Melanie Mason Interview

by Rick Landers

Singer-songwriter Melanie Mason sings the blues, rolling in hot with her blue Stratocaster uncoiling some mean twangy riffs. She has delighted crowds with her own brand of blues guitar and has been recognized in her hometown area, Washington, D.C., with several prestigious Washington Area Music Association Awards (WAMA) called WAMMIES by Washingtonians.

In 2001 (Bendin' the Blues) and 2004 (Lonesome Is I), Melanie won the Association's Blues Recording WAMA Award while in 2003 she was the winner of the DC Blues Society International Blues Challenge.

The Melanie Mason Band's Bendin' the Blues debut album has topped the CD Baby charts for over three years. The hard driving band has Sam Goodall on bass and Torro Gamble on drums.

Like Raitt, Mason is a triple threat as singer, guitarist and songwriter, and she's able to hold her own in both band and solo settings. - Richard Harrington, the Washington Post

Mason laces sweetness with sultriness - a promising guitarist and songwriter. - Frank-John Hadley, DownBeat Magazine

A hot blues-rock group fronted by a woman who sings and plays lead guitar ... a new generation of Washington musicians beginning to wow crowds. - William Triplett, Washingtonian Magazine

From the day this CD dropped on my desk I just cannot stop playing it ... 10 out of 10. - Ray O'Hare, Blues Matters Magazine, Great Britain

Mason was featured in several guitar TV spots to promote PBS' Martin Scorsese film The Blues and has opened for artists like the legendary Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, Don McLean, Corey Harris, Little Feat guitarists Barrere and Tackett and many more.

How did you "discover" the blues guitar style?

Melanie Mason: I think it was two songs that did it for me. I was 12 when my mom shared her collection of 45s and 33s with me. She played this song by Ike and Tina Turner, "Nutbush City Limits" and "Come Together" by the Beatles. I was knocked out! That deep, bluesy groove really got me. I began to search out more music like that, and also read a lot of interviews by artists like the Beatles and Stones to see who they listened to, and who those people listened to, and soon I was hooked on the blues.

If you were a guitar instructor and a student came in for their first lesson, what would you teach them and what advice would you give?

MM: The greatest teachers I have had were the ones who taught from more of an inspirational than technical standpoint. So, I would try to do the same. I think it's important to have fun with it and not get too technical, especially with the blues.

At the same time, I think it's equally important to express yourself honestly through music, whether it's your own song or your interpretation of someone else's song.

For example, all of the greats really say something when they pick up their guitar. They don't just play a bunch of fast, meaningless notes. So, I'd try to pass on those kinds of ideas to students.

Tell us about your gear -- guitars, amps, and other instruments.

MM: I've gone through a number of different electrics in the past few years, looking for the right tone. I just bought an American Strat which I love, but I also use a Strat Plus with gold lace sensors. Before that, I used a PRS CE Bolt-On, but it sounded more rock than blues, so I sold it.

My favorite amp is a '78 Vibrolux Reverb that Tom Principato helped me pick out. It's great for indoor venues, but for outdoor gigs, I use my Fender Blues DeVille with four 10s. It seems to hold the sound better in hot weather.

Let's see, other equipment I use - Monster cables, an SKB power board for pedals, a Dunlop Hendrix wah, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Boss Digital Delay and Boss Tuner pedal. My electric guitar strings are D'Addario 9s and I use heavy picks.

How about acoustics?

For solo acoustic blues, I use a 1950s Gibson ES-125 acoustic-electric and plug it into whatever amp is handy. It's strung with D'Addario 12s. I don't use any picks, but I do use a Blues Bottle "small heavy" glass slide.

Most of my guitars have been modified a bit by Mike Dove, who handles my guitar repair. For example, he rebalanced the pole pieces on my Strat pickups to enhance the top two or three strings for more sustain. Also, he recently installed a handmade pickup on my Gibson that is based on the Charlie Christian model found on early ES-150s.

Please, tell us about your first guitar and your early background playing, along with influences.

