Email Author Rick Mason

2013 Stories by Rick Mason

• 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 >>

• Young Buffalo / Blessed Feathers / Ex Cops

  published February 27, 2013

  Young Buffalo (pictured) lead a trio of intriguing bands on Thursday. The Oxford, Mississippi, duo of Ben Yarbrough and Jim Barrett are... More >>

• Mary Gauthier

  published February 20, 2013

  Like fellow Louisiana native Lucinda Williams, Mary Gauthier sings with a molasses drawl moist with glistening droplets of emotion and has an... More >>

• Red Baraat

  published February 20, 2013

  Dubbing its raucous, teeming sound Brooklyn bhangra, Red Baraat is a ferocious dhol'n'brass octet that mashes together the brass band tradition of... More >>

• Habib Koité & Eric Bibb

  published February 20, 2013

  Guitarists Habib Koité and Eric Bibb met a decade or so ago while recording the album Mali to Memphis, which details the numerous... More >>

• Camper Van Beethoven

  published February 13, 2013

  Last month, influential indie-rock pioneers Camper Van Beethoven released La Costa Perdida, their first album in nine years, 30 years after... More >>

• Stacey Kent

  published February 13, 2013

  Although she hails from New Jersey, sublime jazz vocalist Stacey Kent evokes a sophisticated European vibe. Kent's understated voice relies on... More >>

• George Strait

  published February 13, 2013

  Hailed as a new traditionalist when he kicked off his career 30-some years ago, George Strait hasn't strayed far from his honky-tonk and western... More >>

• The Residents

  published February 13, 2013

  Take the square root of Sun Ra, multiply by Captain Beefheart cubed, add maybe a dash of Stockhausen, divide by the tangent of Frank Zappa, toss... More >>

• Eric Burdon / Lamont Cranston Band

  published January 30, 2013

  The Animals were one of the darkest, moodiest bands of the British Invasion. Frontman Eric Burdon growled out Animals hits like the traditional... More >>

• Lucinda Williams

  published January 30, 2013

  Americana singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams has the wonderfully evocative drawl and Flannery O'Connor-esque Gothic inclinations of her Southern... More >>

• Ben Frost

  published January 30, 2013

  Musician, composer, and producer Ben Frost's stark, sweeping soundscapes are appropriately coated with metaphoric rime, striking in frozen beauty... More >>

• Vusi Mahlasela

  published January 30, 2013

  Revered in his native South Africa and simply but poetically known as the Voice, Vusi Mahlasela wrote the anti-Apartheid anthem "When You Come... More >>

• Kelly Hogan

  published January 23, 2013

  Eclecticism was a hallmark of electrifying singer Kelly Hogan's career from her early days, when the Georgia native experimented with the Jody... More >>

• Mother Banjo/Vicky Emerson

  published January 23, 2013

  Local Americana-leaning singer-songwriters Mother Banjo and Vicky Emerson — joined by their respective bands — team up for a dual... More >>