Mason Casey : Reefer Smokin' Man / Soul on Fire

Album: Reefer Smokin' Man
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2000
Styles: Blues
Time: 50:48
Size: 117,0 MB
Covers: Full

(4:43) 1. Smellin' Like Whiskey
(3:31) 2. Baby Come Back Home
(3:53) 3. Two Trains Comin'
(3:31) 4. Slow Down
(3:53) 5. Out for the Takin'
(4:46) 6. Goin' Back to Amsterdam
(4:47) 7. I'm Ready
(2:19) 8. Spaced Out
(4:20) 9. Startin' Up from the Bottom
(3:45) 10. She Changed the Lock
(4:11) 11. Livin' in a Dream
(3:26) 12. You Say You Don't Love Me
(3:38) 13. Stone Cold Alone

Mason Casey grew up in upstate New York. He worked in tree care business and then as a stone mason for twenty years. All the while practicing and learning the blues harmonica (Mason got his first harmonica at his 18th birthday). When a friend gave him Muddy Waters album ” Hard Again” he got hooked on the electric harmonica sound. At 35 years old Mason decided to leave his hometown and try to make it as a full time musician. The first 4 months he was homeless, sleeping in his car or at friends houses. But Mason Casey insisted and got some gigs in New York City. Popa Chubby saw him playing and he liked Mason's music and stage presence. He let Mason sit in and eventually produced a demo cd. Popa Chubby went to Dixiefrog label and Mason Casey fulfilled his dream.

Reefer Smokin' Man
Reefer Smokin' Man artwork

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Album: Soul on Fire
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2001
Styles: Blues
Time: 51:04
Size: 117,4 MB
Covers: Full

(4:39) 1. Voodoo Boogie
(4:01) 2. Ride with Me
(2:42) 3. Wha Ma Gonna Do
(3:47) 4. Out of Control
(3:45) 5. Truck
(6:01) 6. She Jumped out the Window
(6:48) 7. Locked Up for Smokin' Weed
(4:53) 8. Digital Phone Blues
(3:34) 9. Oh Annie
(3:58) 10. Rainin' in My Heart
(3:04) 11. Couldn't Leave My Baby Alone
(3:48) 12. Lucille

Mason Casey's second album on Dixiefrog, again produced by Popa Chubby and with Zach Zunis on guitar. Through the strengh of his albums, Mason Casey traveled the world to play stages of international festivals. People discovered a fresh new talent with a raw power. He even settled in the Netherlands for some years, finding in Europe lots of work and very enthusiastic fans. In 2005 he returned to the USA and settled in Los Angeles.

Soul on Fire
Soul on Fire artwork

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Mason Casey - Sofa King Badass

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 54:03
Size: 123.8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. You Make It Hard
[4:33] 2. Nine Times A Man
[4:01] 3. It's That Time Of Year Again
[3:54] 4. Chesterfield County Jail
[3:13] 5. Blue Hair Woman
[3:41] 6. Don't End Our Love
[3:27] 7. Sofa King Badass
[3:51] 8. Taxi Love
[3:33] 9. Let Me In
[5:24] 10. Take Me To The Airport
[4:12] 11. It Takes A Lotta Love
[4:02] 12. That's My Heart
[3:37] 13. Done Crying
[3:37] 14. My Prayer

How could you not like the title of this disc? The song, a funky thang, comes halfway through the record. But that party feel is carried throughout the disc. Harpist Mason Casey, a New Yorker who worked as a stone mason (hence the name?), became well-known in the New York City blues scene during the 1990s, after working his way up the ranks via the streets and small clubs. Casey eventually hooked up with Jon Tiven, a songwriter and soul music producer who worked with B.B. King, Wilson Pickett and Little Milton. Tiven liked Casey enough to have him play harmonica and sing on some of the records he produced, including Pickett’s. In fact, Pickett’s “Nine Times A Man” is the second song on this disc.

Sofa King Badass, with 14 tracks, including 11 written by Casey with Tiven and others, is Casey’s first U.S.-released album. He had three earlier records in France. The disc is fun. Casey’s harp playing is the strong point; his growling, gravelly vocals - not so much. He is backed by a full band, though not on every song. That means trumpet, alto and tenor sax - even bells. Not exactly your gritty blues band, but it works for the most part. ~Karen Nugent

Sofa King Badass mc
Sofa King Badass zippy

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