MM: My first guitar belonged to my father, who died when I was about a year and a half old. It's an acoustic Harmony Sovereign, a real big guitar. After my father's death, my mom moved to the D.C. area to be near family and teach dance. It was at one of the studios where she taught that I fell in love with the guitar.

I was about 5 years old, taking dance lessons from my mother, when I happened to pass by one of the studio rooms where a group guitar class was taking place. I wanted to take lessons right away but my mom was told that my hands were too small at my age to play guitar and that I'd be better off first learning to play piano before tackling guitar. So, I started piano lessons and studied classical music for about seven years.

I think I said before that when I was 12, I found blues music. Soon after that, I dropped piano lessons. I begged my mom and grandparents for an electric guitar. In addition to my dad's Harmony acoustic, my mom had stashed away another guitar of my father's -- a tiny Supro junior electric. This little guitar suited me well and I played every day, trying to copy my guitar heroes.

By the time I was in high school, I was deep into all kinds of electric blues.

The guitarists I listened to most at the time included Robert Cray, B.B. King, Albert Collins, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton and Hendrix but I also loved players like J.B Hutto, Son Seals, and so many more. It wasn't until quite a bit later that I delved into the heart of the blues -- the acoustic work of Mississippi John Hurt, Mance Lipscomb, Robert Johnson and others.

To appreciate the full range of blues guitar, what five CDs would you recommend our readers buy?

MM: There are so many! For acoustic blues guitar, I would have to say The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson (on Columbia), Texas Songster by Mance Lipscomb and Avalon Blues by Mississippi John Hurt.

For electric blues guitar -- I wore out a lot of these CDs -- B.B.'s, Live at the Regal, Truckin' with Albert Collins, Albert King's King of the Blues Guitar, Bar Room Preacher, by Jimmy Johnson, Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cray's Bad Influence.

Also, I love jazzy blues, so I have to add Relentless with Danny Gatton and Joey DeFrancesco and Kenny Burrell's beautiful Midnight Blue release.

Wait a minute. Did you say "name five?"[SMILES]

Do you consider Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block and yourself pioneers with respect to women playing slide?

MM: When it comes to lead slide playing, Bonnie's the queen! And, on the acoustic front, it's Rory of course. Personally, I prefer to play single-note lead guitar on the electric. That's what I love best, although I do enjoy throwing in some slide songs now and then. When I do play slide, it's mainly on my acoustic guitar. One exception is the song Mississippi Blues, which has a quite a bit of electric slide on it.

If you could design the "perfect" guitar how would it be constructed and what would it look like?

MM: I love the guitars I have, so it's hard to say. Something in a leopard print might be nice.

Tell us about your current band and how you got together.

MM: My core band is a trio: Torro Gamble on drums and Sam Goodall on bass. Torro joined us over three years ago and Sam has been part of the band about six years. When we want a fourth piece for special concerts, we have special guests sit in on keys or harp. I heard about both Sam and Torro from the wonderful music network that exists in and around the D.C. metro area. So many talented players!

How did recording your latest CD differ from the experience you had rolling out Bendin' the Blues?

MM: All three albums I have recorded have had entirely different approaches and vibes. Bendin' the Blues from 2001 was my first release, a studio album produced by Bob Dawson, who recorded many of Mary Chapin Carpenter's CDs.

Recording at Bias studios with Bob was like going to music college- I learned so much--how to arrange and produce songs, go through the recording process, and above all how to listen, really listen, to what you are doing so that you can say what you want to say musically. It also helped raise my guitar playing to a new level because it was the first time I really heard myself play on a quality recording.

My second album, Lonesome Is I, was a solo acoustic studio project. I recorded it during the winter of 2003 -- 2004 with Chris Biondo, the late Eva Cassidy's bassist and producer. This was a side project that turned into something rather special. After releasing it, I was soon asked to open solo acoustic for many wonderful artists at some terrific venues.

And my third release, Live at Blues Alley, is a live performance that my band laid down the summer of 2004 at Blues Alley in D.C. Besides Sam on bass and Torro on drums, we had Tommy Lepson join us on organ. Andy Roberts did the live recording part, and Tommy mixed the CD for us.

