Mason Adams Band

The entourage have long since gone.... The past is just a trail that I have left behind.----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------. At 19, I (Mason Adams) first went on the road with my fellow home town 'rock type' freinds. We put in a huge amount of jamming in the year leading up to that, and we had decent chops for a bunch of young guy's. The road sort of chews you up and spits you out, and it did. I remember playing a real rough club in Vancouver that we had to play afternoon sets also. One afternoon, a bag lady came walking in the door and caught sight of the band and came shuffling over. In between songs, she walked up to our singer and whispered in his ear to play a slow song. So us, being a tad more musically deep than the odd bar band, pulled out 'Still in love with you' by 'Thin Lizzy' ala Gary Moore. Well if you have never heard that song, try listening to it without getting an emotional twig or two. Google it (not right now though), I am sure it's somewhere. The original recording is Gary Moore, but the u-tube clips have either John Sykes of Whitesnake fame or Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham playing live. They are all good, but the Gary Moore solo is a tear jerker and has way more feel, which really makes the song.------------ Anyway, this Lady just sit's there with a kinda blown away look on her face, like she remembers the song or something. I'am sure she did not expect us to play that, and of course she started to cry a bit too. It was a strange 4 or 5 minutes (seemed like an Hour), with a very extreme sureal quality.---------- So the song comes to a close, and at the end she stand's up and grab's her plastic bags and things she had with her. She slowly walks away while she is waving and mouths a slow thank you. It was like it was in a movie, but this really actually happened.------------------------------------ She then made her way back out into the really ''hard core' downtown Eastside of Vancouver's, if not Canada's, worst district. You had to be there, but it was a real out of the ordinary powerful moment neither of us will ever forget.---------------------- The as yet unposted song, and title of my upcoming album 'Bright Lights Big City' is loosely based on this, and simular experiences I have had. You never know how things will affect you, and I only recently realized the connection, and the lyrical and heart wrenching parrellel. I will, in the next, month post the song. It is now in the next few weeks being mixed, after a guest vocalist added some haunting back ups that just nailed the song.------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ----People seem to think being a musician is a peice of cake, or to record an album and such is a easy thing. It is not. It still takes years to develop your chops and find your sound, or your musical voice. I may not be there yet, in that zone, but I have for years slated a course for there. I hope to one day 'hone in on' a thick vein of songs that sound solid and mean something deep. I may have already begun pre-production on the beginings of them, only time will tell. All I know is when I get in the zone, and just free form some music all alone, I can hear some of the hint's of some heavy stuff. I attempt to get it down on CD, but it never really comes close. Once and a while listening back in the studio, I get a twig or a glimspe of something I think is getting there, but one day I hope I get closer, and really say something. It might not be now, but it's coming. Tick, tick, tick, tick (1,2,3,4)................................................... ............................................ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -------- MASON ADAMS (pictured top left) has been working on recording projects for years, but until now, without tangible results. He was also a guitar player who, at some point was offered a gig playing bass. This soon became a situation where he gained a huge amount of live experience, but also became a trap. He had been writing songs and playing guitar since he was 12 years old, and later in life had numerous studio Cd attempt's, which in his mind fell short of the mark, and nothing was ever released. Since being an overly proficiant writer, it wasn't until he could review 'at a fast recall' (on the computer) that things started to come together, thus enabling him to organize his many songs. He could then later, listen back with fresh ears and pick out the best 20 or 30 with more acuracy.---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------- His songs can veer around through different genre's, so he also had to pick a set of songs that artistically and/or commercially could be packaged together and make sense to the general public. So as it sit's today, he has an album ready to release with consistently strong material, and many different directions to pursue. Initally, due to high cost's of touring, he is going to concentrate on T.V and Film licencing opportunities, also to generate interest. If all goes well, he will be out on the road soon.------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------Mason Adams was formerly of the band 'Digg', with the current 'touring guitar player' of Sum 41, Tom Thacker (Gob). Earlier in his life he toured around the Pacific Northwest in a Classic rock band that played a lot of old 'Thin Lizzy' songs (ala Gary Moore). Playing 6 nights a week, for weeks on end, was a great learning experience and rare stage time in this day and age. A few years back, frustrated at working at soul destroying slave scenarios, he rededicated himself to working on his own songs at a higher level, to of course the overwhelming pessimisum of his so called freinds and family(not all of them...). He hoped that he would find likewise inspired people to jump on board and assist...................................................... ................................ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------- As outlined in the recent book by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, he (Malcolm) theorized that a person has to spend 10 years or 10,000 hours actively engaged in pursuing a specific goal/career to master it. In writing and recording countless songs on his computer, he was allotted the space and freedom, not to mention the 'years required' to forge out his own artistic development, free from outside control, and 'too many cooks in the kitchen' situations so often the case in many bands. Gone are the days when Record Companies would sign artists and spend time to develop them, so this was all done independently............................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ........................................................ This time extensive preproduction was done before Mason Adams booked time and, by himself, tracked the first 7 songs with Uber engineer Jesse Gander at the Hive studios in Vancouver B.C.-------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- He then later enlisted the help of guitarist 'DEREK MASON' to reinforce the exsisting guitar tracks, and help with editing and vocal production at Derek's studio 'DMMP'. Some new material was co-written by both of them, and most of the exsisting tracks were also co-written by 'Derek Mason.' Derek added keyboard textures and many textured guitar tracks and nuances, and since the two sunk endless hours into the production, a few of the unposted, soon to be mixed tracks have been said to have a 'Peter Gabriel/ Pink Floyd' type production not seen a lot today. Production credit will be given to both Mason Adams, Derek Mason and co-producer Steve Klassen. Although Mason Adams and Derek Mason co-wrote the majority of the upcoming album, along with a number of as yet unrealeased songs, Derek Mason is not a member of the Mason Adams Band. Mason Adams is the sole owner and only offical member of the 'Mason Adams Band' and hires outside musicains.-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------- The only thing missing was a few parts recently added from Vancouver Guitarist Jon Anderson and John Meyer from Macon Ga. This along with re-tracking the Bass (Steve Klassen) and Drums (Jared Falk), added another demension and really polished off the recording. These have really accented the guitar work that both Derek Mason and Mason Adams had originally recorded, and served as an occasional additional grove and texture that has added to the end result.----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- As of this fall (08), Mason Adams has enlisted the help of an outside Co-producer to finnish off the album. New Bass and Drums and guitar have just been completed (April.09), and after mixing Apr/May 09, the album will be available, and upcoming shows will be posted. ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................Mason Adams is also working on a more accoustic based album in the vein of the last Jakob Dylan album. The songs also have 'production leanings' of the last John Mellencamp album done with T Bone Burnett. Mason Adams has also been in talks with a well known L.A. Producer that he's come in contact with, and is interested in working with him soon. But, at this point, he doesn't quite want to let the cat out of the bag. The current album is complete except for some minor re-tracking and editing and should be available in the early new year (09).