John Saye

Age: 24

HOMETOWN: Athens, Ga.

PLAYS: Martin acoustic guitar

MUSICAL ROOTS: "I started playing the guitar in 2002, when I was a freshman at Appalachian State University. I guess I'd always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so I was determined to teach myself. And as a freshman, I had plenty of time to do it."

FAVORITE MOVIE: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

FAVORITE CONCERT ATTENDED: The Black Keys at the Tabernacle, Atlanta, 2008. "It's just two guys. They come out on stage, and they literally put their heart on the stage and just play."

FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: A hunting club banquet in Athens in 2007. "It was just a lot of fun. It was a good atmosphere."

PRE-SHOW RITUAL: "Listening to other people's music and getting inspired from them."

SONGWRITING PROCESS: "Usually it starts with a funny little anecdote, something small that inspires me to build around it, into a song or story, and then I proceed from there."

IF HE COULD REMAKE ANY SONG: LONG COOL WOMAN (IN A BLACK DRESS), by the Hollies

WORST SHOW: A coffee shop at Fort Gordon, 2006. "I just completely forgot the words to a song, and I was just sitting there, and it was one of my first few times I had played out."

IF HE COULD PERFORM WITH ANYONE: It'd have to be either Ben Harper or Dave Matthews, probably more so Ben Harper."