Oh, and Charlie Pilzer from Airshow mastered it. We just released the CD in 2005 and it's been getting some nice reviews, most recently in the October/November issue of Blues Revue.

You've been both nominated for and won a few Washington Area Music Association Awards -- tell us about them.

MM: They are called WAMMIEs, and my band won a "Best Blues Recording WAMMIE" for our 2001 Bendin' the Blues debut CD. I also received one for my 2004 solo acoustic Lonesome Is I album. In addition, my band and I have been nominated for awards in the Best Blues Band, Vocalist and Instrumentalist categories.

Where do you go for inspiration when writing songs?

MM: Most of my ideas come from life experiences, mine or other people's. Often, it's when I am driving or out and about that something just hits me and I start to write. Since it always seems to happen in a place where there is no paper or pen, most of my ideas wind up on little bits of menus or napkins that get thrown in a drawer at home. And, if I have a melody already formed, I put it down on my mini tape recorder. I later sift through the papers and tapes when I have time.

Washington, D.C. is well-known for politics, but there seems to be a strong music scene -- how would you describe it? Favorite venues?

MM: There are many terrific music organizations in town, like the Washington Area Music Association and the DC and Baltimore blues societies. Also, there are a number of unique institutions that help musicians such as the House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, Maryland, Joe's Record Paradise in Rockville and the online Right on Rhythm web site.

Several area radio stations strongly support indie music here as well, in particular, WPFW, WETA, and WRNR. Thank heaven for them!

As far as venues go, I have favorite places for different reasons. For their beautiful stages, I love the Strathmore, the Birchmere, and BlackRock Center for the Arts. For great club atmosphere, I dig playing Blues Alley. And for outdoor fests, I'd say a major highlight was the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival on the beach in the spring. My band played that fest twice and had a blast.

Do you have any plans for a national tour or any shows outside the U.S.?

MM: Well, being that I am 100% independent and have no label support, I am unable to fund a national tour. But I hope to someday, whether it is through a label or by forming my own company if I have to.

What new projects do you have under development?

MM: I am just beginning to write for my fourth album. However, after releasing my last two CDs pretty much back to back, I think I will take my time with this next one before heading to the studio.

Who have been your major influences early on in your career, now and has anyone taken you under their wing(s) as mentor(s)?

MM: I have had some great teachers. The two I would point to as being most influential would be Carl Filipiak on electric guitar and Ben Andrews on acoustic. And there is a long list of other musicians and non-musicians who have helped me in meaningful ways over the past few years.

And, it's funny, but one person who made a lasting impression on me was someone I only got to see once in person -- Jimmy Johnson, a wonderful blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Chicago.

I saw him play in Silver Spring, Maryland about five or six years or so. He's since stopped touring my area and now plays mainly in Chicago. Anyway, after his concert, I asked him for some advice and he handed me his guitar and asked me to play for him. He then sat down with me (this was after a four-hour gig, mind you) and gave me a long list of things to work on. I have met many of my guitar heroes, but Jimmy was the only one who took the time with me to share his ideas on guitar playing, as well as his thoughts on music in general.

Tell us about how the songs came together for your latest CD and how they changed from their original versions to their final cuts.

MM: Live at Blues Alley was really a last minute idea. I never had any plans to make a live CD. Once I decided to record there, I felt we needed some new original material. So, I wrote four new songs. I also chose a repertoire of other songs, originals and cover tunes, that we had performed before in clubs many times and on other CDs.

The night before our Blues Alley concert, we played a private party. That was our one rehearsal, so the new originals really did not have a lot of time to evolve! However, I think the other songs we recorded had developed by playing out live over the past few years. So, many of the songs you hear on our new Live at Blues Alley CD are very different from the same ones you hear on our debut CD from 2001.

So you've now released three CDs?

MM: Yes. We're independent, so they are not in stores, but you can get copies online at www.melaniemason.com or www.CDBaby.com/all/mmason. You can also call CD Baby in Oregon at 1-800-BUY-MYCD.

I also want to mention that all profits from my second CD, Lonesome Is I, are currently being donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund when you purchase it through CD Baby.

Related links

Melanie Mason
Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund