I crouching tigered him and he gave me points because I suggested he come back in another life as JM with a bigger dick.

Bob reynolds is amazing and his keyboarder and drummer rule.

DRH. DRH. DRH.

Ok so for those who know me, i love SOMETHINGS MISSING... He played it... YEAH THE SHOW I DIDNT GO TO...SIGH SLIT MY WRIST But this... made up for it... Can I lick him please? I had to take a fully clothed shower after.

It was a great time. Good times. I love hot pockets. I love John. Ginell and Chad are gonna make babies. John does like em yellow. I called it.

Now I did see John. The airport. Close to the grey sweat pants NO MAKEUP. So no brows. He ran into me. Helped me up and I am in awe. He said it was good to see me again. And that I looked different... He got it.. not the brows but that I had "lost a significant amount of weight" and looked good.

Dreamy sigh. the boat never flipped open but he knew the way out.

By the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone... Thats the way this wheel keeps working now.

Chips ahoy! See you next year.

MySpace.com - Black Butterfly: Mayercraft Cruise circuit-breaker reset

2008-03-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mayercraft Cruise: circuit-breaker reset

Just some backstory for the photos.

Wow, I think my circuits shorted out after this cruise because I'm just getting back into the swing of things again. Sensory overload, for sure. I'm still trying to piece back together what actually happened...thank goodness for the concert tapers because I've got a nice round of mp3s for the iPod now.

Being a lover of music it was just authentically rapturous and good God, exactly what the doctor asked for in terms of an escape. For every upside there's a downside. It was too short!

I met some of the coolest women on this boat. Yes, as in grown women. I call them John Mayer's Divas...no one can touch them. I aspire to be like them when I grow up. They seemed impressed when they learned of what I do for a living (I guess they think I look young) but I was so impressed with them and appreciative that they took me under their wing. So I gotta shout out to John Mayer's Divas, hope to see you again next year! Yes, yes I'll join Local 83 eventually. (Bite me diehard superfans, I like to go against the grain. Oh yeah, I said it.)

And I didn't catch all the bands this year, but this is with a measure of regret. No pics with John Mayer, booo, hisss! Brett Dennen was awesome, especially when he started moving his hips when he was really groovin'! Props. And in the 1min:30sec I met him to take a picture, he seemed like a sweet person. Good get, Maya! "I just bought your album!"..."Kewl." LOL

James Smith and Sherrod Smalls were funny as hell. I know people were squirming in their chairs. And James, I had my eye on you, man...you were talking about Oprah and Obama in the same sentence. I had my poison dart shooter poised man, but you pulled a save. Sherrod reminds me of my cousin Mookie, but he's funny anyway.

Then a nap and time to DISCO! OH mine eyes, mine eyes. "Nobody knows, the trouble I seen...." There were some goings on on the dance floor and that's always fun to watch in between the whoop, whoop, shaking that ass, whoop whoop! Whoops, it's 3:30AM.

Next day, I don't remember much...I had a Bahama Mama which primed my brain for all kinds of mass confusion later after having only 3.5-4 hours sleep the night before. I was excited, how could I sleep? But all that didn't temper my internal database of useless 80s trivia and the 80s Trivia Contest is where I met John Mayer's Divas. They rock! And they don't look like your typical John Mayer fan (ya'll know who you are). It was nice to have a conversation about the main reason most of us were on the boat to begin with. As we left that venue, we said "Yo" to JJ (drummer in JM's band) and snapped a pic. Do you know how many times I must have heard you play, dude? Not to mention the repeat button that's in my head? After I woke up again, we saw a couple of really funky bands. Loved it! Great sounds. "Da Bomb Squad" (was that girl on "American Idol"?) and "Soulive". Good grooves. Maya, good get again. You got our mugs taken with the lead in Soulive too.

OK, then the DISCO again! Whoop, whoop! Got a picture with Sherrod. That's pretty cool, I watch "Best Week Ever" religiously. Yeah, I meant to say religiously. I should have gotten a pic with James Smith. He was funny. Dern.

Of course, the third day was just bliss. Two John Mayer concerts, which c'mon ya'll, he's phenomenal. I missed some hijinks on the high seas, but it's been photo-documented for those who missed it. We met up with John Mayer's Divas again. The Lido Deck concert was very cozy. No room for modesty...thanks fart guy. And the best part was watching him dig in his ass afterwards (fart guy, not John Mayer), remember that Maya? Sweet. But who cares, John Mayer was topless, woo-hoo!

Then the new find that I KNEW I would enjoy was David Ryan Harris. Wow, he's really good, people. So before you stop doggin' my ass for putting "Pretty Girl" on my myspace player because you think I'm a vain heiffer, I put it up there because I enjoyed hearing it in the show and it takes me back there. BOO-YAH! No, THAT'S a picture I should have gotten, DRH is a cool cat.

We got to sit with the John Mayer Divas again (they saved a prime seat for us all, THEY REALLY ROCK, love them) and we had a ball. DRH is hilarious and his lyrics are great to follow. And man, he can knock them back and still bring the floor to their feet. Personally, I'd have been drooling and leaning into the mike because I have no tolerance. Impressive, DRH. Then I fell asleep so I could take in the Big Kahuna's show later. And it was just awe-inspiring to see John Mayer play live. If you have a heart, you'll love it. He puts his heart into it. I'm not sure how to put it into words without doing that show an injustice. I'm just glad someone taped it for us.

Had to go home. I was happy, because I know there will be another. I was sad, because it went by too fast and there were some pics that were not taken that should have been. Who likes loose ends? It's hard to recreate the sensations of that experience mentally, but it's not impossible. It's like a maze with hidden rooms and every now and then you happen upon a memory that puts you right back there. So some of ya'll people should go next year but not all of ya'll, you ain't squeezing my ass out!

Dern, I didn't get a picture of John Mayer's Divas either. Well I had meant to, ladies. I didn't know I'd sleep through the entire SuperBowl. My intentions had been to come back to say goodbye and to thank you for everything. Much love.

Awesome. THE END.

LiveJournal - Kittenblues11: Mayercraft - Day 4

2008-03-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Mayercraft - Day 4

Feb. 11th, 2008 at 7:49 PM

Friday, February 1/08

It was here! Mayer friggin Craft! After 7 months of waiting...the day was finally here to set sail upon the Mayercraft!

