Willy Mason
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Willy Mason | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | New York City, United States | November 21, 1984
Genres | Folk, blues, country |
Years active | 2004–present |
Labels | Astralwerks EMI Grandma's Basement Team Love Records Virgin Records Fiction Records |
Website | willymason |
Willy Mason (born November 21, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (June 2016) |
Mason was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Jemima James and Michael Mason, both songwriters. Mason is a direct descendant of the 19th-century philosopher William James, the brother of novelist Henry James.[1][2]
When Mason was five, he and his family moved from Tarrytown, New York to West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
He attended Chilmark Elementary School through 5th grade, West Tisbury Elementary School and Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, where he participated in several local bands such as Keep Thinking, Cultivation, and Slow Leslie. He also was in the MVRHS Minnesingers and performed in musical theater productions.
Career
Mason's first commercial release was a five-track extended-play album G-Ma's Basement EP. This included solo acoustic recordings of "Live It Up", "Hard Hand to Hold", "Waiter at the Station", "Not Lie Down" and "Oxygen". The album was sold during 2004 live appearances and on the internet.
Mason's popularity rose after Sean Foley, an associate of musician Conor Oberst, discovered his music on a local Martha's Vineyard radio broadcast. Oberst would soon sign Mason to his new record label, Team Love Records and in the summer of 2004, Mason and his brother Sam traveled to Old Soul Studios in the Catskill Mountains, New York, to record Where the Humans Eat. Recording sessions were mostly live, in no more than three takes, featuring Willy Mason's guitar and vocals, and Sam Mason (director) on the drums. Minimal overdubs of guitar, bass and other instruments were added later. The album was released in the U.S. in October 2004, and by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom in February 2005. The album and its singles ("Oxygen" and "So Long"), charted in the UK Singles Chart and Albums Chart in 2005.[3]
After many live appearances throughout 2004 and 2005, culminating with a performance at the
.Mason released his second album,
Mason also sang on two songs on the album Hawk (2010) by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. He also featured in "No Room For Doubt", from Lianne La Havas's EP "Lost & Found" (and subsequently her debut album Is Your Love Big Enough?), which was released on October 21, 2011 on the Labour of Love label.
He toured small venues in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in 2011, and during the tour he recorded a live session at 80 Hertz Studios in The Sharp Project, Manchester. The single "We Can Be Strong" was featured in the series finale of the British sitcom Fresh Meat' in late 2011.
On September 21, 2012, Mason announced the release of his third album Carry On. It was to be released on December 3, and would be his first album released on
On February 5, 2013, Mason and Brendan Benson put to tape Upstairs at United Vol. 7. Benson produced, assembled, and conducted an arsenal of stellar musicians who graced the sacred space upstairs at United Record Pressing with seven songs all written by Mason's folk artist parents Jemima James and Michael Mason.[4]
In September 2015, Mason toured Australia as a member of the ensemble cast of "A State of Grace", a themed concert featuring the music of Tim and Jeff Buckley.[5] Later in the year he provided vocals on Jamie Woon's single Celebration from his album Making Time.[6]
Discography
Albums
- Where the Humans Eat (2004) No. 38 UK (2005 release)
- If the Ocean Gets Rough (2007) No. 33 UK, No. 60 Ireland
- Carry On (2012)
- Upstairs at United, Vol. 7 - Willy Mason & Brendan Benson (2013)
- Already Dead (2021)[7]
EPs
- Untitled (G-Ma's Basement) EP (2004) (U.K. and U.S.)
- Hard Hand to Hold (Radiate) EP (2004) (U.K. only)
- Hard to Lie Down (Radiate) EP (2005) (U.K. only)
- Scraps (Radiate / Astralwerks) EP (2006) (U.S. only)
- March 28, 2006 EP (2006) (worldwide)
- It's Easy to Talk EP (2007) (worldwide)
- gmb01 Live Tour EP (2009) (U.K. only)
- So Long Baby Shoes EP (2010) (worldwide)
- Live at Grange Hall (2011) (worldwide)
Singles
- "Oxygen (Radiate)" (2005) No. 23 (U.K. only)
- "So Long (Radiate)" (2005) No. 45 (U.K. only)
- "Hard Hand to Hold " (2005)
- "Save Myself (Radiate)" (2007) No. 42 U.K.
- "We Can Be Strong" feat KT Tunstall (Radiate)(2007) No. 52 U.K.
- "Talk Me Down" (2013)
- "Youth On A Spit" (2021) [1]
Other contributions
- WFUV: City Folk Live VII (2004) – "Oxygen"
- Acoustic 07 (2007, V2 Records) – "Oxygen"
- The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show (2007, EMI) – "Careless Whisper"
See also
References
- ^ Emma Brown (August 21, 2013). "WILLY MASON'S GOT GOLD". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ George Shaw. "An interview with Willy Mason". Floatation Suite. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-904-99410-7.
- ^ "Willy Mason & Brendan Benson – Upstairs at United, Vol. 7 453–1968 (LP)". February 5, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "A State of Grace". Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Jamie Woon Announces Making Time LP, Shares New Tracks Message and Thunder". Pitchfork. September 21, 2015.
- ^ Moore, Sam (March 29, 2021). "Willy Mason announces first new album in nine years and shares 'Youth on a Spit'". NME. Retrieved March 30, 2021.