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The Masons
Rock / Psychedelic / Indie

"The Masons "Let You Down Easy" - Out Now."

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island
United States

Profile Views:  14577




Last Login:  5/16/2008
View My: Pics | Videos

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 MySpace URL: 
  http://www.myspace.com/themasonsmusic  

   The Masons: General Info
Member Since6/16/2006
Band Websitethemasonswebsite.com
Band MembersKraig Jordan, Don Sanders, Dave Wall, Dave Narcizo, Jeffrey Underhill, Scott Rancourt
InfluencesBeatles, Beck, Black Sabbath, Velvet Underground, Ween, Ramones, Flaming Lips, Nick Drake, Lucinda Williams, Led Zeppelin, Galaxie 500, Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Throwing Muses, Wilco, Donovan, Neil Young, T. Rex
Sounds LikeBuy Now At Itunes! The Masons - Let You Down Easy..
Record Label75OrLess Records
Type of LabelIndie





   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Jun 7 2008 8:00P
Penalty Box Providence, Rhode Island
Jun 7 2008 8:00P
Penalty Box Providence, Rhode Island

The Masons's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

Creeping Progress  (view more)

New Videos, And Other Details  (view more)

The Fall Is Here  (view more)

Masons End Of Summer Strategy  (view more)

Lupos Show Debacle  (view more)

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   About The Masons

The Masons' new record "Let You Down Easy" is now available for sale. Click Here to purchase from 75OrLess Records.

Buy Now At Itunes! The Masons - Let You Down Easy

Check out this video: Preemptive Denial



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"What an ambitious eclectic mish mosh of music styles. Listen carefully between the notes of this real life Masked Marauders and you'll hear just about everything including: Beatles, Stones, Mott, Bowie, Television, Velvets, Johnny Cash, Pere Ubu--everything but my favorite band, the Kitchen Sink." - Creem Magazine

"Pick it up, if you have any love for alternative music." - neufutur.com

THE MASONS – LET YOU DOWN EASY (75 or Less Records) Seven years in the making, Let You Down Easy combines multiple influences – including ELO, Leonard Cohen, Devo, Camper van Beethoven, and Ween – and themes, to tell something that sounds more like a collection of stories than songs, often humorous and heart-breaking. Let you down easy? Not likely. - Tastes Like Chicken Magazine

"The Masons have a bounce in their rock n’ roll, with the leadoff “Preemptive Denial” coming off like an early cut by The Kinks. From there, the group reels off one precious piece of pop rock after another beginning with the sweet, Sloan-ish “I Am a Raindrop” and melodic “Crazy You”. But perhaps the most Sloan-like tune that even Sloan should consider doing is “Bluefish Frenzy”, a kickass ditty that winds itself around some great guitar work. The Masons are far better at churning out some hi-octane, Replacements-ish rock and roll during the blazing and buzzsaw “Comedown Baby”. Rarely letting up and tossing in a filler track, the album shines at damn near every corner with nuggets like the eco-leaning pop of “In the Water” and the swaggering, strutting “Class Action” that sounds like the Stones returning from their exile on Main Street. And the homestretch is status quo (the quality, not the British band) with the dreamy, rich “Another World in the Afternoon” glides easily over nearly six minutes." - 8 out of 10 stars -www.popmatters.com

The Masons Featured in the Providence Journal.

Masons - Let You Down Easy - 4.5/5 Stars in All Music Guide!

"It's been eight years since The Masons released their first and last album, Change Me Back, since then Kraig Jordan has been happily writing away, although the bulk of his songs remained unfinished. Eventually though, Jordan picked 14 to finish off, and with the help of friends (15 in all) recorded Let You Down Easy in his studio garage. The result is a wonderfully perplexing set, and is certainly not bound together by musical style. From acoustic ballads to hard rockers, C&W to the blues, evoking bands as far afield as Richard Hell & the Voidoids, The Kinks and Camper van Beethoven, and with the sequencing ofttimes emphasizing the eclectic nature of the set, at times it's a deliberately bumpy ride.Jordan, however, insists however that the cohesion rests in his themes. And in places, one can see his point. "Paper Trail"'s tale of a man with a secret to hide from the nosy press, "Bluefish Frenzy"'s media sharks circling a boating tragedy, and the plaintive loss of a boyfriend related on "Gone Forever" do indeed laterally link. But what interconnects the concerns over food and water safety expressed on "In the Water", an ode to the visiting dog "Theo", and the sue now society of "Class Action"? And how do any of them relate to the trio mentioned above that precedes them?Yet, even though the themes dramatically shift and the musical and vocals styles alter abruptly, somehow Let You Down Easy holds lightly together, through Jordan's fabulous melodies, strong hook-laden choruses, sublime imagery, and surprising metaphors. A bit of a head-scratcher of an album, but that's a good thing, insuring listeners will play it again and again to discover its inner secrets." - Jo-Anne Green - allmusic.com