We woke up...packed up all our shit and went down to the lobby to check out. Holly crow - it was a friggin' zoo. It looks like the whole hotel was full of Mayercrafters and they all wanted to check out at the same time. Well after about 45 mins we were all check out and we decided that we would check our luggage and go for lunch/breakfast with the boys we had met the night before that the restaurant next to the hotel. After eating we headed back to the hotel where there was a shuttle conviently waiting there and took the 6 of us to the port.

We got to the port around 1pm and stood in line to check in. Once we went thru security and everything we got to a counter where we all checked in and got our sail & sign cards. We also got our wristbands to the second John Mayer headlining show. We were happy to see that we were in row 3 centre! We also got our L83 surprise....tickets to a Q & A with John Mayer! Sweet! We headed up the ramp and had our "boarding" picture taken and then...walking over the plank thing....and there we were....in the atrium on the Mayercraft. Since our luggage was being taken to our rooms for us....we went straight to the bar to get our free beer!!!!!!

We then found our way to the Lido deck to take a look around.....holly shit! Here is the view I saw!

We just chilled on the Lido deck and hung out.....and took everything in!

We found our cabin and the first thing we did was decorate our door. The theme of the "door art" was what's your "Best week ever?". Easy choice for us.....it was the weekend we all spend in Whistler together when the John Mayer concert was canceled in Victoria. Here are the pics or our door.

On our bunks when we arrived to our cabin were AKOG bags (Another Kind Of Green) that John Mayer had designed himself. I remember seeing drawingings some time ago of a reusable bag on John's blog. It was so cool to see the finished product...all put together by Incase to boot! I don't think these bags are for sale anywhere....and just those who were on the Mayercraft got them!

Time for the lifeboat drill. Kimmy & Laura went to go get some food and Jenn and I heading back to out room (after more chilling on the Lido deck) The whistle blew so Jenn & I did the Lifeboat drill alone and met up with Kim & Laura in our rooms after. Laura & Kimmy were gitty with excitement! They had seen John Mayer.....and they also saw Katie. (John's photographer) After chatting it up with Katie - she gave them wristbands for front row for John's first headlining show. SO JEALOUS!!!!! Gitty with excitement we all headed back up to the Lido deck - and Laura, Kimmy & Jenn had met some cute guys. After was all sat around and chatted for 15 mins. We asked them where they were from and they told us that they were Colbie Caillat's band. Freaking awesome.

After a stellar dinner in the dining room and getting settled in our cabin Kimmy & Laura headed off to catch John Mayer's first headlining show and Jenn & I checked out the casino and went up to the Lido deck to watch Martin Sexton's set with new friends Michelle & Steve.

The perfect end to a perfect day! I needed my beauty sleep for tomorrow we were docking in the Bahamas!

MySpace.com - Shelly: Ship! A Ferr Tale

2008-03-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Ship! - A Ferry Tale

Once upon a time, there was a workaholic accountant who toiled away in the sweat shops of the corporate world. (Okay, use of the term "sweat shop" is a gross exaggeration. It does, however, add spice to the story.) She rarely took time off of work, and even when she did, it seemed to follow her around. Noting her need to break free of the work-a-day world, her lovely sister invited the accountant to join her on a cruise. Not just any cruise, mind you, but a cruise with the handsome and gallant John Mayer. Armed only with wit, charm and song, Sir Mayer could slay dragons, procure Grammys, and set a fair maiden's heart to fluttering without breaking a sweat. The accountant, being quite smart, immediately agreed, and so began the planning for the voyage of the year. (I would say of a lifetime, but I am betting that the second voyage will easily out do the first.)

Fast forward to January 31st in the year two thousand and eight. The accountant and her sister have made their way (on a horse named "Volvo") to the fair city of Miami where they embarked on the journey that will henceforth be known as Mayercraft 2008. While work proved to be a vicious foe, the accountant fought a fierce battle and with the help of her sister, slayed the evil cell phone. Throughout the next three days, the two lovely sisters had a goodly number of adventures and met an interesting variety of individuals. Life vests, and musicians, and drunkards, Oh My! There was laughter, singing, relaxing, drinking (in moderation of course), and talking. Above all, there was music, fun and sister-time. The sisters viewed Sir Mayer from a variety of stages, admired members his troupe (his posse if you will) both known and unknown, laughed about the characters that they met (or avoided) along the way, and revelled in all of the activities even when they prevented all but a bare minimum of sleep. All in all, I'd say that the accountant and her sister lived happily ever after....until they were thrust quite unwillingly back into the realm known only as reality. While they were indeed forced back to life, back to reality, never fear. There is always a new adventure to look forward to.

The End....Or Is It?

In the next book in the series, readers will find that accountant and her sister in the midst of Mayercraft 2009, as hosted by the gallant John Mayer. In this installment, Sir Mayer rescues the fair accountant from the evil Corporate America. After he has slayed this most evil of foes, he whisks her away to a sunny place where music and laughter reign supreme...... Mudslides and Music and Mayer, Oh My!

(I am off to sleep, perchance to dream.....)

MySpace.com - Jamie: Travel Blog (now with pictures)

2008-03-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is another MySpace blog that I'm having difficulty readjusting to Blogger size. She's got some good, but huge, pictures. Just click over to MySpace to check it out. At least, you know it's there ;)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

11:53 PM - Travel Blog (now with pictures!)
Current mood: tired
Category: Excited for Mayercraft 2009!!! Life

As some of you may or may not know... I just had the best time of my life thanks to John Mayer and friends. So right off the bat, even if he never reads this, I'd like to thank the man for making it all happen.

January 31st I landed in Miami and the smell of the air instantly brought back many memories from when I had a cottage there. Man did I ever miss that place. I met up with my friend Josh at the airport (after a small luggage discrepancy on his behalf!) and we were off with a crazy taxi driver on our way to our hotel. As soon as we settled in we were off to South Beach for the day to do some swimming and shopping and dinning, then at night we headed back to our hotel to wash up (and take a photo adventure) and headed to a blues bar downtown who were hosting an open mic to have some drinks before we settled in for the night. Cool people, cool music, warm water, perfect start to our vacation!

