Something to make your Friday go a little easier.

If you’ve got a bit of time, you can watch Mudhoney’s pretty good in-store at Easy Street from last Tuesday courtesy of SyncLive.

Also…

Grand Archives visited Daytrotter yesterday. Mason Jennings did on Tuesday.

Mason Jennings doesn’t play music to be cool. He plays because he has something to say.

For his newest release In The Ever, in record stores today, Jennings took to the Minnesota woods and home recorded much of the content. In a recent current.tv self-interview, he talks about the new record, we get clips of a few of the new songs, and he addresses the thinking behind “I Love You and Bhudda Too,” calling it wordplay and more of a nursery rhyme than an article of his own personal belief. One listen to his catalog of records from the past few years though, and one can easily find a pattern of overt lyrics about brotherly love and social consciousness.

While this album does have it’s share of unconventional songwriting, something that it’s fair to say has been somewhat hit and miss over the last few albums, Mason’s voice and singing style are naturally unconventional, and thus it’s tough to hold him to the same standard. His voice is low yet he’s become completely unafraid of his higher registers and is singing high for much of this record. Both “Fighter Girl,” and “I Love You and Bhudda Too” feature some unusual playfulness at his high end. And In the Ever, just as I wanted, does have a live version of “Your New Man” on it. Yes. I love that song and haven’t been able to find an mp3 anywhere.

In the past couple years you may have seen Mason opening for Modest Mouse (who’s Issac Brock put out his last record) or Jack Johnson (who’s Brushfire Records is putting out this record), or headlining his own tour with Ferraby Lionheart along for the ride. In 2008, he just rode through Seattle with a sold out show at the Showbox, will be touring Europe with Jack Johnson and G Love in June, and will be playing Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. It’s looking to be a good year for Mason Jennings.

For the next week you can listen to In the Ever at Spinner. Yes, the entire album. Or snag an mp3 below.

MP3: “Fighter Girl” - Mason Jennings from In the Ever

Myspace: Mason Jennings

Mason has been a pretty DIY guy, and this video for “Fighter Girl,” the first single of his upcoming release In The Ever, is pretty understated and fits his personality really well. His previous video for “Be Here Now” was kind of a weird one.

Mason Jennings will be at the Showbox this Saturday, May 17 with Missy Higgins and Brett Dennen. It’s already sold out.

In The Ever hits record stores, next Tuesday May 20.

Myspace: Mason Jennings

Mason reveals the details of his next album, slated for a May release on pal Jack Johnson’s record label, to Rolling Stone:

When Johnson’s career skyrocketed, he offered Jennings a spot on his label, Brushfire Records, and Jennings has finally taken the offer. In the Ever, due in May, features folky tunes and meditative lyrics — “I Love You and Buddha Too” holds the power to end all holy wars. “I made the album at a house in the Minnesota woods using Garage Band,” says Jennings, who will open for Johnson this summer.

Rad. As long as it has “Your New Man” on it, I’ll be happy. Mason releases the albums that he wants to make, and while the last few haven’t exactly been commercial successes, as long as he stays true to his style, he can always count on me to support him.

In putting together this post I realized I never put up the picture set of Mason’s last visit to Seattle at Neumos. I’ve now rectified that.

Flickr: Mason Jennings, Ferraby Lionheart @ Neumos - June 4, 2007

[A day late. But it's the intention that counts, right? -josh]

I’m always thoughtful on this day (MLK Day that is). While I am not fortunate enough to have this day off of work, I acutely appreciate the person to which we are meant to honor on this day as I personally feel Martin Luther King Jr. deserves respect as the greatest American to have ever lived. I found it rather amusing that there was such media uproar regarding the out-of-context Hillary quote this last week, and their claims of her minimizing King’s role in relation to that of Johnson’s role as President, and with an especially dubious racial undertone to it all. In my mind, King’s role in history is unimpeachable. To even consider that his contribution could be ignored or diminished with regard to the realization of civil rights for all citizens of this country is beyond ridiculous (and not at all what Hillary was saying). After the initial moment of amusement though, I was reminded that history is young yet, and the reason for this day. This day is a manifest reminder that Martin Luther King Jr. was the embodiment of American values, and this day is a defense against those who would threaten or diminish that memory.

