I took a few photos at the JM3 show last night. We were all the way back by the soundboard, but I like taking pictures, even if they don’t turn out well.

I distinctly remember the John Mayer show last year in Nashville where it all clicked for me. It was nearing the end of a summer filled with some great concert-going, and we had road-tripped up to the state of orange for the show because it was fast becoming tradition to see him every summer and scheduling had prevented making it to the Atlanta show.

What followed was a fairly typical evening of pop gems, crowd sing-alongs, and screaming twelve-year old girls (who, for whatever reasons, have experienced that mental disconnect where they think that an unattractive male is actually quite attractive simply because they’re on stage with a mic and a guitar.) I recall wondering at what point in his career the screaming banshee fans would move on to something/someone more trendy and radio-friendly and those of us who liked the music would be left in the audience. I prayed for swift justice in this regard.

The setlist had been thankfully light on acoustic guitar numbers. The previous summer’s show in Greenville was so acoustic-heavy that I walked away a little disappointed. Mayer’s nothing special on the acoustic in my opinion, especially when you’ve seen the electric chops and know he isn’t using them.

And then came the encore. No Comfortable. No Wonderland. No, ma’am. None of that. Mayer’s band whittled down to Labruyere on bass and JJ Johnson on drums and this formidable, though in hindsight lesser, three-piece proceeded to tear through a 25-minute set of… blues. Hendrix. Stevie Ray. Other worldy music coming out of a lanky white kid from Connecticut. Utter disregard for the musical tastes of what amounted to probably 75% of the audience. And it was perfect. When they finished the last tastiness of 15 minutes of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), which ended with Mayer standing over his strat, strumming (and kicking) feedback into the crowd, it hit me… i’m witnessing something happen. A transition is occurring. Surely he must realize it? Surely he has to see that the level of intensity doubled when the pop band walked off the stage?

With the recent advent of the official John Mayer Trio, that transition is complete. Or, perhaps I should say, is completing. Not to cast disparagement on Mayer’s previous band member choices, but come on… I got to see STEVE JORDAN (I would marry your snare tone) and PINO PALLADINO last night. That may very well have been the single best rhythm section i’ve ever witnessed in a live setting. They’ve been playing together for a handful of weeks and there’s just something special going on.

Maybe blues isn’t your thing. Maybe you have no love or care for the difference between great guitar tone and out-of-the-box guitar tone. Maybe you don’t realize that Steve Jordan has played with everyone from James Taylor and James Brown to B.B. King and Steely Dan. Or maybe you do know these things. Maybe you take it a step or two further and find yourself in conversations saying, “The Strat tone he’s going for in unique, but it’s still a little thin for my tastes. I think it might be interesting if it was a little wider or had a little more sag in it.”

Wherever you stand from a musical perspective, I just hope you realize that there is something infinitely interesting going on with this Mayer fellow, who by all industry standards and ways of doing things, is completely sabotaging a perfectly good pop music career by going off the deep end and playing blues. And if sabotaging a career looks like a string of sold out shows with two of the best musicians on planet Earth, then I am with you all the way, Johnny.

Steven Berlin Johnson wrote a book called Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter that’s on my book list to pick up soon. He also has a blog.

iPod Nano owners are complaining that the screen scratches too easily. I know I always like to throw my $250 device in my pocket with my keys and change and then moan about it getting a ding or two.

Nazarin has consolidated, re-birthed and moved things on Absenter to MEMO. In other words, the guy with the pretty pictures has a pretty blog now.

By the way, i’ll be seeing the sold out John Mayer Trio show in Atlanta tonight thanks to the wonder of knowing people who know people. Bonus points.

I am reminded of Nehemiah where he and his men were building the wall and labored with a sword in one hand and trowel in the other. Their critics gathered around and tried to coax them down off their ladders for years of debate and fighting. But he told his men to remain atop their ladders and keep working and to only fight if someone came up the ladder and got in the way of their work. We need to do likewise…

I would just compel us all to stay on our ladders and not waste time coming down to fight legitimate but lesser battles… What I’m finding is that if I stay on my mission, eventually a platform gets big enough that you kind of just have permission to do your thing and others respect you even if they don’t like you.

Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church

New dotcomrade Chris Rushing, a great designer, has a t-shirt submission up at Threadless that’s awesome. GO VOTE FOR IT. NOW. (Please?)

Ben Affleck for the Virginia Senate? While at first blush, the thought of Benator is hysterically idiotic, the concept of political parties seeking out celebs in order to sway votes was BOUND to happen. I don’t really see it being all that different from the recent influx of celeb endorsers for cell phone companies or the like. Why not have a celeb figurehead with handlers?

Justin Ouellette’s Chromogenic, my favorite black and white photoblog, has recently redesigned. Great work, great photos, all film.

Vinyl is so totally over. iPod DJing is the new hotness.

Relevant Magazine is launching a women’s magazine called Radiant.

I’ve got a John Vanderslice illustration in the newest issue of Rockpile Magazine. #117, available at fine bookstores everywhere.

I’ve lived here for years. And ladies love the SC. But ladies love The ‘Nooga, too. And so do I. What just happened?

I’m back in the Carolinas as of about 30 minutes ago. The Smokey Mountains did not disappoint this morning, as they were both mountainous and smokalicious. Miles Davis kept me company for most of the trip back, and I assure you, Miles NEVER disappoints. (Or fails to soothe road rage. Say it with me, “left lane for fast people, right lane for SLOOOOOOW people.”)

While in The ‘Nooga I viewed a few apartments. A loft or two. I have one more to look at on Wednesday, and i’m fairly certain it is the chosen one, as it is called The Bread Factory Lofts. It’s more than I had planned to spend (and more square footage), but I figure it works for a few reasons:

1. Almost everything I looked at is hovering around $1 a square foot, this just happens to be bigger than what I was really looking for.

2. The neighborhood rules me. Dwell-Magazine-esque development is occuring all around the building.

3. Roof-top deck. Enclosed courtyard. Gated parking.

4. This is the first time in my life when I have the opportunity and financial means to live somewhere REALLY COOL. I don’t want to settle for something ordinary when I don’t have to. If this move is about taking a few chances and trying new things, I might as well not stop short of having the kind of living situation i’ve wanted since I was aware of these things called “homes.”

5. Bread. Factory. Destiny, I tell you. Destiny.

And now… my ridiculously wonderful friends are throwing me a going away party at the casa and I must party down.

Radical Careering asks “do you have a career worth loving?” I say, “thanks for asking, i’m certainly working on it.”

Ric Stultz’s portfolio is THE DEAL.

I’m going to The ‘Nooga to spend today and tomorrow trying to find an apartment. If you’re the praying type, i’m the thankful type. If you’re the specific praying type, the details mainly revolve around hardwood floors, sub-$600 rent, studio layout, within 10 blocks of the new office.

Swedx displays are a brilliant marriage of woodcraft and technology. Mmm… woodgrain computers. I’d go for a mahogany Macintosh. That would make me giddy.

Archie McPhee has the oddest assortment of toys, gifts, and novelties. Three words… Bacon Strip Band-Aids.

I just uploaded some new photos to my Flickr page.

Some of the crew (Karla, Lauren, Lee, and I) hit up downtown Greenville tonight for some delightful sushi fun at Tsunami. There’s just something about sitting on the floor at a short table and consuming foreign food that makes for an enjoyable evening. (I don’t so much rock the sushi, but I did however feast on some wonderful hibachi shrimp, veggies, and rice.) It was nice to have Lauren back in town. We miss you something fierce, lady.

Sidenote: I redesigned Lauren’s blog this afternoon before we left for Greenville. Go say “hello.”