We woke up on time to get ready and head over to port to catch our cruise. I was pretty excited but I wasn't quite aware of just how much fun the whole thing would be. this was my first cruise and thank god it was hosted by John Mayer and had a bunch of musicians on board because I wouldn't have a cruise any other way. so we get on the boat, skip our life jacket drill because I think at this time we were already wired and buzzing from those very strong cruise cocktails, and ended up meeting our weekend buddies which included Ian and his mom and aunt. Cool people, we had a blast with them all weekend. So I'm not going to go over the whole cruise because I had too much fun and would go on forever but I'll give you the rundown. Saw 3 John Mayer shows (thanks for being drunk 2 of those 3, seriously though it was awesome and you still played your heart out). Only slept 2-4 hours a night. Sherrod Small is HILARIOUS live. Colbie Caillat is a total sweetheart. Ran in to sherrod so many times we adopted a high five greeting every time we saw each other. Thanks John for the shot at the disco. Bahamas is a beautiful place to chill and have a dip. Watching the sun rise from the side of a ship is one of the best sunrises I have ever seen. Mara is was awesome meeting you, your just as cool in person as on the phone following a certain someone's bus. Shannon I'm glad we got to hang on the beach! Hi, to Bob Reynolds manager (I know we chilled a hell of a lot but I'm so sorrry I still forgot your name!). And last but not least, I do hope John makes the Borat swim suit a tradition.

So suffice to say going back to the airport after the cruise was a little depressing. Beside being in the same terminal as John & Co. And to tell you the truth landing in Toronto was even more depressing because of the snow. But just when I though it was over I find myself in Montreal (ok so I knew it wasn't over yet). Funny thing is, I don't think my sleep has caught up with me yet because I ended up here a day early thinking it was Friday. Ummm yup, it's Thursday and I'm a tired idiot. So I'm attending another event tomorrow and a concert on Saturday then doing the 6 hour drive back home. And if I'm not falling asleep at the wheel by then I might stop in Manhattan to the Comedy Cellar and a nights stay. We'll see what happens and save the rest for Travel Blog 2.

Anyways, to everyone I met on the cruise, at the airport, and on the beaches in Miami and Bahamas, it's been a pleasure and I hope we can all do it again next year! Mayercraft 2009 anyone?!?!?

Leaving Miami

John's first show (sobriety 4/10)

Focus... FOCUS!

Freeport, Bahamas.

Sunset (nostalgia at its finest).

Local 83 Q&A, it's blurry because I felt weird taking pictures for this so I shot a quick one.

John's lido deck performance (sobriety 3ish/10).

Superbowl under the sunset

John's second show (sobriety 2/10... oops, was a little intoxicated!).

epiphanies of nothingness. - Mayercraft Carrier 2007

2008-03-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

Actually it's Mayercraft Carrier 2008, but it's not my post, so um...okay.

05 February 2008 @ 06:06 pm

Mayercraft Carrier 2007

I don't even know where to begin on this entry so I'll have to wait a few days to wrap my head around things (and catch up on everything going on, because WHOA I'm so behind!)

Like, seriously. I feel like I'm part of an alternative universe or something. My life is forever divided into 2 parts: that which occurred during Mayercraft and everything else ever.

It was the best weekend of my life. That's all I know.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but the ones I did are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025975&l=164cd&id=108000201

John Mayer Won't Date No Fatgirl: Valentine

2008-03-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

Valentine

Posted by Bearheadedgirl at Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:16 PM and is filed under Random Thoughts

Well, here it is Valentine's Day. Whoop-de-fuckin' do. But it's made me reminisce and I thought I'd share.

It seems that February is kind of a Mayer month for me. LOL. Last year it was me chasing him around the mid-west for two weeks. This year it was the Mayercraft carrier.

One year ago today I was standing in an auditorium, watching my second John Mayer concert ever. I was fairly buzzed and extremely happy. Earlier that day I'd met Amy for the first time. Together we'd slammed a few Raspberry UV and Sprite drinks and gabbed like we'd known each other for forever. And that night, there I stood: slightly swaying to the music and giggling like the drunk girl I was about "spending my Valentine's with John Mayer." It's amazing the things that change in a year, no? I would show you pictures or play you some of the audio from that night, but sadly, it was all on my old laptop that was stolen out of my car a week later.

I remember how incredibly special that night was, however. I didn't mind the freezing cold because I was happy and a little (ok a lot) drunk. John rocked my socks off that night. From the 10th row I watched in a bit of a drunken haze and he was just so amazing. I remember as I heard the first chords of "Comfortable" whipping my cell phone out of my bag and calling Shannon. If she said anything to me, I couldn't hear. (I never could hear a damn thing on that phone, so I guess it's a blessing the thieves who stole my backpack full of goodies forced me to get a new phone.) Pity I was too chicken to talk to Chad back then. (he still makes me nervous... funny isn't it?)

After the show we headed back to our hotel which had been "just across the parking lot" from the venue. What they FAILED to mention was that the parking lot was the size of damn Texas and even at a near jog it took 10 minutes from Venue to Hotel. But at least there wasn't any drunk driving on my end that night.

I remember Jim calling me at about 2 or 3 in the morning to tell me his flight to Chicago had gotten all effed up. Too incoherent to do much else, I told him to call me when his plane landed in the morning. So imagine my disorientation and confusion when he called me at 8 am to tell me he'd made it to Chicago. It was a pretty dim light bulb that went off in my head, reminding me he'd called the night before. I might even have been still drunk as I started off to meet up with him in Chicago. A year later he's now one of my best friends and I'm his personal manager. Crazy.

In the last year I've met so many incredible people. The other day I was going through my friend list on MySpace and it really struck me how many people I've met in person over the last year. If you look at my page you'll see I have the top 40 up. I've met every single one on that list in person with the exception of 5. To fit all the people I've met on my friends list I'd probably need a top 100. I'm not saying that to brag (ok, well, not much) but because it kind of blows my mind in a way. Every single person on my top 40 has changed my life in some way or another. That's why they're there. Even DRH, Dela and Pat...and I've met THEM all too! LOL!

Maybe the reason I'm feeling all introspective is because today is the day to celebrate relationships. I've always disliked this day, but I think a big part of that is because when you're single this day just seems to amplify everything. It's not easy being single on a normal day. Most of the time, I don't really think about it honestly. It's my life, right? It just sort of IS. Last year I didn't even think about it because I was so busy having fun, on a trip and meeting new people. This year, I'm home alone (the roomie is out of town for work) and my phone has been strangely (or maybe NOT so strangely) quiet. I think it's just one of those days that puts the "lonely" in alone.

Everyone always says, "You'll find the right guy! You're such a *insert positive adjective* girl!" To that I say, "Bah fucking humbug!" Maybe I will, maybe I won't. At 35, I've sort of come to terms with being alone and most days I'm ok with it. Maybe it's the path I was meant to take in this lifetime.

