Tom Misch has reflected on the time he played at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, when he was joined on stage by one of his biggest heroes.
In 2019, Misch – the neo-soul, jazz-funk and hip-hop powerhouse – joined the Crossroads festival bill alongside the likes of Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Lee, Jeff Beck, Marcus King, Gary Clark Jr., and more legendary guitar players.
Another name on the lineup was John Mayer, who offered to jam with Misch during his set at the very last minute.
“It was crazy. It was Eric Clapton’s Crossroads guitar festival, I think it was just before COVID,” Misch remembers in a new interview with Guitar World. “First of all, I was like, ‘Eric Clapton’s invited me to do this, this is incredible. He knows who I am!’
“Then, I was on the way there and I got a DM from John Mayer saying, ‘Do you want some assistance on your set?’ I just couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t spoken to him before and he was reaching out. I was so excited.”
Mayer reaching out was a huge deal to Misch, who has cited the Continuum guitarist as a key influence in his guitar playing. To this day, Misch still plays a John Mayer Fender Stratocaster signature.
He continues, “I just couldn’t believe it. I knew he was going to jump up for the set I was doing. It was a great lineup – I had Yussef Dayes on drums and Rocco Palladino on bass, and we were playing a couple of my songs.
“I think it was a quite short set – we had like 20 minutes. I remember John came into the room half an hour before we went on just to jam some of the ideas. He was really tall. And, obviously, had such big energy. He comes into the room and literally had his hands up in the air. He’s a really nice guy, he’s very complimentary.”
It was a whirlwind experience for Misch, but it didn’t end there. Not only did he get to play with Mayer, his hero also made a unique observation about his own playing that reframed his entire perspective.
“I remember him pointing out something interesting,” Misch recalls. “He was saying that I play very laterally, as opposed to horizontally. That’s something I’ve never noticed before, but I’ve thought about it a lot since. If I do a scale I’ll go up the fretboard, as opposed to across the strings.”
The pair would later team up for an NPR Tiny Desk performance in 2020, but have yet to collaborate again. If Misch has his way, more team-ups could eventually follow.
“I think it will happen,” he says. “I want to find the right project, you know, to ask him if he wants to get involved. I reckon he’d be up for it.”
Guitar World’s full interview with Tom Misch will be published soon.
Misch tours the EU next week, starting with a show in Amsterdam on June 8. Visit Tom Misch's website for a full list of dates.
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