John Mayer named his favorite Grateful Dead tune to solo over during a recent Q&A on his radio show – and took the opportunity to play it live on air.
Since its inception back in November 2023, Life with John Mayer – the Sob Rock electric guitar star’s own exclusive year-round radio program on SiriusXM – has been a hotbed of insight, offering unique behind-the-scenes glimpses of Mayer’s creative activities.
Not only has he openly discussed his approach to songwriting, and named his favorite album from his own repertoire, in the past, he’s also used the channel to shine a light on emerging players, praising the likes of George Collins.
Now, in an on-air Q&A, he’s named his favorite Grateful Dead song to solo over.
“Well, I happen to have a guitar here. Do you know this song?” Mayer says in the studio in response to the question, before riffing through China Cat Sunflower – a track lifted from the band’s 1969 studio record, Aoxomoxoa.
Mayer takes a beat to explain why he likes China Cat Sunflower so much. Moving around the fretboard and flicking between rhythm and lead, he pulls out some of his go-to licks, including some tasty descending chromatic runs, which lead directly back into the main hook.
With some helpful narrative, it’s a useful insight into what goes through Mayer’s mind when he’s constructing a solo.
China Cat Sunflower is a particularly interesting ‘case study’ – Mayer always has his mind on Weir’s vocal melodies, and is aware of what’s going on around him, shaping the parts he plays in service of the song.
He's still completely in the zone, though. When he finishes the solo, he admits, “I step back and I’m like, ‘Don’t think about it. Maybe you nailed it, maybe you didn’t.’”
It helps that his phrasing is characteristically top notch, and that his tone and feel is impeccable. He could riff a rubber band over China Cat Sunflower and it would still sound good.
The best part of the clip? Funnily enough, it’s not Mayer’s playing. It’s the fact the person asking the question filmed their reaction to his answer – and the look they give when Mayer starts to solo away is priceless.
Mayer has spent the past 10 years playing with Bob Weir in Dead & Company, having formed the supergroup back in 2015. In that time, they’ve been honoring the music of Grateful Dead, but during an interview with Guitar World earlier this the pair hinted at the possibility of releasing new music together.