On his program last Friday, in response to the false furor of the media, Bill Moyers, a close assistant to President Johnson at the time, recalled the relationship between the two and how each was involved in passing the Civil Rights act of 1964, and then the voting rights act of 1965. What was acheived would not have been possible without each personality doing what they did best. For Johnson that was politicking. For King, that was marching and speaking. I highly suggest you watch and listen to his short commentary. It’s a highly educational essay from one at the heart of the debate and an apt remembrance of two larger than life figures.

Then take a moment to listen to his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech and reflect. Reflect on what it means to live, nay participate, in a democracy. Reflect on what it means to be an American (and not a Patriot). Reflect on a the constitution King layed out for future generations to strive and accomplish in an America that is still yet to be realized in full.

And since this is a music blog, here’s a track I always come back to on this day.

Mason Jennings - “Dr. King” from Birds Flying Away
dr. king - mason jennings

At least once a year, I go into a week or so of complete obsession with Bob Dylan’s catalogue. This years bout was spawned when I received the soundtrack for the forthcoming Dylan bio-pic, “I’m Not There.” The two-cd soundtrack is filled with one amazing cover after another, by some of the most relevant and talented musicians today. When perusing the 34 tracks, I was pleased to see it didn’t read like Dylan’s greatest hits. Of course someone covered “All Along the Watchtower,” but the majority of the album delves in to the depths of Dylan’s catalogue from his earliest recordings to his Christian rock album of the late 70’s.

The song I was most excited to see represented on the album, is one my absolute favorite Dylan songs - “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” (listen to the song here) off Dylan’s thrid album “The Times They-Are A-Changing.” I consider “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” as one of the great American protest songs, while I imagine most folks would give that honor to the title track of the album. Unlike “The Times They Are A Changing,” “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” plays as a defeated dirge, in the narrative story style of earlier great American song writers. It’s not brash or hopeful, it’s matter’o'fact and woeful. And sadly, it sounds like a story that could be easily repeated today - where is our generation’s Bob Dylan to write about Abu Ghraib and The Jena 6? While Mason Jennings does a fine cover for the I’m Not There soundtrack, it lacks the authenticity of the original. It doesn’t break my heart the way Dylan singing it does.

The soundtrack and the devoted listening it has inspired has had me thinking about my other favorite Dylan songs, though sadly none were featured on the album. “Girl from The North Country,” sung with Johnny Cash on Nashville Skyline, an album which featured a number of Dylan’s most beautiful vocals. (Which is not as oxy-moronic as it sounds, Dylan’s voice on “Lay Lady Lay” is perfectly melodic.) The other song in contention for greatest Dylan song ever (in my mind) is the wonderfully vindictive - “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.  I am also a sucker for “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding” - which is just about my favorite song title of all time.

And all this listening and loving of Dylan has got me wondering what your favorite Dylan song is? What about your favorite Dylan cover?

oh mason, it has been too long. years in fact. just when i had forgotten how effing good you really are, since you haven’t been to seattle in a while, you come to neumos and kill it. you started off your set with a solo version of ‘Simple Life’ and from that moment you were on fire. your first song with the band, ‘Fighter Girl’ from your new EP had me once again wondering why people don’t take more notice of you.

the new song ‘Your New Man’ was definitely my favorite part of the night along with downright chilling renditions of “Nothing” and “Jesus are you Real?” it seemed like you played forever, but nobody left, even after you left the stage. i haven’t seen such a strong incitement for an encore from the crowd in ages (maybe ever?).

