JOHN MAYER BRINGS FANS INSIDE
John Mayer decided that this past Saturday was “Take Your Fans to Work Day,” so the musician brought some video equipment into the studio to share the recording process with his minions. If you visit the blog section at JohnMayer.com now, you can check out footage of the rocker jammin’ on his guitar, as well as hear a snippet of the tentatively titled “Taking on Water,” the opening track of his yet to be named new album. In addition, Mayer talks about his upcoming summer tour. He says there will be a set consisting of his singles and covers, another featuring some blues and finally, fans will get to vote on his encore. That tour kicks off July 2nd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

ROB THOMAS WRITES IN THE MOMENT
Rob Thomas has been lauded as one of the best songwriters out there, having already won the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Starlight Award for young scribes who have made a lasting impact on the industry. So, what advice does that matchbox twenty singer have for writers? Don’t get bogged down in the grandiose. "See, I think if you’re a writer, your job is to kind of take those moments where you are having an argument or where you’re feeling troubled and just king of extrapolate on that, because when you’re writing a song you’re not explaining your whole being, in that one song, you’re just explaining that one moment in time, and sometimes that one moment is just when you’re having an argument and you have that pit in your stomach and don’t how it’s gonna turn out, and then you just write about that and you don’t have to suffer for 24 hours a day.”

WIN THE ULTIMATE SANTANA EXPERIENCE
Carlos Santana will be playing in San Francisco over the weekend of October 11th and you can now bid on living up the experience in high style. The winner of the auction, which benefits the rocker’s Milagro Foundation, and a friend will receive first class airfare to the California city, free hotel stay, tickets to the October 12th show, a meet and greet and much more. For more details about the winning package, as well as to learn how to bid, visit Santana.com. The auction closes on June 16th.

AVRIL APOLOGIZES FOR CANCELED TOUR DATES
Just days after canceling shows in San Diego and Phoenix due to acute laryngitis, Avril Lavigne announced she’s postponing six more.  According to People.com, she released a statement over the weekend expressing her “sincerest apologies to all of her fans.”  She said her “intention was to complete the rest of the tour, but at sound check in Anaheim she realized it wasn’t possible.”  Shows were canceled in Anaheim, Universal City, Santa Barbara and San Jose, California, as well as Spokane and Everett, Washington.  Refunds are available now.