But it still sucks balls.

Right now I'd love to be nekkid and squirting chocolate syrup on my guy.

*cough*

What??

Instead I'll probably check my email, avoid some work and dig through my library to find another book to read. (I already finished the one I started at lunch.) And you know? I'll be ok. Even though my CAT won't even cuddle with me tonight.

She's such a picky bitch.

Guess that makes us a matched set.

Happy Fucking Valentine's Day

Pack The Cat: Yar! We be Pirates of the Caribean!

2008-03-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yar! We be Pirates of the Caribean!

Just what the heck have we been up to?

Well John Mayer invited 3000 of his fans to join him aboard the Carnival Victory for three days of fun. And seriously, I’ve NEVER had so much fun in my life. When I heard about the cruise, there was no question about us going.
This is the show JM did on the main deck for everyone on board. (He’s the dot on the stage…) We finally got to see ALL of his tattoos. Thanks John, we had a great time. See you next time at the disco!

I'm the Loud One: Mayercraft Carrier Intoxication and Thanks from the "Principal" himself....John Mayer

2008-03-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2008

Mayercraft Carrier Intoxication

I have never experienced anything quite like it. Never ever. NO, NO, NO!

I will try to paint a picture for you...imagine going to a concert of someone's you really LOVE and not leaving for 4 days. Now imagine going to 4 or 5 concerts of different someone's you really LOVE and not leaving for 4 days, and then imagine seeing those people walking around being people and not the musicians you know and love, but people, like human people with flesh and blood and urges to pee and stuff. Then imagine that there are thousands of people around you that feel the same exact way as you and you are totally unified for 4 whole days in your LOVE for stuff. Then to top it off you have your most amazing sports dream come true right smack in the midst of all this goodness.

Sunday on the cruise was like one big delicious Oreo cookie; John Mayer's Lido Deck performance and his 2nd headlining show being the chocolaty cookie outside and the Giants win in the Super Bowl being the white filling on the inside. It was such a phenomenal day.

Since the cruise, I have been living the Giants win, viewing pictures from everyone and their mother of the cruise, videos, and the now infamous "John Mayer Thong" picture video extravaganza. I have been listening to live recordings from the shows and reading tabloids and blogs. I am so far up the ass of the Mayercraft Carrier that I think I need to go into Rehab ASAP. I need Mayercraft Carrier rehab. Oh, and the funny thing is, I got an e-mail the other day asking me if I would be interested in doing this again next year, Mayercraft Carrier 2009. I thought about it and said, "well, let's see how rehab goes and I will get back to you."

This picture was taken as we were getting ready to leave port. The weather was beautiful and you could feel the excitement in the air. We had all waited a really long time to be here at this very moment and we planned to make the most of each and every minute of it. It was an amazing weekend of music and fun and if I am available next year, I will be there, stupid questions and all.

Did, I mention I was going into Rehab? See ya when I get out.

................................

February 05, 2008

Thanks from the "Principal" himself....John Mayer

Marcie and Holly: We're done cruisin'! and Bahamas!!

2008-03-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 8, 2008

We're done cruisin'!

Well, we're finally back! We are so sad :( We've had so many people asking "when are you going to put your pictures on your blog?". We've been so busy since we got back that we are just getting a minute to post it. We'll give a quick(?) day by day of the cruise on the Mayercraft Carrier.
We spent two days in Miami, Fl. We just shopped and ate, preparing ourselves for the actual cruise.
We boarded the Mayercraft (our ship) on Fri. And soon headed up to the Lido deck (the deck with the pool). We hung out and people watched. Holly immediately spotted Colbie Caillet (she sings the song "Bubbly"). Holly had her eagle eye out along with her spy skills the whole cruise (more on that later). Nobody really recognized her so she was just chillin'. Then we went to have the boat drill. During the drill we stood next to Brett Dennen (another performer on the ship). Holly noticed the cabin numbers on the back of the life jackets so she memorized Brett's. (Again, the spy skills). Don't worry, we didn't do anything to Brett. We're not stalkers! :) The rest of the night we went to concerts on the Lido deck and, of course, ate- a ton. Oh, and yes we saw John that first day. He REALLY did hang out on the ship with everyone!
The next day we were in the Bahamas. We just went to a beach and chilled. Back on the ship we had 80's prom night for dinner. We looked rad! When we went dancing at the club we danced with Colbie Caillet and John Mayer did show up be he was too busy to dance. (Uh, shots anyone?)
The last full day :(, we laid out by the pool and Marcie got to go to a Question and Answer with John Mayer. She took very detailed notes for those that didn't get to go (aka Holly and Amy). She said he was VERY funny and seems to be really down to earth. Then we put on our matching jersies and went to the Superbowl party. What a good game! After that we went to the John Mayer concert. After almost getting in a fight (ask Holly for details) and waiting an extra 1/2 hr because John was sleeping (Diva) we pushed our way to the front. We enjoyed 2 GREAT hrs of all John. LOVE HIM!
Then it was time to go. It went SO FAST, but believe us, it was all worth it!!!

Posted by Holly & Marcie at 4:58 PM

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Saturday, February 2, 2008

BAHAMAS!!

We don't have long. We are in the Bahamas on our cruise and we thought we would do a quick post. We are having so much fun!!!!! We have already seen John Mayer, sat next to Colbie Calliet on the Lido deck and had the cruise drill with Brett Dennon. And that was all on the first day! The food is great. The water/beach are wonderful. And the concerts are fun. Tomorrow we have our John Mayer concert and I think we got fourth row. Marcie also got a ticket to the question/answer session with John. We are going to give her a list of questions to ask him, don't worry. More to come later- especially pics. We have gotten many. Bon Voyage!

Posted by Holly & Marcie at 5:11 PM

City Love: The Mayercraft

2008-03-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Mayercraft

It's back to reality after an awesome long weekend! We had an amazing time on the Mayercraft Carrier and it really was as fun as we expected. Our first night, in Miami, we checked into our hotel, and went to South Beach. I had never been there before and it was a very good time. We walked down the strip and ended up in a fun bar dancing until about 2am. A great start to the trip!

