Willy Mason To Tour This Spring With First Aid Kit & Perform at Sasquatch in May
New Album Carry On Out Now On Communion Records
"Yes, you read that right: Willy Mason's Carry On is a perfect record. Perfect - we wouldn't
change a note!" - American Songwriter
"Equal parts hobo and Holden Caulfield...Willy Mason blends precocious
lyricism, spare, jangly guitar, and a world-weary voice that
sounds older than his years." - Rolling Stone
"Mason's lo-fi blues/folk blend is refreshingly humble and unostentatious. Instead of using
these standards as a springboard for modern adventures in composition, he sticks to their rawboned essence. Unlike some of his peers, Mason doesn't play up that rawness; instead he allows those old Progressions to work their magic..." -Pitchfork
lyricism, spare, jangly guitar, and a world-weary voice that
sounds older than his years." - Rolling Stone
"Mason's lo-fi blues/folk blend is refreshingly humble and unostentatious. Instead of using
these standards as a springboard for modern adventures in composition, he sticks to their rawboned essence. Unlike some of his peers, Mason doesn't play up that rawness; instead he allows those old Progressions to work their magic..." -Pitchfork
Willy Mason just announced a spring tour with First Aid Kit in support of his critically acclaimed album Carry On out now on Communion Records. American Songwriter said,"Mason's voice is gorgeous, his lyrics evocative and his arrangements adventurous - it's a complete package that is as airtight as it is simple, as gorgeous as it rugged, the sort of record that burrows deep into your brain and doesn't let go." Willy's upcoming tour makes stops in major markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and more. Additionally, Willy Mason will be performing on the main stage at the Sasquatch! Festival held at the Gorge Amphitheater in May. All shows are listed below.
Willy Mason recently performed "Talk Me Down" from Carry On for Last.fm and stopped by the Relix Magazine Headquarters to perform "I've Got Gold." Both videos are available to post and share. Additional official videos, sessions and performances are available to watch on the official Willy Mason Website.
Willy Mason recently performed "Talk Me Down" from Carry On for Last.fm and stopped by the Relix Magazine Headquarters to perform "I've Got Gold." Both videos are available to post and share. Additional official videos, sessions and performances are available to watch on the official Willy Mason Website.
Carry On, produced by Dan Carey (MIA, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand), is Mason's debut full-length album for Communion Records, the influential UK based record label co-founded by Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons). The label has been home to notable artists Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, Gotye, Daughter and more. Communion's love and respect for Willy was cemented through Lovett touring with Mason - seeing the new songs take shape and evolve live. Lovett says:
"Willy Mason is one of the greatest Songwriters of our generation. In the UK his music is held up with the legends, and has inspired many people I know. Moving to the US this year and establishing Communion further in North America, I have been stunned by how little familiarity there is with Willy's music, I am stunned by how few people have been touched by his songs. And this emotion, one of injustice, is exactly why I started Communion with my friends and partners in the UK in the first place...Willy Mason sings songs to your soul, and it feels good."
Willy was just 19 when he was discovered by an associate of Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), which led to the release of his debut album, Where the Humans Eat on Oberst's Team Love record label. It was a record that showed us a young man with a tremendous, broad-oaked voice, a great songwriting talent, and a peculiar wisdom beyond his years. In 2007, he returned with If The Ocean Gets Rough, an album that only underlined his ability to capture the spirit of a time, a place, and a generation. Mason earned massive critical commercial in the UK, selling 150k records and performing to thousands as a headline artist.
In the years that followed, Mason kept himself busy: writing songs of course, but also playing in friends' bands, promoting shows, teaching music classes, as well as a little shell-fishing, and hosting a radio talk show called 'The Fish & Farm Report'. "The diversity and the range of experiences gave me a chance to learn a lot more about music." Mason says. "I got to further my musicianship. I came to see playing shows and entertainment as a fundamental part of society, and I'm just playing my role." Willy was also featured in the video for "No Room For Doubt" (approaching one million views on Youtube), a collaboration between he and breakout artist, Liana LaHavas, which helped launch her career in the UK.
All the while, Mason was accumulating a clutch of new songs that would make up Carry On. On his relationship with Carey, Mason states: "Dan was a musical collaborator, and so he had a big influence on the sound," Mason says "He was able to make the beats sound so human, and so it felt like the tracks were laid and I could kind of let go a bit more."
Letting go is perhaps the greatest theme of Carry On. It's present in the rhythms - hints of dub and reggae infusing Mason's characteristic folk structures, and in his voice as well , which swings from gravel-deep to something higher, flightier and more fragile. And of course, it's also packed tight in these songs' lyrics; songs about self-doubt, about love and lost connections, the death of a friend, and a broader, bolder sense of the changing world around us. There is a hope rising anew. Mason says, "I think the album itself is about growing up and trying to find one's place," Mason says, "about making peace with the past, accepting it as part of one's identity and moving forward."
Willy Mason Tour Dates
05.03 - Spring, TX @ Texas Crawfish Festival
05.22 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
05.23 - Vancouver, BC @ Rio Theater *
05.24 - Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch Festival at Gorge Amphitheatre
05.26 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
05.28 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Ray Theatre *
05.29 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom *
06.02 - Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room *
06.03 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater *
06.04 - Chicago, IL @ Park West *
06.06 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
06.07 - Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre *
06.08 - Boston, MA @ Paradise *
06.09 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
06.11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
06.12 - Washington DC @ 9:30 Club *
06.13 - Carborro, NC @ Cats Craddle *
* with First Aid Kit
For more info, please visit: