The Boston Phoenix, April 15-22, 1999

The Cult of Ray -A Tribute For Northampton's Mason, Cellars by Starlight -- by Brett Milano

When it comes time to write his life story, Ray Mason's going to have an easy time summing it all up. "I was born. I started playing in the mid '60s. I'll keep playing until I die. That's it. Kind of a simple life. I'm going to go until I drop, and I'll go down face-forward, hitting one of those big twangy chords."

Mason isn't just a rock-and-roll lifer but a man who truly lives for the stuff. He's equally obsessive as a fan and player. "My back room is just full of records, and I listen to music all the time. I still have 45s that I've been playing since 1959. When I go to sleep at night I think of about 40 or 50 albums that I'd like to hear. Then I wake up and listen to something else." Like many local players, he started by distributing homemade demo tapes and evolved to a position of indie-label cultdom. The only difference is that Mason, who turns 49 this year, started distributing those tapes back in 1982. And his indie career -- which includes '60s roots in Holyoke-based garage bands and a stint as bass player with fusionaire Michael Gregory -- now covers three decades.

"He was an indie-rocker before that phrase was coined," notes Pete Weiss, the local artist/producer who's one of 18 contributors to the new Ray Mason tribute album, It's Heartbreak That Sells (Tar Hut). The tribute coincides with the release of Mason's new band album, Castanets (on his own Wormco label). "I grew up in Holyoke," Weiss explains, "so I've known him since I was a kid -- I always looked up to him as the guy that could really do it. And I liked his persistence. Not that Ray's that old, but he's a few years older than me. So when I was 15, I just admired him for sticking to it and staying true to his craft." It's Heartache That Sells proves that Mason's regard goes well beyond western Massachusetts.

Although many of its contributors hail from that area (Steve Westfield and Cheri Knight are the biggest names), there are also some familiar names from Boston (Charlie Chesterman, Incredible Casuals) and beyond. New York alterna-country honcho Eric Ambel leads off the disc with the title track, which comes out sounding like a John Doe ballad. And one of Mason's best-known tunes, "Missyouville," is handled by his sometime touring partners, Ohio roots-rock oddballs the Ass Ponys.

"We played a few shows with his band and really admired him," Ass Ponys frontman Chuck Cleaver acknowledges from his home in Bethel, Ohio. "They're fuck-ups and we're fuck-ups, so we got along. I suppose we're kindred spirits because we both play crummy, falling-apart guitars -- not because it's hip to like Silvertones now, we just love to play the damn things. Not to sound hoky, but he's a down-to-earth guy and that's excellent. Plus he's a good songwriter, and that's an oddity these days. I think his stuff is classic and well written. We'd actually been doing `Missyouville' before this album came up. And we're both big record collectors. On tour he'd always bring up some obscure thing and I'd say, `Yeah, I got that.' And everyone else would be saying, `What a couple of freaks.' Plus, he's an old guy and so are we. So what's not to like?"

Mason himself seems a little embarrassed by the attention. For him, getting the tribute album was like being thrown a surprise party -- you can tell your friends are up to something, but you're not sure what. "I wasn't supposed to know it was happening, but even my wife was in on it. And people leaked it to me -- I'd hear things like, `Someone just recorded one of your songs -- was it for that tribute thing?' Sure, it's a flattering thing that all these people wanted to do my songs. They could have said no. And who knows, maybe some people did. I like hearing the different approaches on the album -- the King Radio song is almost Cars-ish. And Eric Ambel's track sounds like Chris Whitley to me. I think my own version sounds wimpy by comparison."

Given the time Mason's put in, it seems silly to conclude he's finally coming into his own, but Castanets suggests that's indeed the case. Its songwriting surpasses what's on the tribute album. In the past Mason's been so much a music fan that even his best songs sounded like rewrites of something else. But here he's got a more distinctive voice. It helps that he currently has a hot band including a couple of former Scud Mountain Boys, whose countryish sound suits his voice better than the pure pop of old.

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So he's content to be a big fish in a small pond? "Yeah, but I'm not a big fish. I'm just a guy who plays music."















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