The Newark Advocate, April 28, 2014
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Dave Mason: On the road, reviving Traffic days
NEWARK — Pop quiz: What Rock and Roll Hall of Famer cofounded Traffic, played on Jimi Hendrix’s apocalyptic blowout of “All Along the Watchtower” and even joined Fleetwood Mac for a brief stint in the mid-’90s?
Answer: Dave Mason, and he’s coming to Newark to perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Midland Theatre.
Originally from Worcester, England, Mason formed Traffic with multi-instrumentalist and singer Steve Winwood, percussionist Jim Capaldi, and flutist and saxophonist Chris Wood in 1967. That lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 in a ceremony in New York. Mason said he has visited the Hall of Fame in Cleveland “two or three times,” adding: “It’s nice that they recognized Traffic and the contributions.”
Now 67, Mason recently spoke with The Advocate via telephone from his California home during a break in touring. His Traffic Jam tour will continue into next year, with two other Ohio stops also planned for this week: Clark State Performing Arts Center in Springfield on Friday, and the Kent Stage in Kent on Saturday. Venues range from 350-seat clubs to 1,200-seat theaters and festivals.
“It’s too late to change jobs now,” Mason said. “I love playing, so why not keep doing it while I can?”
Tour stops can showcase live renditions of “Feelin’ Alright,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Forty Thousand Headmen,” “Medicated Goo” and “Rock and Roll Stew” from the Traffic days, he said, as well as Bob Dylan’s “Watchtower.” Yes, Joe Cocker had a huge international hit with a cover of “Feelin’ Alright,” but Mason wrote it while with Traffic and continues to perform it live these days.
The second half of the upcoming concert will focus on solo work, Mason said. That repertoire includes his hits “Only You Know and I Know,” “Show Me Some Affection” and “We Just Disagree.” He’ll also showcase songs from his upcoming CD, “Future’s Past,” which features a cover of Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen,” a reworking of “World in Changes” and his latest single, “How Do I Get to Heaven?”
“Future’s Past” began as updates of older songs but expanded to include the brand-new “Freedom.” The disc is available for pre-order now through davemasonmusic.com, with a free digital download of a 1978 concert at Belmont Park offered as a bonus.
Through the years, Mason has played and recorded with many of rock and roll’s greats on some of their best-known work: He performed on George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass,” the Rolling Stones’ “Beggars’ Banquet” and Joe Walsh’s “You Can’t Argue With a Sick Mind.” He’s recorded with Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Phoebe Snow and Mama Cass Elliot. He joined Fleetwood Mac for two years in the mid-’90s, performing on the 1995 release, “Time.”
When Hendrix recorded his turbulent version of “All Along the Watchtower” in 1968 on “Electric Ladyland,” Mason played the acoustic 12-string guitar. The two had heard Dylan’s acoustic recording of the song a few nights earlier at a friend’s apartment, Mason recalled. When Mason performs the song onstage now, he goes electric.
Mason said his music is frequently blues-based, featuring timeless themes, but not bound by any one style.
“I’m song-driven,” he said. “I’m not style-driven. I like all kinds of music. I do what the song suggests. You can’t pin a stylistic label on me, which bothers some people.”