Mason Interview, Sierra Mountain Times, July 2009
http://mysierramountaintimes.com/200...-kristapovich/
Few musicians are as influential as this man. In the late ‘60s, he helped form the Hall of Fame rock group, Traffic! He recorded numerous solo albums that went either gold or platinum and appeared on albums by such superstars as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Stephen Stills, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and many others. And believe it or not, he actually became a working member of Fleetwood Mac! He released a CD in late 2008 titled “26 letters, 12 Notes” and He’s being considered for a Lifetime Achievement Award. His name is Dave Mason and he’s coming to the Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys on July 24th! He will be opening for another legendary band, the Moody Blues. It will be kind of like a modern-day British Invasion, you might say! And any true blue rock and roll fan is going to want to be there!
The Dave Mason story begins on May 10th, 1946, in Worcester, England, (his birthplace.) And considering Dave’s early years, one could never imagine that he would someday become a rock and roll superstar. “My dad owned a candy store in Worcester and ran it for about 48 years. It was called ‘Mason’s’” Dave revealed. Rather than take over a candy empire, Dave pursued music. In the mid-‘60s, he and friend, Jim Capaldi (born August 24, 1944; also in Worcester) performed in several bands that played cover versions of songs made famous by the big groups of the time, like the Beatles. Jim played drums and Dave, guitar. Dave had also become a Spencer Davis Group (“Gimme Some Lovin’”) roadie! Then, in 1967, something very magical happened: he and Capaldi met a youngster named Steve Windwood and together, they formed Traffic. (Capaldi thought of that name while standing on a street corner.) The group was right for the time; yet, in some ways, ahead of their time. It was the era of flowers and beads, peace symbols, bell-bottom pants, and incense burning everywhere; the music that Traffic produced blended beautifully with the time. It was a surreal amalgam of jazz, blues, classical—along with psychedelic, Eastern and West Indian musical influences. Rolling Stone called it “a kind of embryonic world music” and “psychedelia for brain people: Dave Mason’s sitar lifts (the song) ‘Paper Sun’ towards sonic majesty”! The members of Traffic may have hailed from England, but they synchronized magically with the vibes created during the Summer of Love! On June 1, 1967, Traffic’s first single, “Paper Sun” entered the U.K. charts and rose to #5! Then, on October 2nd, what would become the group’s biggest British hit, “Hole in My Shoe” reached #2! In December, Traffic’s debut album, “Mr. Fantasy” hit the record stores and created a sensation! Dave reflects on that time. “We were kids. We were young. We were out there, a bunch of kids conquering the world, and I wrote half of Traffic’s first two albums,” Dave revealed proudly. The group’s second album, simply titled “Traffic” reached #17 and remained on the Top 40 Albums chart for almost two months. The L.P. yielded a hit called “Feelin’ Alright” which Dave actually penned when he was only 19. Dave’s web site, (
www.dave-mason.com) proclaims (and with justification), “This song has since become a rock and roll anthem, having been recorded by well over 48 artists, the best known version being Joe Cocker’s.” And Dave has composed dozens of other fine songs since then!
Sadly, in late 1968, Traffic started to break up. Dave came to the U.S. to pursue a solo career and within months, Steven Windwood left Traffic to form a “super group” called Blind Faith (with Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker of Cream and bassist Ric Grech of the British group Family.) That group was short-lived. Meanwhile, Dave was putting together an album that would become a rock classic, “Alone Together”! With such guest musicians as Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie as well as Jim Capaldi, the highly regarded album stayed on the charts for six months, went “gold” and produced the hit “Only You Know and I Know”! (“That album’s gone way more than ‘gold’ now!” Dave pointed out.) So, with the release of “Alone”, Dave was on his way to stardom as a solo artist! At about this time, Traffic was regrouping sans Mason and recorded the album “John Barleycorn Must Die,” (1970) and the FM stations frequently play the cuts “Glad” and “Freedom Rider.” But Mason did not remain completely solo. In the summer of ’70, he renewed an old friendship with Mama Cass Elliot and together they performed at L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl in September. In 1971, they released the L.P. “Dave Mason and Cass Elliot”. “It was interesting. It was kind of an odd paring; but it came out of a social friendship,” Dave recalls. Also that year, Mason rejoined Traffic, briefly, for a few British concerts, resulting in the “Live at the Canteen” L.P.
Traffic continued on with their jazzy, improvisational/jam style on albums like “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971) and Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory (1973). But on August 31st, 1974, Traffic gave its “Farewell Performance” at Britain’s annual “Reading Festival”. In September, the group released their L.P., “When the Eagle Flies” and disbanded shortly thereafter. However, the contributions that Traffic made to the world of music (especially when Mason was with them) will not be forgotten soon. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Soon after 1974’s final breakup, Capaldi and Mason started releasing solo albums. Windwood released his solo debut in 1977, followed by several more successful solo efforts in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But from the time of Mason’s debut album in 1970, he surged ahead with his solo career. To his credit, he also contributed solid guitar work to other artists’ albums, like George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”! In fact, Mason has appeared on over two dozen notable albums such as the Rolling Stones’ “Beggar’s Banquet” (1968), “Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour With Eric Clapton” (1970), “Graham Nash & David Crosby” (1972), Paul McCartney’s “Venus And Mars” (1975), Stephen Still’s “Thoroughfare Gap” (1978), and many more recordings! Dave even was featured on Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” L.P., playing acoustic guitar on “All Along the Watchtower”! Dave’s solo album catalog is impressive: “Headkeeper” and “Dave Mason Is Alive” (1972); 1973’s“It’s Like You Never Left” (with musical support from Graham Nash and Stevie Wonder) and his album simply titled “Dave Mason”; “Split Coconut (1975); 1977’s certified platinum “Let It Flow”—which gave Dave his biggest hit, “We Just Disagree”. That song reached #12 on the singles chart. Dave’s other albums include “Mariposa de Oro” (1978); “Old Crest on a New Wave” (1980); “Two Hearts” (1988) and “Live: 40,000 Headmen Tour (with Jim Capaldi) (1999)!
There is one very fascinating aspect of Dave’s music career: He actually was in the group Fleetwood Mac! Some rock fans might not be aware of that, but it’s true! In October of 1993, Dave formally joined that legendary group and spent two years touring the world with them! “It was an odd mixture of fun and major hassles. When you try to deal with three or four different managers…” he sighed. Still, the Mac recorded an album titled “Time” and released it in October of 1995. It features Dave’s lead vocals on several songs including “Blow by Blow” and “I Wonder Why”!
Dave is always up to something, whether he’s recording his own works, lending his talents to other artists’ recordings or touring. Last year, Dave played 200 concert dates! In fact, in a photo montage (in the booklet that accompanies his latest release), there is a picture of a tee shirt that says “ALWAYS ON TOUR—DAVE MASON” For sure, Dave is very busy, and always in-demand! What does he do in his spare time? “In between concerts, there’s not a lot of time,” he insists. “But in between, I just want to relax.” He does enjoy playing with his Pomeranian, spending special moments with his girlfriend, or his daughter, Danielle (28), or just driving around in his Acura. He also enjoys reading adventure novels, or something where there’s intrigue involved.
Has Dave ever been up to the Mother Lode? “Yes, I played the Calaveras County Fair a couple of times and it’s beautiful up there!” he exclaimed. “But I’ve never played at Ironstone. It should be fun!“
I attempted to get Dave to name his best work, or his best album. “What do you consider your masterpiece, Mr. Mason?” I asked. “Well, actually the new one, ‘26 Letters – 12 Notes’ is my favorite”, he insisted. I had listened to this CD the night before, and what I noticed was that his new album was so incredibly diverse! There’s a little rock and roll (”One Day“, “Pink Lipstick” and “You’re Standing in My Light”); a little blues (”Let Me Go” and “Good 2 U”). There’s a haunting, yet captivating guitar instrumental (”El Toro”). There’s hip-hop funk (“World of Hunger”); there’s the classic “Dave Mason sound” on “Passing Thru the Flame”. There’s some great Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano on the rockin’ tune “Ain’t Your Legs Tired Baby?” There’s a little bit of everything! I asked him, “Are there any cuts on the album that you really, personally like; or are kind of proud of?” To which Dave replied, “All of them! That’s why they’re on there! And it’s value for money!” Dave proclaimed. “I just like good songs. Some I wrote; some I co-wrote. There are some on there that other people wrote. I like a great song! And if I can relate to it, then I can perform it. It’s a craft as much as it is anything else.” He explained. I was curious about any special significance regarding the title. “Well, it’s just that I needed a title.” Dave remembers. “I tried to come up with something simple–but original. And that title’s never been used. There are 26 letters in the alphabet and twelve notes in the scale. That’s the tools I’ve got to work with. I was working on this album for about seven years.” Dave elaborated. “I wasn’t in any rush. I was just making it for my own amusement. I had a house where I was just living by myself, and I had the whole place, pretty much wired. And that’s where I started making the album. Then I was playing around with the recording; just on and off, whenever I was off the road. I wasn’t in any rush. I had no deadline. I had no record deal, and I wasn’t expecting one,” Dave admitted, (though this writer thinks he was just being modest. One thing I noticed from the beginning of our discussion: the man comes across as sincere and very easy to talk to—and very humble.) He’s also a very conscientious person. His philosophy is that you should “Leave things in a better place than you found them.”
Who, or what, has had the most influence on Dave’s music? “Oh God, I can’t…”Dave admitted. “It’s impossible to pick any one thing, you know. It’s a combination of everything. All the stuff I started out listening to, like the Ventures, the Shadows, Elmore James, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, George Benson and I could go on and on and on! I used to listen to a lot of music: Tibetan music, Chinese, Japanese, Bulgarian music. I used to listen to a lot of stuff! I get bored easy, and I like to experiment a little bit. So I tried to just do something, so it was a little like, ‘This is Dave Mason’! And somebody would go, ‘Who? No, that ain’t Dave Mason.’ “Yeah, THAT’S Dave Mason!” like (the song) “Pink Lipstick” or “World of Hunger”. Those aren’t going to be your ‘typical’ Dave Mason sounds. But there’s enough stuff on my CD for everybody! And for all those people who want another ‘We Just Disagree’, I put some more recognizable Dave Mason stuff in there!” Indeed, I found the CD to be a cornucopia of different styles and very satisfying!
Dave has been crafting great music for over 40 years and is unquestionably one of rock and roll’s true legends. What a spectacular double bill: Dave Mason and The Moody Blues, the same night: Friday, July 24th at the Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys! And like Dave says, “It’ll be fun!” True to his humble nature, Dave has perhaps made an understatement! It should be incredible!
Tickets for the Dave Mason/Moody Blues show can be purchased by going to ticketmaster.com. Get yours before they sell out!