
Banking on his grassroots following to flock to small venues, singer-songwriter John Mayer has launched a U.S. tour.
The itinerary--most of which comprises performances at clubs and theaters through early March--includes two-night stands in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. The Feb. 7 performance at Atlanta's Georgia Theatre is scheduled to be filmed for a future home video/DVD release.
Until late last year, Mayer, who attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music, was a relatively unknown artist on the Aware label, which is credited with discovering Hootie and the Blowfish, the Dave Matthews Band and the Verve Pipe.
With a style somewhere between Jeff Buckley and David Gray, Mayer self-released the CD "Inside Wants Out" in 1999. His major-label debut, "Room for Squares" (Aware/Columbia), followed in September 2001. The first single, "No Such Thing," is receiving some radio airplay; the next single, "Your Body is a Wonderland," is set to hit radio on March 5.