Ray Mason Band and the Lonesome Brothers ~ 2010 September 10 ~ Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA
Band personnel (Ray Mason Band): Ray Mason (lead vocals, Silvertone guitar); Frank Marsh (drums); Tom Shea (lead guitar); Steve Desaulniers (bass, backing vocals); a keyboard player whose name I do not know
(Lonesome Brothers): Jim Armenti (lead guitar, lead vocals); Ray Mason (electric bass, lead vocals); Tom Shea (drums); a keyboard player whose name I do not know
Set List (Ray Mason Band)
Holes in Your Liver - Don't Mess With Our Routine - Summer Kind of Thing - They Don't Make Records Like That Anymore - Reverb and a Zip Code (with drum solo) - That Kind of Treatment - You Always Stay - I Miss My Loneliness - I Want To Be a Holiday - Big Hug - My Lips Are Lonely - Between Blue and Okay - English Leather - Excitement Transfusion ... (I did not keep a set list for the Lonesome Brothers)
Scroll down past the videos for review; photo gallery to the right.
Videos
Review
Western Massachusetts musical legend Ray Mason is turning 60, and one of his two bands, the Lonesome Brothers, is celebrating 25 years in the music business. Sounds like an excuse for a party to me. The Iron Horse, where Ray has played dozens of times, agreed.
Ray Mason is a singer/songwriter without a pretentious molecule in his body. His songs are made of good down-to-earth musical stuff. He writes pop songs with quirky lyrics and ideas, solid rock arrangements with the occasional hint of jazz, and he has a very witty while thoroughly unassuming stage presence. He's probably the best songwriter you've never heard of. We've been fans of his, and friends of his, for a few years and although his home base of western Massachusetts is a little far for us to travel to on a regular basis, we weren't about to miss this special show.
Then there was a birthday celebration. Ray's guitarist Tom Shea brought out a birthday cake, and Jim Armenti presented him with a Gold Record for 10 million good vibes. Click on the thumbnail picture up and to the right for an entertaining picture gallery of the event. After the birthday bit, the Lonesome Brothers performed; this is the band in which Ray plays bass and sings and Jim is the lead guitarist and other singer. Highlights of their set included "Fins on a Cadillac" and "Down by the Water" (Jim) and "My Baby Never Saw Me Drunk" and "Warm Vinyl 1959" (Ray).
Click for 2010 Concert Page with links to all 2010 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years