Friday we boarded the ship and the party began!!! The five of us stayed in the tiniest room imaginable. Two twin beds, two beds came down from the ceiling, and a roll-out....it was very cramped but we didn't care. We spent most of the time watching concerts on the lido deck (the top) and in the casino bar. We went to two different John Mayer concerts that were so great. I love his music and know the words to every song...those are the best concerts to go to. We also saw two comedy shows, participated in the 80's prom night (yeah, we were totally tubular!), laid out on the deck, toured the Bahamas, drank way too much alcohol, and didn't get enough sleep! It was so much fun.

I am a tiny bit bitter. You see, I didn't get to meet John Mayer while both my sisters, and my sister's friend DID. Life is not fair. Here's the story...on the ship there is a nightclub that doesn't really get going until around 1am. Friday night (our first night) my sister and I stayed out dancing until about 4am. Saturday I continued to party and do all the fun stuff with everyone. By Saturday night I was exhausted. Everyone went to the nightclub and around 1:30am I decided to call it a night and go back to the room with my Mom. At 5am the three girls bust in our closet-of-a-room and start yelling "We SO partied with John Mayer!". I find out he sat in the booth behind them at the club, bought all of them shots of Patron, signed stuff, etc. Unbelievable. I was in the room, asleep!
Anyways, that's that. I am not too upset because I still had a great time. I would recommend this type of cruise to anyone who enjoys live music....it was such a wild, fun time. Actually, I am still recovering.

Posted by Rachel at 8:14 PM

Amber WOODWARD: MayerCraft CARRIER

2008-03-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 02, 2008

MayerCraft C A R R I E R

Well, I have to start with where I saw John, which happened to be ENTERING the boat. Yes, I just happened to be lucky enough to be getting on the ship at the same time as JM. Talk about wanting to STAY in line!!! He was whisked up the stairs into the Carnival VIP room, stayed in there about 20 minutes with a few band members and friends, and then was whisked out just as fast up the escalator. Now here is the cool part, JM had to walk past all the fans waiting in line to board the ship on a 'bridge' of sorts. Then as if that wasn't enough, when I was going up to my room, we stop on the 5th floor (I'm on the 9th) and the security guard goes, Hey can John ride with you guys? Of course we all about fainted, and then John starts to come IN THE ELEVATOR and goes, oh there isn't really enough room. . .We all start yelling Oh NO COME IN, but sadly he stepped back out. It was the low point of my evening. Did I mention he's very cute in Real life? About 40 minutes later, my roomate, after having 5 Mayercraft carrier special "rum drinks" Saw John in the hallway and ran up to him and got his picture. I can't wait for her to get her film developed. Rooms are great, food is great, shows to see- so I'm going down to the deck because the ship is leaving port, and we are off! JM comes out once again and introduces Brett Dennen who was amazing live. Not to make you all jealous or anything, but. . . I have to report that I'm having literally the TIME OF MY LIFE. A couple people asked was JM walking around normal like- well he's 'around' but he's got a few people looking out for him. I spoke with a girl tonight at Sherod's show that said he was at the disco last night, but so many people were snapping pictures of him constantly that he really couldn't 'hang out' for long. Today, (Saturday) I'm pretty sure he's not on the ship. No one has seen him all night, and the ship doesn't leave port (We are in the Bahamas right now) until early morning. However, with that said, let me just tell you about a few really great shows I did see. First, I have to say that Colbie Caillat was amazing last night, and took time to talk to lots of people and pretty much hung out and took pictures and talked after her performance for a while. She's a beautiful girl. After performing, she hung out with everyone and just sat out by the pool with friends. Everyone was pretty respectful of her space, and I think it's because she was so generous with time after her concert. Martin Sexton really made me "Happy". He's an amazing singer, and his vibe just makes me wanna dance. The JM Show was of course one of the best ever, I know it's been posted already so I won't repeat, but let me just tell ya, his little 'fan speech' was the best yet. He explained why he says the stuff he does after coming out from a club, and it really got me. He said he wanted to come up with something smart to say that only HIS FANS would get, but the rest of the world wouldn't. So he's communicating strictly with US NOW guys! Gotta luv him. No, I didn't have tickets for Friday nights show, but yes, I get by with a little help from my friends. . . :) Today, the weather was great, the beach was beautiful. I went snorkeling and saw more fish than I'd ever thought I'd see in one swim, including a rather large shark!! eek. Tonight I played 80's trivia, and lost by 2 questions. (Do you guys know who the Uncle was on Who's the Boss?) After Trivia (Which about 200 people showed up to) Bob Reynolds, JMs' sax player played a truely AMAZING performance. I was so impressed. Not only did he have the place rockin but he stayed after and talked to fans, including me, (You are the best Bob R!!) Oh- by the way, if you guys think JM makes funny faces, wait till you see Bob R's keyboard player play! Talk about some expressions! I thought I was watching a movie! *VERY* talented guy. James Smith, one of the funniest guys I've heard in a long time came on for a while, then Sherod took over. Both men had me in tears, and yes Sherod, I got ALL the jokes, even the NON-WHITE Girl jokes!!!! ha ha. James Smith, we are all going to the OUTBACK just for you hon. On the way out of seeing Sherod, I was stopped dead in my tracks at DRH's band, who had the entire casino Rockin out, and one really cool dude almost break dancing to "Burning Down the House." DRH had some great great soul sets, and everyone was dancing and singing and just having an awesome time. Sadly, I had to cut myself off when he stopped playing, but tomorrow- TOMORROW I have the Q and A with Jm at 12:30, (yes I'm estatic) and then at 3:00 he's playing, and then tomorrow night is my show! I'll update soon-

MySpace.com - Brett Dennen: Highlights of the Cruises

2008-03-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Highlights of the Cruises

Over the past couple weeks I went on two Caribbean cruise ships. These weren't your standard, love boat - winter getaway, fall in love on the pool deck with your soul mate, who happens to be the athletic instructor from Trinidad – cruises. These were rock n' roll cruises, and they were filled with bands and music fanatics. The boats had funny names like the Rock Boat, and the Mayercraft Carrier. I never understood the latter. I get it that it's a play on words, but I can't get the war reference out of my head. I cant help but think of the movie Top Gun, or that time at the end of the war on Afghanistan, when the president flew out to an Air Craft Carrier and made a speech with a sign behind him that read, "Mission Accomplished".
It's seems like a good idea to have a music festival out at sea, and it is until you start thinking about how horrible the giant ships are on the ocean environment, and on top of that the food is terrible. It's all casino buffet style. The whole thing is about quantity, not quality. Except for the beds, because those are neither about quality nor quantity. They hurt my back, and my legs hung off the sides. But somehow people love the beds, and find they sleep better on them than they do at home. The ships advertise the beds for purchase in all the rooms. I think people sleep well because they pass out drunk every night. Or maybe it's the gently swaying of the boat in the water.

