February is the month of love...most humans seem to be on the same exact page with this concept. Maybe it's the dregs of winter bordering on the promise of spring that sends the pheremones (and sparks) flying. I'm certainly way into the celebration of all things romantic this month. Much more so than my norm.
A great friend of mine and musician that I've always admired, Andy Mason (aka A. Mason) has a fantastic album,
Illumination, that I love and have been listening to nonstop since he gifted me with it during his December show at Zebulon in Brooklyn. I've known Andy since we both played the local music circuit in Kentucky. I've always admired his talent, musical versatility, and his classic roots based in soul, latin, and jazz.
My Valentine's gift to all HH fans? We're giving out free copies of "Illumination" during the month of February with all online and in-store purchases. Another valentine that we're offering through this blog post? A
free download of my favorite A. Mason track (beginning on feb 14) Abandoned Love.
Andy was kind enough to sit down and answer some interview questions with me below. Check out his music at the following sites, or you can also find his music on iTunes under Andy Mason.
www.a-mason.netwww.myspace.com/masonicsoundwww.cdbaby.com/Artist/AMason1
Tell us a little about yourself...how did you get into music? I think I was just naturally drawn to it, but my older brother was this amazing drummer, which got me started. There was always a piano in the house, which had its own magnetic pull on me…
"Illumination" is such a great muy romantico album. What was the inspiration? A great tragic relationship, which I thought would be the end-all-be-all, then the end of me. Thing was, I went through every stage WHILE working on the cd, which provoked a lot of revision, but also several of the songs.
Who did the cover art for your album?Enrique Gonzalez...he's a visual artist from Venezuela. We play together in Big Maracas. He sings.
You're a solo performer, but tell us a bit about the other artists who perform on the album with you. The best musicians...about as good as it gets. Club Dub, an amazing reggae, dub, and funk band played on several tracks - Willie Eames: guitar, Dave Farris: drums, and Steve Cherry: bass. Willie and Dave (who also form two-thirds of the head -spinning Tallboys) are pretty much on the whole thing. Danny Cecil – great upright bassist, more of a jazz player. Modesto Marcano is a Venezuelan-born Violist, so fluid. My pals in the Swells brought a little Big Easy. Warren Byrom, Chris Sullivan, and John Pope on horns. Otto Helmuth recorded the cd.
What's your personal fave track on the album? I like the way ‘Sweet Surprise’ turned out, but ‘Perfect Solitude’ was so much from the heart that it, well… has a special place, as they say…
Illumination is a really interesting name for this album...sounds like there's a great story in there somewhere. Do tell?Actually...there are a couple of meanings. I felt the name Illumination described the sudden finding of joy and excitement in a new relationship. It also means the opposite...the other side of the relationship. Discovery of the person you're with, discovery of the truth when things fall apart. One month you're head over heels for someone, then the next you're trying to figure out what the hell happened. Illumination means all of those things at once to me...all aspects of a relationship.
Obviously, you sing and write...any other talents, musical or otherwise?Piano is my main thing these days, but I also play guitar and drums (my first instrument).
Any side projects?I play in a couple of bands that sort of pool membership The Swells play a huge mix of New Orleans music from different eras – including older jazz – and other roots music like honky-tonk country and rock and roll. The Big Maracas play Latin stuff, mostly Cuban Son, Cha-Cha-Cha and Brazilian stuff (with a lot of samba). We have a lot of fun.
Who were your biggest musical influences?Duke Ellington and Tom Waits are two of my favorites..Elvis Costello, David Byrne... New Orleans greats like Allen Toussaint and his associates have had a huge impact, as have Brazilian legends like Caetano Veloso & Jorge Ben.
If you could've been part of any band that has ever existed (live or deceased), who would be graced with your mad skills?Being in Duke’s band would have been so musically satisfying, but can you imagine being in one of the great Cuban dance bands? Unreal.
Is the glass half-full or half-empty?Both, really, but I prefer to focus on the half-full part.
Favorite book/movie/curse word?Living to tell the Tale, autobiography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (it’s just so cool to peek behind his fiction), though
Running in the Family by Michael Oondatje floored me. Film:
The Big Lebowski. Curse word?...all of them!
Describe your dream humanoid You mean dream-girl, or ideal human? Let’s just say she’d have a good sense of humor. Enjoys walking around nude in old train stations...that sort of thing.
Most romantic/erotic/cosmic/seismic memory (remember...it's all for the lovers out there!)Ahhh…the subject of the album…I was totally taken by surprise by an emotional confession made to me after I walked her to her car, and just as we started kissing there was an enormous cloudburst and tropical downpour during which we just kept right on kissing, utterly soaked…only it wasn’t a movie.
Dream gig? Opening for Jorge Ben
Best song ever written? Stardust, by Hoagy Carmichael…okay in honor of V-day, La Vie En Rose is pretty damn good too
Strangest thing you own?Perhaps that would be the mini spittoon. I never realized what it was, or that I ever had it, until you asked this question.
Thanks. I'm putting it next to my Jesus action figure.
If you were a_______ you'd be ________ (5x)food/risotto
book/cloth bound
fabric/cotton
piece of clothing/a fedora
citrus/lime