i’ve often wondered whether you would ever be headlining the bigger venues with the big boys, and tonight you proved you deserved to. yeah, i know every mason show is a damn carleton college impromptu reunion in this town, but that makes things a bit more fun and light hearted and it’s gotta feel alot like a hometown crowd. no piano though this time though huh? thats okay. that whole bit is a bit overdone these days. you did it when nobody else was doing it and now everyone is into it. you and your acoustic is all you need really. 

your tour mate ferraby pretty much kicks ass too. i’ve never really dug into his music, but after seeing him last night, i was most definitely converted. he’s kinda got that bob dylan thing going, huh? i thought it worked out pretty well.

come back soon ya hear.

I was perusing the sites of a few local venues to flesh out my calander for the next few months and I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered.

     June 1 - Menomena - Neumo’s
     June 4 - Mason Jennings - Neumo’s
     June 20 - The Cave Singer’s - Neumo’s
     June 23 - Sage Francis - Showbox
     June 29 - Sea Navy - Mars Bar

and best of all…. the one to write down, right now:

July 14 - Sound on the Sound’s First Concert - The Blue Moon

We hope to get a few of our favorite Seattle bands to play for us at Seattle’s venerable dive bar. We’ve been wanting to host a concert for quite some time now and we’re over the moon (oh god. the coming pun was not intended, but i’m not backing out….) that The Blue Moon has offered us their hallowed halls.

I just got this in the fanclub mail today:

Mason Jennings’ is pleased to announce the release of “IF YOU NEED A REASON EP”, which features 5 songs including “If You Need A Reason.”
…
Here is a note from Mason on the EP…

“The cover for this EP is a drawing by a friend of mine who I grew up with in Pittsburgh named Joshua Duff. The songs on it were songs I recorded for the record Boneclouds. They didn’t fit within the economy of that record but I felt as if these five fit nicely together on their own and am excited that they are now available for you all to hear. “Sacred Place” is a song I wrote after I was given my mantra in California by a woman named Nancy DeHerrera. She is a wonderful woman who was, among countless other amazing things, the liaison between Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Beatles in Rishikesh, India.

“Fighter Girl” and “To You” were songs I wrote during a west coast tour in the Autumn of 2004. All three of these were recorded in Minneapolis at my friend Chad Weis’ studio on the same day I recorded the songs “If You Ain’t Got Love”, “Which Way Your Heart Will Go” and “Jesus Are You Real”. The song “Boneclouds” was written in an old wooden chapel at a camp in Northern Minnesota in July, 2005. It was recorded in Cannon Falls, Minnesota by my friend Noah Georgeson the following September as wild turkeys ran through the woods outside.”

Mason
Minneapolis, MN
11/12/06

Mason Jennings is one of my favorite artists out there right now who is just now being discovered and getting props from other musicians. His newest album from this year “Boneclouds” is not nearly as mass market accessible as some of his other albums, however it contains some of the most mature songwriting yet from Mason. He manages to sing pop songs disguised in a folk songs clothing. He has been a real life troubadour for years who continuously manages to create joyous songs and tribute songs, love songs and story songs, religious songs and political songs, and everything inbetween all with the same serious voice and apparent conviction. With such conviction that you just believe every song is extremely personal and wonder whether what he is singing about right at that moment happened to him.

I’ll have a review of “Boneclouds” near the end of the year.

Related

MySpace: Mason Jennings

Official: Mason Jennings

Mason Jennings is finally beginning to get the respect he deserves. “Sorry Sign’s on Cash Machines” covered by Ben Kweller on an EP is the second Mason Jennings cover I have come across this year, the first being “California” by the Kooks.

Between getting signed by Isaac from Modest Mouse, touring with Jack Johnson, and getting cover notice from big time bands, Mason has had a pretty good past year or two. Selfishly I hope he stays small so I can continue to see him in small venues, but I doubt his talent will be under wraps for much longer.