I think ultimately, I am too claustrophobic to spend more than a day or two on a cruise ship. When I was a kid I hated it when my sister held a blanket over my head. To this day I can't sleep with my head under the covers.

I don't want to sound too negative, because I did have fun. I love being out on the ocean. Looking at the ocean comforts and inspires me. I also love the opportunity to play in front of new people. I admit that I was overwhelmed with all the people I talked to. It isn't easy for me to be discreet in a crowd, and I spent most of my time chatting with folks who would stop me as I walked by. If I met anyone and they thought I was too short with them, I apologize. It is not about you. I probably just had to go to the bathroom or just really wanted to get to wherever I was going.

Here are my highlights of the two cruises.

Highlights of the Rock Boat:

- Being around Matt Nathanson- Matt is one of the funniest people I've ever met. He had me laughing the entire time we were together. Sometimes I would roam around the boat looking for him in spots where I had run into him before. I felt bored without him.
- Glenn Phillips - As you can imagine, the cruise ship brings out the Vegas vibe in people, and a lot of performers raised their rock star stakes. Glenn obviously wanted nothing to do it. He wasn't a showboat and he still managed to mesmerize with his humble stage presence and his incredible songs.
- Jamaica – Because of weather, we couldn't go to our first destination, Grand Cayman, so I was extra eager for the second port, Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I got off the boat and paid a guy with a van $50 to drive me around the island. I got to see some really rural areas, some wealthy areas, some impoverished areas, some wild jungles, farm land, coastline, and he drove to the top of a mountain and I looked back down at the little town on the coast where the giant white Carnival boat took over the little bay like a salmon in a goldfish bowl. The guy driving kept trying to get me to buy drugs from his friends and kept asking me if I wanted a prostitute. I told him over and over again that I just wanted to see things.

Highlights of the Mayer Cruise:

-Brandi Carlile – Brandi won me over. She has just about the purest voice I've ever heard. I watched her set on the main stage. She came across as very humble, both musically and as a person. She performed with her acoustic guitar and with an accompanist on cello. Every one of her fans was totally in love with here. They were cheering her on, not like they were obsessed, but like true believers. She made me a believer.
- impromptu casino set – on the last night of the cruise we put together a last minute set in the casino. We had Gabe Dixon sit in on keys and Eric, from Soulive on guitar. We jammed out on mostly covers. Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Neil Young, the Grateful Dead…that was the best show we did. It was very loose.
- the super bowl – on Sunday there was a super bowl party in the vip lounge, normally that isn't my scene, but unexpectedly it turned out to be one of the best times I spent on the boat. I got wrapped up in routing for the Giants, because they were the underdogs. A lot of the musicians from the boat were there watching and it was fun to take sides and talk smack to each other.
- songwriting workshop – I had the best time facilitating a songwriting workshop. I didn't know what to expect when I signed up to do it. A lot of people showed up and we all talked about what we thought good songwriting is. People asked questions about my writing process and I did the best I could to explain how I write, how I feel about, and what I consider to be good songwriting.

Thanks Rock Boat. Thanks Mayercraft Carrier. Thank you fans.

MySpace.com - Bec: Mayercraft Cruise

2008-03-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Mayercraft Cruise
Current mood: pirate
Category: Travel and Places

It has been a long time since I have blogged about anything. This is blog-worthy for 2 reasons...first, I have been sick since I got off the boat and can't speak or stay awake long enough to tell all of you who have called about it the details. Second, it was an interesting trip...my first cruise.

I went on the cruise with Austin, now 16 years old, an outstanding musician and a great passion for live music. We left for St. Louis from CoMo at 3:45 am on Friday to find ourselves in the port of Miami via Ft. Lauderdale by 3:30. Long day needless to say. When we got to our room, we were pleasantly surprised by having a private, little deck (spa floor) that Austin played his guitar on whenever he had the chance. The party started right there. We unloaded our suitcases, ok, I unloaded mine and Austin lived out of his. He began his jam sessions before the boat set sail.

About 5, John Mayer was on deck talking to a couple people in which he got caged in by all the fans on the boat with cameras. It made me realize the price of celebrity and the price of uninterrupted conversation. "It must not easy" were my thoughts. I actually thought "poor john". I know, silly.

Somewhere as we started to set sail, John introduced himself (as if) and that he wanted to kick it with his friends and try to be as normal as possible and to please put up the cameras. Well, he didn't say it quite so eloquently - f'ing cameras. He reiterated to have a great time and enjoy all the music, etc. and the bon voyage party. The bon voyage party was not really all that fun - vh-1 was hosting it and only hit up 25% of the people on the crew with drinks and hats, tees, etc. They never made it to our side of the boat. However, Austin and I were having a great time people watching...interesting stuff on a cruise. (Let's put it this way - by the end of the trip Austin had seen enough big, saggy-breasted, half naked women until the next mayer craft cruise!)

Sparing too many details - we never made it off the boat. We made some good friends while Austin jammed on guitar and I laid out by the pool. The food was awful...no matter where you ate. We hit as many venues as we could staying up until 3am and waking up in time to start all over again the next day about noon.

About the music...John Mayer is amazing. Both personally in the Q&A (an hour plus of just questions and answers) and on stage(about 4 times). That was why he was the headliner. However, other than being on the same ship, he was non-existent. We didn't see him mingling or eating lunch. I heard that he did - danced in the disco one night, had a Borat swimsuit on at a private party, got off the boat in Freeport and did a concert there, but those were rumors from other Mayercraft people. What I do know is this:

1. Austin and I both fell in love with the music of Brett Dennen. We had not heard him before, but we tried every chance we got to watch him play. (Unfortunately we got into the 2nd John Mayer show and missed an impromptu gathering with Brett down on the casino stage - ugh!) His music is beautiful and honest and thought-provoking. Our new fav. We got to personally meet him the last night even tho he was in line at the buffet whenever we were and we didn't want to bug him- (he eats kidney beans, fyi). But when we did muster up the courage to tell him that we love his music - he was kind and snapped a picture with Austin. Love the guy.

