Ray Mason ~ 2016 July 15 ~ The Thirsty Mind, South Hadley, MA
Set List
Songs from Ray's new album 'The Shy Requester' are marked with {SR}.
Since Him - Heavenly Ladder {SR} - One In a Million - Summer Kind of Thing - I'm Not That Kind of Guy - Supermarket Friends {SR} - They Don't Make Records Like That Anymore - Lunch Box - Fun Fun Fun {Beach Boys, improv, up until the falsetto part} - I'm 18 {Alice Cooper} - I Gave Up Giving Up Drinking {SR} - Passenger {SR} ... intermission ... Castanets - Cats - When She Walks By - Down in the Night - Got It Right - Vividly {SR} - The Passing of Time {Lonesome Brothers} - Not Everyone Can Live in California {SR}
Review
Ray was happy to see us come in, to watch the old guy with the beat up guitar perform original rock, pop, and roll. I got a scrumptious fruit smoothie and Concert Going Partner had a mocha (the drinks were sublime), and we settled in for two hours of the best deal around: a show by the best songwriter you've never heard of.
The smallish crowd doubled at the intermission when a fan of Ray's came in with a sizeable group of friends. It was fun to enjoy Ray's music in the company of folks who had never heard his offbeat and whimsical songs before.
Ray explained the origin of the title of his new album, The Shy Requester. It had to do with a music fan asking a friend to request a song for him at a concert the friend was going to. Ray says he will have a song by that title on his next album. The album has some of Ray's best songs, and listening to it is very much like attending a Ray solo show since it is mostly just Ray with his 50+ year old electric Silvertone guitar.
The Thirsty Mind venue, in this hip college town, is a combined café and used bookstore, a comfortable place to quench a thirst, whether it be for knowledge or for unpretentious music.
More Ray
Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Ray Mason and the bands he is in.
Click for 2016 Concert Page with links to all 2016 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years