Mason Rack Band in Winnipeg. Review and photos for thesnipenews.com.

Mason Rack at the The Connection Showroom, Winnipeg, Nov 7 2009. Cheyenne Rae photo

Review and photos – Mason Rack at the King’s Head Pub and The Connection, Winnipeg, Nov 6 & 7 2009

– text by eugene osudar/photos by Cheyenne Rae

four sets
over
two nights,
in
two venues,

a packed King’s Head
Friday night
ten PM
early set

125
appreciative
attentive
blues/loving
people

and then
at The Connection
Saturday night
a very small
and
very loving
audience
50?

Mason Rack
is,

one, an Australian
two, plays a sometimes
mean
and filthy
obscenely
wicked
blues
and at other times,
he plays
sweet
and sad
songs
like Leaving On a Jet Plane

on mostly (three) a Weissenborn

oh yeah
he pops
his fingernails
on it’s wooden body
sending shivers
up and down
the spines
of the reverential
audience

church of the wicked blues

David Lindley made
the Weissenborn
hot and Ben Harper’s
been playing it, too

the sound is exquisite
in the right hands

with the right slide technique
and passion

that would be
Mason Rack

with a flair
for performance
a hardy laugh
a wicked howl
and
devilish grin

tattoos climbing
like vines twisting
up his fore,
arms
and the cool
aviator
shades

Mason Rack
with
Tom Waits growly
vocals

funny stories
and
carny voice
introductions

it’s all in the show

and the blues
grin

nearing the end
of an exhausting
3 and a half months
touring this immense
country

with two youngsters
(in their early 20s)
he didn’t know until
he landed in Canada

the wonders of the internet

meeting a fantastic
young drummer
(who Mason says Loves
practicing 6 hours a day)
Joel “Thunderfoot” Perkus
from Calgary

Joel knew bassist
and Winnipegger
Marcus Engal
from school

and so,

there’s the touring band!

music was sent
(via the net)
learned
practiced
and
three and a half months
of constant
touring
gigs
playing
and yes,
getting under each other’s
skins

this is a tight band.

a hard working band.

a hot band.

apparently,
Joel’s going to get himself
to Australia
and
play some drums
in a blues band
down under.

he’s good.
very good.
and
adventurous.

Joel and Marcus
are given long solos

Mason is generous
and with his heartfelt
praise

oh, there’s a keg
there are drumsticks
there’s the venue
and the possibilities
of things
to hammer
and bang
sticks on

so Mason and Joel
have percussion duets
and
they play follow the leader

Mason plays
turned over
barstools
and the bar itself!
tables
and
railings.
anythings.

now, that’s fun.

so, when you see that keg
in front of the stage
know
it’s gonna
get kicked over
it’s gonna
get played
it’s gonna
get rocked
it’s gonna
get rolled

by Mason

there are originals,

90 Days
Seen Her Before
Cave Days
Pool Cleaner
Tom Tom Tom Around
Merry Go Round
5 Things
Do a Little
Seek
In a Can
Dust
Dead Of Night
Beast

and covers,

Goin Out West
La Grange
King Snake
Riot No. 9
Who Do You Love
Black and Blue
CC Rider
Baby Please Don’t Go
Leaving On a Jet Plane (gorgeous and soft)
Mojo Workin’
Who Do You Love?

2 hours and 35 minutes
3 sets on Saturday night

i Loved being there
all night long

Loved
the music
the playing
the passion
the time
(well spent)
the dancing
(John Hak!)
and beautiful
energy
and good
hard
laughs
and talking
to Mason.

telling him about Monotonix
and their show antics
his eyes wide
marveling at a guy
taking the show
outside
climbing and
hanging from a tree
15 feet
and jumping into
the waiting arms of people
down
below
after having built
that trust
in less than an hour…

oh, yeah.
stories
from the stage
that make you laugh
hard and loud

like a previous Canadian tour
in February,

fish out of water stories
this down under
Aussie in the land
up over

how he loved shoveling
snow

(someone says, you’d
get tired of that soon
enough)

and having to plug in a car!
what are those cords all about
he wondered?

deep freeze(r)
in Alberta
and three hours
in a radio station
and coming out
to their beers
and booze
in their vehicle
frozen solid
and marveling
for hours
at those frozen
beverages
and how Aussies
have a hard time
keeping things
cold!

how his Dad
Billy had a very hard
life
being
a surfing instructor
spreading lotion
on the bodies
of beauties
and having to carry
that
board
to the ocean
and

surfing every day

and the story of
Mason’s Cave Days
moving in with Punk
rockers
when he was 16

there’s a story
about a “holiday”
during a time
when Mason
didn’t have the money
to pay the fines
the Police
levied

hard holiday time.

lots of stories,

a lesbian guitar
his acoustic
(George)

his guitars
(like his band,mates)
have nicknames
and sexual
peculiarities

his slide is Jezebel,

his blonde
Gretsch is Marilyn (Monroe)
he points to her “lovely
F-holes.”

and yes there are
some very wicked
bluesy
ballsy
nasty
sexy
songs.

mostly,

it’s about the playing.