2. I have been a fan of Brandi Carlile, but I think I overplayed her last summer at the lake and in the car and in the house because none of the men in my house liked her. We saw her opening performance a few rows from the front and Austin has become a believer! He loved her. It was just herself, her guitar, keyboards and Josh, her cello player. They were off the hook. She played in impromptu piano session by the wine bar that we listened in on. No mic, just uncovered the piano and began to play. Amazing. Voice of an angel. We ran into Josh and chatted it up with him and he was really sweet and engaging.

3. I was a fan of Colbie Caillat when she was the myspace artist of the year. Had her cd before she got signed. However, live, not impressed with Colbie. Her band members seemed to carry her thru her sets and then of course, John Mayer showing up towards the end to play a little electric with her, helped. When running into her on the boat, she was rude. Added to the poor showing the night before and becoming less of a fan. Sat with other people on the transfer back to the airport who partied with Colbie and crew and said that she was rude as well. Bummer. Her drummer, Mike Baker who could be Nick Baker's long lost brother, was sweet and offered encouraging words to Austin about following what is the biggest passion in his heart...playing and creating music.

4. Became a fan of David Ryan Harris (John Mayer's back up guitarist). He was amazing. We saw him in a small venue on the ship and he was very personable. His music is like butter...smooth. His voice can never be over-played on your i-pod. Loved it. We only got to see him once, but are hoping for more in the future!

5. Martin Sexton was great. His music leans more towards blues...we bought the cd and I hope I warm up to it. Austin really liked it and thought Tom would be a fan. I ran into him 3 or 4 times on the boat and he was always cordial and engaging.

6. Dave Barnes did a set - we didn't stick around long for it.

If you have any personal questions, feel free to ask, I tried to just get you all the facts. Overall, I would go again...with Austin and hopefully Tom and Ty. It was an experience that can't be relived but we will try! Maybe this will provoke a few of you to save some pennies for next years event!!

Loves,
Bec

JohnMayer.com Blogs - Tony Held: Mayercraft Carrier

2008-03-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2008

MAYERCRAFT CARRIER

A few pictures from the cruise. Enjoy!

POSTED BY TONY HELD AT 01:25 PM FROM LOS ANGELES

Dave Barnes - Me And You And The World

2008-03-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

I know that Dave Barnes was a big hit with the Mayercraft Carrier attendees.

I got an email from Dave's record company wanting help with spreading the word about the pre-order for his new CD - Me And You And The World.

Here is the info. Spread the word if you're a Dave Barnes fan.

2 CD's + DVD

2 CD's + DVD + T-shirt

Check out more news and info at the brand-new website www.davebarnes.com.

MySpace.com: Adriana - Top 10 Mayercraft Carrier CRAZY fans!

2008-02-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hahahahaha!

Sometimes I cross over to the realm of the bitchy, so when I saw this one, I fell out laughing.

The cruise was awesome fun, but there were a few unhinged folks there.

Read Adriana's blog for more details...

________________________________

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Top 10 Mayercraft Carrier CRAZY fans!

Category: Travel and Places

It's here! It's here! Here is the list that Shosh, Jenno, Ceci and I came up with of our top 10 crazy John Mayer fans on Mayercraft 2008! Please keep in mind I mean no malice by this list, I just wanted to share some of our crazy adventures.

10. The Cutting Women - I don't know that these women qualify as crazy JOHN MAYER fans, but they made me so angry they got on the list anyway. They basically were these two married, middle aged women who tried to get tickets to the Sunday night show by flirting with a man and his 17 year old son. Skanks! And on top of that, they said that the reason they wanted to go to the show was because they were "drunk and bored," and "what else were [they] going to do?" Ugh. No.

9. Dancing Hands Woman + Friend - these two women stood next to us at the show on Friday night and were WAY into the music. Picture someone pretending to be playing the piano while they did their best to "sing from the abdomen." Yeah, it was like that. They made Shosh super uncomfortable and kept invading our personal bubbles.

8. Baby Daddy Balloon Lady - there was a t-shirt contest on the first day, and we saw one fairly heavyset woman with an XL white Hanes t-shirt with a yellow balloon stuffed under it to make her look pregnant. She'd written on the shirt with PUFFY PAINT "John Mayer is my baby daddy." Seriously.

7. Aussie Girl - this girl was fairly harmless... she was on our Jeep tour in the Bahamas, and we thought her a bit strange, but it was confirmed when our tour guide ate lunch with us and explained how the whole time she'd been in the Jeep with him (she was a single rider and rode with him), she was talking about how she wanted to meet him and marry him. Like, immediately. Which was even more strange for our tour guide, because while he was American, he was a 30 year old American male who had been living in the Bahamas for 5 years and had no idea who John Mayer was.

6. Waving Pool Couple - John Mayer went outside on deck for a while after his Sunday performance, and there were a bunch of people (us included) on the deck below. There was one couple (and one of their moms?) who literally stood on the side of the pool, staring up at him on the deck above, waving. For over 15 minutes. Just waving, and waiting for him to look down and...?

5. Asian Girl On Bus - this girl was tipsy on rum when we met her, which may be one reason she was so loose lipped about her run-ins with John Mayer. She was the classic "groupie," and not afraid to share. Pretty much, she followed Mayer around on one of two of his tours, called him and his bandmates by their first names (appropriate, if you actually KNOW them, not if you just WISH you did), and essentially bragged about being "better fans" than everyone else.

4. Crazy Hat Girl - she pushed her way up in front of us at the show on Friday night, wearing one of the free hats from the boat, and was another one of the gals who was way too into the music. Shosh says that she wasn't even drunk, which makes her comments about JM making eye contact with her all the more intriguing. She was overheard screaming the lyrics to every song (even the quiet ones) at the top of her lungs. And when JM gave a little anecdote about covering something up by being weird, she screamed "Oh MY GOD! Me too! We're soul mates! I told you we were soul mates! John!" Weird is right, sweetie. She also had her camera up taking photos the ENTIRE time, but I must admit that between the four of us, so did we. Hey, he's adorable!

3. Face Grab Lady - this lady could have been 1, but since it was a secondhand story, I put her at 3. Apparently, John Mayer was standing in one of the buffet lines and she walked up to him, and even though he was in mid-conversation, GRABBED HIS FACE to get his attention. Who does that??? INAPPROPRIATE.

