Email Author Rick Mason

2013 Stories by Rick Mason

• 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 >>

• Martha Wainwright

  published March 20, 2013

  From her mother, Kate McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright inherited an acute sense of melody, a certain way of expression, and a fine, reedy vocal... More >>

• Ana Moura

  published March 20, 2013

  Fado, the ancient, bittersweet Portuguese folk music, has been enjoying a resurgence of popularity recently, and Ana Moura is one of its key... More >>

• Nanci Griffith

  published March 20, 2013

  Texas country-folk troubadour Nanci Griffith is back for a tripleheader at the Dakota after being forced to cancel her local dates last fall due... More >>

• Sena Ehrhardt Band

  published March 13, 2013

  Hailed in blues circles as a major up-and-coming talent, Rochester singer Sena Ehrhardt celebrates the release of her second album on Bay Area... More >>

• Django Django / Night Moves

  published March 13, 2013

  If the members of the London art-rock band Django Django love legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt so much they invoked his name twice for... More >>

• Ryan Bingham / honeyhoney

  published March 13, 2013

  After 2010's Junky Star, former rodeo bull rider Ryan Bingham buried Dead Horses, his old band, veered off Lost Highway, his old label, and... More >>

• SFJAZZ Collective

  published March 13, 2013

  The mission of the SFJAZZ Collective is simple but brilliant: Assemble an octet of first-tier contemporary jazz musicians, annually focus on the... More >>

• McCoy Tyner Quartet

  published March 6, 2013

  A genuine titan of modern jazz, pianist McCoy Tyner solidified his legacy early on as a member of John Coltrane's groundbreaking '60s-era quartet.... More >>

• Lila Downs & La Misteriosa

  published March 6, 2013

  After picking up a Latin Grammy last year, borders-defying singer-songwriter Lila Downs just won a 2013 Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album... More >>

• Charles Lloyd Sky Trio

  published March 6, 2013

  Saxophonist/flautist Charles Lloyd has remained an innovative, even visionary force in contemporary jazz for half a century. Lloyd checks into the... More >>

• Red House Records celebrates 30 years

  published February 27, 2013

  One night in the early 1980s, Bob Feldman was at the old Coffeehouse Extemporé in Minneapolis's West Bank neighborhood. Performing was... More >>