The Masons at Jakes on June 9th - "Summer's Ready When You Are: The Masons were great fun, in that summery, slightly Noo-Wavey Cars-y way, all big choruses and surftastic keyboards. Tonight the ever-shifting Masons line-up (songwriter Kraig Jordan being the lone constant) included such local luminaries as Dave Narcizo (Throwing Muses) played drums, Don Sanders (Medicine Ball) on guitar, and Jeffrey Underhill (Velvet Crush/Honeybunch) on keyboards. It was the kind of big-hearted, big-chorused music that you can sing along to even if you've never heard it before —it's immediate, and joyously accessible without being inane. While we’ve all come to expect drearily lowest-common-denominator entertainment during the summer months, the Masons have crafted an effortlessly summery set of songs without condescending to the listener’s intelligence." - Andrea Feldman - warpedrealitymagazine.com

"With varied, multi-toned pop hookage piled high in easygoing bucket loads, and a love for that special Devo sauce from 1979, at least on tracks like “Preemptive Denial,” or late period Big Star (hmm, whereas Chris Bell once crooned “I am the Cosmos” they dote on the fact “I am a Raindrop”) and the Feelies, that restrained Chris Stamey type’o’vibe, this band knows how to measure their dose of accessibility and action. “Crazy You” is similarly droll and lax, with that fuzz trail of guitar forming mini-waves in the right places. I was hoping for some more vim and vigor, but they aimed for the lukewarm blues instead, like slo-mo Teenage Fanclub. Luckily, this is reversed on “Comedown Baby,” thrusting wide-open with a slightly off-key, nasally, though smooth thunder version of Cheap Trick, a solid tirade against parents (“I don’t care what they say…”) with a metronomic beat that feels like pared down, emaciated Bun E Carlos and a guitar line that zings at the angry end. By the time “Paper Trail” enters my cranium, they suddenly morph into some 1990’s alt rock officionados, somehow melding Dino Jr., Buffalo Tom, and Overwhelming Colorfast, like lizards changing colors upon hitting the bar down the street. Next, the fuzz rock re-enters the picture on “Bluefish Frenzy” in classic 1970’s New York Style meets dirty Melrose Ave. strokage, with a little too-cool swagger and high-heeled glam bam tiger sulk. The light and easy “Gone Forever” pulls the cotton down over the ears, in girly sweet odes to trying to make a man happy (“cause I was his Valentine”) which tastes like bittersweet candy (cause he’s dead and gone forever). I can’t forget the whiskey-fisted, sad country jukebox of “Classic,” and the bummer rock (“Getting high don’t do me no good…don’t work like it should…”) of “Spacemen,” because gravity keeps pulling me down, so the split reference is just an analogy/pun for trying to sail over the everyday dullness of life, or real-life just interferes with the pleasure of weeding out on the couch..." - www.leftofthedialmag.com

"A Welcome Return...For awhile there it looked as though the Masons' 1999 debut album was going to be their only album. Band leader and songwriter Kraig Mason never stopped writing songs, though, and gentle prodding from a friend who just so happened to run a record label (75 Or Less) spurred him to properly record the songs with a band. And not just any band —The Masons mach 2007 includes such local luminaries as Dave Narcizo (Throwing Muses) on drums, Don Sanders (Medicine Ball) on guitar and vocals, and Jeffrey Underhill (Honeybunch, Velvet Crush) on guitar and keyboards. All these great players work to put Kraig's charming stories front and center. "Theo", for instance, draws on the author's own experience of falling for a dog who's already taken. (Thankfully he gets visitation rights.)" - Andrea Feldman - www.warpedrealitymagazine.com

"One man cult band comes back from a long lay off with an accidental record a fan encouraged him to make. Loaded with the kind of skewed observational songs that the slightly malcontented love, prime mover Kraig Jordan digs into the chest of songs that have been rolling around his head and drawer since his last set a long time ago. With a bunch of like minded pals with varying degrees of marquee value on board, the latest was delivered. Never falling into the twee trap, it’s that kind of middle class nuttiness that college kids can’t seem to get enough of." - midwestrecord.com

"The Masons are not your typical band. Boasting sixteen Rhode Island indie rock veterans—including members of Throwing Muses and Velvet Crush—and led by studio mastermind Kraig Jordan, members trade off vocal duties and mix the varied genres into a cohesive collection of songs. Lyrics focus on dark comedy; a baby being eaten by bluefish and everyday observations such as dog sitting. It's a melting pot of Leonard Cohen, ELO, Television, Devo and Ween. Yes, 75 or Less released this cd but don't hate us because we heard them first." - 75OrLess.com

"This is a sprawling record, jumping stylistically from song to song, but always remaining firmly rooted in 60s-style jangle and catchy hooks. Bouncing from Kinks-y rawk, to road-house blues, to melancholy acoustic ballads like a less-alcoholic Guided By Voices, the Masons deliver one of the most eclectic albums I've ever heard from a local band" - John Taraborelli - Providence Monthly