2. Photo Lady - this lady was at least in her mid to late 50's and was traveling with her son and her sister. She had photos of JM from the pool deck where he'd been earlier, and was literally showing them to everyone and anyone who would look. She made it very well known that the Friday night show was her 18th show, her son's 13th, and her sister's 20th. She was also obsessed with meeting him, to the point where it was more than a little creepy.

And... coming in at NUMBER 1:

1. The Tambourine Girl! This girl was ALL kinds of crazy - crazy fan, crazy drunk, and crazy just to be crazy! Our first encounter with her was her literally barreling by us at the Friday night show - wrist cast on one hand and LIGHT UP TAMBOURINE in the other. She was falling down drunk, screaming random things at inopportune times, and shaking her damn tambourine, effectively ruining songs for many people. Security tried to take away the tambourine to no avail, and at one point had to physically remove her from something she had climbed up onto. (I wonder how she broke her wrist...) She stayed around for the Brandi Carlile show after the JM show, and ruined the last song with her tambourine and shrieks of "YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL" in her best witch pitch. We saw her several more times on the cruise, as she was in the same hall as us, and there was never a time where she wasn't belligerantly drunk, with the tambourine or, later, the kazoo. Shosh got into a verbal argument with her once, yelling "Die Tambourine Girl" at her through our cabin door. And on the last night, we had to call security on her when she was kicking and screaming to get into her room at 2am, once again drunk, and waking up most of the people in our hall. She had gotten locked out of her room because she was too drunk to use her key card, and was screaming and cursing at her "stupid fucking cow of a roommate" to "get off [her] lazy fat ass" and open the door. No joke. She was absolutely ridiculous, to the point where everyone on the boat knew who she was and disliked her.

So there you have it, folks! A snippet of our crazy adventures aboard the Mayercraft Carrier!

MySpace.com: JayTayLIVE - The John Mayer Cruise

2008-02-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The John Mayer Cruise

Current mood: loved

Category: Friends

I guess I could have posted this blog under the category "Travel and Places". The week consisted of travel on a flight from my home in New York to Miami, then by boat from Miami to Freeport, Bahama's. But it wasn't about the destination or the means of transportation. We could have hiked the Appalachian Trail and ended up in northern Maine huddled in tents. We could have gathered at any given hotel in any state, our host was just kind enough to elect a tropical climate. We would have followed him anywhere. So "Travel and Places", not my topic of choice.

It could have been posted under "Dreams and the Supernatural" for obvious reasons. The entire trip was surreal. From shaking the hands of my living hero's to dancing with pop diva's in front on hundreds. This trip was nothing I could have ever expected. I packed the bare minimum and let the trip take me instead. I was up for anything and elected heavily against sleep. I accumulated 7 hours in the 4 days. Most of which were on pool decks in beach chairs, or flat on the sand next to the great Atlantic. I still look at the pictures and have to convince myself the week really happened, and that I was really there.

I could have posted under "Music" because no matter where you went, you couldn't get away from it...even though no one was trying. We had great live shows throughout the day and evening, and Francisco Vidal took it upon himself to play until about 4am Monday morning, only stopping just in time to pack his things and check out of the boat. But if you weren't in the casino, you could catch one of our several jam sessions on the Lido Deck. This boat was packed with so many great musicians it was hard to tell who paid to get on the ship and who was being paid to be there. It was to my surprise that all of the hosted musicians were beyond amazing. Guest's were falling in love several times a day. Mostly with musicians, sometimes with other guests . You could leave the Lido deck screaming "I LOVE DAVE BARNES" only to find yourself in the Caribbean Lounge laughing, crying, and falling hard for Brandi Carlile. With only a half hour to reflect on the way the Brandi just changed your life, before you know it Colbie Caillat takes the stage and your heart is now torn 3 ways. When your Captain, John Mayer, hops on stage with her during "Battle". you come to realize you'll never be the same. Colbie was offstage at 1:30am and somewhere and 2:00-2:30ish-3:00-4:00ish I found myself spinning her around in the Disco listening to DJ Dela. Maybe it was the corona dancing...maybe it was the Lemon drops that Dela and I shot in the DJ booth with Logic. All I know is that my hangover was cured when Colbie dedicated song "Out of My Mind" to me the next morning in the Adriatic Lounge. She asked if she was bad last night, I told her she was perfect. She laughed the way you remember laughing as a kid, when you smile because you want to, not because its the polite thing to do. Then a group of the nicest guys backed her up as she was singing my song...and I felt my heart melt. I felt my heart melt in the same way I melted in the Q&A with John Mayer. I fell in love with this guy (in the straightest way possible) years ago when I heard the songs on his self released album "Inside Wants Out". I knew that every word he said was genuine and real. He didn't say it to impress you or mislead you. He said his words because they tore at him from inside and he needed to let it out. Over the years, Mayer's life has been well documented by TMZand US Weekly, and there have been times that I've wondered if the fame has gotten to him. But during the Q&A session he re-enforced every reason I ever fell in love with him in the first place, not just as a musician, but as a person. He's one of the few people that can make one simple statement and make you feel like you were never alone in the first place.

As Mitch Albom once said, "The only time wasted, is time spent thinking we're alone". This got me realizing what this cruise became to me. It wasn't just a few days of great music, endless partying, and never ending food in a Utopian setting of the Bahama's. To me, it was about the people. My friends.

I felt as though each person on that ship was the best friend I ever had. As if we were all friends since grammar school. As if we shared every moment together for the past several years. I stood beside a woman I had just met while Brandi Carlile performed her song "That Year" about her friend who took his life at age 16, and her inability to forgive him until nearly a decade later. There must have been 500 people in that room feeling the same tear fall from one eye. At that moment the woman and I felt such a unison, the whole room became one as Brandi stood with her pigeon toes and microphone. We all felt heard what she said. We all felt what she felt. We were all best friends mourning the loss of a loved one. It was pure intimacy. And we all felt it. I don't know how else to describe it. Dave Barnes was also able to create a unison among the crowd with "Everybody Knows but You". He simply told us the lines to the chorus, and we belted along like our mothers recited those lines to us in nursery rhymes. We all celebrated, for no particular reason. We were all just happy to be there under a unifying purpose, love of a common thing. Weather the common love be as broad as music, or a specific as John Mayer...we each had it in common. And it was so strong I came back a different and enlightened person.

I spent 4 days with the best friends I ever had. You can see all the pictures in the album entitled "The Cruise!". Rumor has it (from John himself) that next year will be 6 days...so I better start training. To my friends, I'll see you all next year...and don't ever lose touch!

-Jay