Email Author Rick Mason

2013 Stories by Rick Mason

• Rodriguez

  published May 15, 2013

  The unlikely life and career of Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez could have been the stuff of Hollywood fiction. Instead Swedish... More >>

• Chicago Afrobeat Project

  published May 8, 2013

  Well over a decade after Fela Kuti's death, his influence remains profound, via Bill T. Jones's award-winning Broadway show based on his life as... More >>

• Vietnam

  published May 8, 2013

  Invoking not the country but the era when it was the United States' obsession, Vietnam is the appropriately obsessive expression of Michael... More >>

• Fourplay

  published May 8, 2013

  It might be said that the riskiest thing about the sleek jazz quartet Fourplay is the name. Sure, there's a nod-and-a wink aspect, but "fourplay"... More >>

• Stornoway

  published May 8, 2013

  "Take Me As I Am," a rollicking, folk-pop epic, kicks off Stornoway's Tales from Terra Firma with an effusive, unabashedly joyful... More >>

• Bill Frisell's Beautiful Dreamers

  published May 1, 2013

  The Beautiful Dreamers trio is just one of the seemingly endless projects of prolific and innovative guitarist Bill Frisell. Joining him is Eyvind... More >>

• Secret Stash Soul Revue

  published May 1, 2013

  Secret Stash, the local label specializing in digging up neglected musical nuggets of the past, unearthed a treasure trove of vintage local R&B... More >>

• Generationals / Brass Bed

  published May 1, 2013

  Since their inception, Generationals — the New Orleans duo of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer — have shuffled through an extensive array... More >>

• Craig Taborn

  published April 24, 2013

  Innovative jazz keyboardist and Golden Valley native Craig Taborn will be feted on his home turf in this multi-format showcase of his eclectic... More >>

• Diana Krall

  published April 24, 2013

  For most of her highly successful career, singer and pianist Diana Krall has focused on jazz standards, only rarely straying elsewhere (reputedly... More >>

• Fleetwood Mac

  published April 24, 2013

  While drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie have anchored Fleetwood Mac's rhythm section since its late-'60s origins, the band had several... More >>

• Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

  published April 17, 2013

  Bluegrass phenomenon Ricky Skaggs has enjoyed a long, prolific career still celebrated in contemporary alt-country circles. A master of mandolin,... More >>

• The Black Angels / Allah-Las / Elephant Stone

  published April 17, 2013

  The 21st-century neo-psychedelic phenomenon is an actual movement, with its own annual gathering (the upcoming Austin Psych Fest) and a slew of... More >>

• Johnny Marr

  published April 17, 2013

  The clarion, wiry ring of Johnny Marr's guitar and Morrissey's angst-laden vocals made the Smiths one of the definitive bands of the 1980s. After... More >>

• Boz Scaggs

  published April 9, 2013

  Recorded at Royal Studios, where the late Willie Mitchell helped create the signature Memphis sound with the likes of Al Green and Ann Peebles,... More >>

• Fatoumata Diawara

  published April 9, 2013

  Paris-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara's debut album, Fatou, is a sinuous, insinuating synthesis of traditional... More >>

• Akron/Family

  published April 9, 2013

  Currently configured as the trio of Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, and Dana Janssen, Akron/Family has been wildly eclectic and unpredictable over its... More >>

• Paquito D'Rivera & the Assad Brothers

  published April 9, 2013

  This is a genuinely extraordinary collaboration of virtuoso musicians who run the gamut from classical to Latin American roots. Brazilians... More >>

• The Mavericks

  published April 2, 2013

  In Time, the first new studio album from the Mavericks in a decade, sounds timeless. Marrying vintage country and pop with a wide array of... More >>

• Garbage / Io Echo

  published April 2, 2013

  Returning last spring from an eight-year "indefinite hiatus," Garbage essentially picked up where it left off: '90s-era, post-grunge alt-rock.... More >>

• John Zorn @ 60

  published April 2, 2013

  John Zorn is a multi-instrumentalist, renowned for his groundbreaking compositions and ferocious improvisations. To even scratch the surface of... More >>

• Caitlin Rose

  published April 2, 2013

  With a country soul and a pop heart, 25-year-old Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose sometimes suggests Stevie Nicks, more often evokes Patsy... More >>

• Wavves / FIDLAR / Cheatahs

  published March 27, 2013

  Wavves and FIDLAR are both Southern California bands that emerged from punk/DIY/slacker circles. Wavves' Nathan Williams got some help from a... More >>

• Chick Corea + Béla Fleck

  published March 27, 2013

  Pianist Chick Corea and banjoist Béla Fleck last toured as a duo five years ago following the release of their only album, 2007's The... More >>

• Madeleine Peyroux

  published March 27, 2013

  Billie Holiday long has been the dominant influence on Madeleine Peyroux. But another musical icon inspires Peyroux's new album, The Blue Room:... More >>