John Mays of the employment law firm Mays & Kerr is a musical voyager. Mays is constantly in search of new sensations, unusual sounds and boundary-pushing musical experiences.

In his early 20s, Mays (performing under the nom de plume Johnny Mays) toured the country with an indie-rock band called The Octagon. The music blog Get Over Yourself Brooklyn, in a January 2008 review, described The Octagon's music as “chock full of catchy vocal melodies, driving guitar work with a nice lo-fi sound and all around great indie rock sensibility.”

While crossing the country as one of the guitarists for The Octagon, Mays played at some of the best-known national venues on the college-rock circuit, like Irving Plaza and the Mercury Lounge in New York, as well as local clubs like the Star Bar in Little Five Points. The Octagon opened for acts like the Scottish band Idlewild and for Sam Champion, who recorded for the label Razor & Tie.