Mason Interview 5/22/2008

[michelej1]

Grand Rapids Press,
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/g...l=6&thispage=1

Thursday, May 22, 2008By John SinkevicsThe Grand Rapids Press
SAUGATUCK -- Suffice to say, guitarist Dave Mason has made rock 'n' roll history, from forming Traffic in the late 1960s to playing with Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac to forging an illustrious solo career.

Despite those heady experiences, Mason insists they didn't seem like milestones at the time, especially as a young musician playing London's lively nightclub scene.

"Anybody who was making records you could find in there on any given evening -- Hendrix, (Eric) Clapton," Mason, 64, said in an interview from his California home. "Looking back, it was a great time. It won't happen again, not in that way.


"If you knew you were making history, you'd pay more attention."

These days, Mason is paying attention to yet another new solo album, a project he's worked on for years in different recording studios. He hopes to wrap it up at Detroit's Harmonie Park studio later this year.

"I've been piecing this together for the last seven years," he said, describing the collection as an eclectic mix, from "classic Dave" to blues-tinged tracks.

"I've always done that. I don't really have any one style of music. I'm more into the songs and whatever the song is and whatever is the best way for the music to convey the song."

Mason, who will bring his four-piece band with him Saturday when he plays the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, has had a knack for writing captivating songs since forming the musically diverse Traffic with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood.

He wrote the hit, "Hole in My Shoe," for Traffic in 1967 and later the song, "Feelin' Alright," which Joe Cocker turned into a Top 40 single. Mason's solo successes include "Only You Know and I Know" in 1970 and the Jim Krueger-penned "We Just Disagree," that hit No. 12 on the singles chart in 1977.

Mason hopes to release his new CD, tentatively titled "26 Letters and 12 Notes" (referring to the alphabet and number of notes used in Western music), in September.

The guitarist and singer still plays 80 to 100 shows annually, with his band -- Alex Drizos (bass), Johnne Sambataro (guitar), Alvino Bennett (drums) and Bill Mason (keyboards).

"They've gotta be good musicians, and the personalities have to work. You spend a lot of time with these people, so it's really important," Mason said. "That's one of the reasons I play live so much.

"I need to keep this band together. I don't want to keep changing it."
Mason is one of three headliners performing during an impressive Memorial Day weekend at the Saugatuck Center. On Friday, celebrated blues singer Shemekia Copeland plays the center; on Sunday, Chicago jazz artist Dee Alexander takes the stage.

Mason fans can expect to hear a lively cross-section of his career, from his famous rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" to Traffic songs such as "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Feelin' Alright" to new songs to familiar solo tunes that have endured the years.

"I try to write stuff that will last," he said, adding he's always injected "pop sensibility" into his songs. "I'm not prolific. ... I take my time."

If you go

Who: Shemekia Copeland (8 p.m. Friday), Dave Mason (8 p.m. Saturday), Dee Alexander (8 p.m. Sunday)

Where: Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St., Saugatuck

Tickets: Copeland, $35; Mason, $45; Alexander, $30; (269) 857-2399, sc4a.org