"The Masons have built a big album here, 14 songs and clocking at 55 minutes. That’s too much for me in one listen unless I’m zoning (read that to mean whatever you like). They could have split this into two albums—the material is that varied and good enough. However, that small issue aside, the disc starts with a refreshing punkish blast of songcraft, only to be followed by a laid back psychedelic groove on the next song. Just when you think you’re gonna get another punk song, they shift it DOWN even more with a harmonica-laden tune Neil Young would be proud to sing. More energy appears as the songs go on, proving that the guys didn’t get the hard on first and limp-dick it to the finish line later. Exact song critiques are out of the scope of this review, but let’s say that these guys have an excellent groove with great balance, power and musical sensibility." Mike Loce - The Noise

"14 songs that dig in a lot of different and very cool places resulting in a treasure that is hard to describe beyond the simple statement "this is really, really good material!". Well, think some upbeat Luna, some early REM, Throwing Muses, some new wave pop circa 1981, Travelin' Wilburys/Tom Petty-cum-ELO, Mott The Hoople/Stones("Class Action"), My Morning Jacket and Ass Ponys and, well you hopefully get the idea, it's not going to be easily classifiable! That is a very good thing here, too. Very Highly Recommended" - Bruce Brodeen - NOTLAME.COM

Read another review of Let You Down Easy in Motif Magazine Here

Click Here To Check Out A Feature Article About the Masons in The Mercury

Click Here To Check Out The Masons Website

Click Here To Check Out Cover Artist Sue McNally's Web Page

The Masons are a multimedia/recording conglomerate created & helmed by Kraig Jordan.

The band is an evolving group of musicians who participate in the writing, performing and recording of diverse material.

Change Me Back the Masons' Debut LP was released in 1999 on Irregular Records.

You can read about the LP here:

Projo Link Phoenix Link

It also got a nice review in Tape-Op.

Also be sure to check out the various videos in The Masons' video section.


   The Masons's Friend Space (Top 28)
The Masons has 404 friends.
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The Masons's Friends Comments
Displaying 50 of 98 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Empire Guitars





May 16 2008 11:12 AM

Hi Kraig,
Listening to the disc you left right now. Really enjoy it. Hope the tele is serving you well.
-mike
christine





May 2 2008 3:27 PM

nice pic!
taryn





Apr 29 2008 10:03 AM

Nice beard. Beardy.
Forever Young





Apr 22 2008 1:28 PM



Hey folks...FOREVER YOUNG is a tribute to the music of NEIL YOUNG...
we hope that you will take a minute and vote for us-it is QUICK and painless!!!
The Band Members are: BECKY CHACE, MARK CUTLER, JOHN FUZEK, DAN LILLEY, PETE VENDETTUOLI, JOHN AMITRANO AND PHIL HICKS

VOTE HERE
Jack Daniels





Mar 30 2008 9:59 AM

Thanks for the add, party on....JACK
Voice Mail Rhode Island





Mar 27 2008 5:03 PM

Episode 1 of Voice Mail R.I. is available for viewing.

Stop by and enjoy.

Episode #2 ran this past Sunday (to much acclaim) and will run again this Sunday.

Episode #3 with new calls and more will run on Sunday April 6th!

We Love You All!
Wendy





Mar 3 2008 6:20 PM


repost this!
Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate for PEACE.
Vote for Ron Paul on Tues., March 4th!
knowbeforeyouvote. com
*Plummahh*





Jan 3 2008 3:21 PM

this picture is awesome!!! Did Santa have something in his pocket??
Jan Brady





Jan 2 2008 10:23 PM


glitter-graphics.com

Have a great 2008!
~Geri~
Dalai Mama





Dec 25 2007 9:37 AM

Aww, c'mon. That ain't really Santy Claus.
The Liberty Elm





Dec 24 2007 3:00 PM



PEACE

The Liberty Elm





Dec 13 2007 1:19 PM

hey hey -
this sunday 12/16
"americana breakfast club"
brings you
THE BOURBON BOYS
11am-1pm
free - live and unplugged
WHO SAYS THERE"S NO BLUEGRASS IN PROVIDENCE!
BRING IT ON!
BYO
We can provide the fresh squeezed oj & homemade bloody mary mixers!

THE LIBERTY ELM
dang good cookin' gosh darn it!
777 ELMWOOD AVE
PROVIDENCE RI 02907
401-467-077
the only lil' red 1947 Worcester diner car in Providence
you can find it!


Powered by: http://www.friend-minder.com
christine





Dec 7 2007 5:03 PM

i have not. not sure how soon i'll walk. trying to be very patient.
The Liberty Elm





Dec 1 2007 6:07 PM

Sunday Morning Comin' Down
with
"AMERICANA BREAKFAST CLUB"
at
THE LIBERTY ELM
Tomorrow 12/2 from 11am-1pm
featuring
THE BOMBOLEROS!
live, free and unplugged

Primarily influenced by the gypsy jazz play of Django Reinhardt, The Bomboleros have a strong latin influence with major nods to American jazz, swing, and old time music. They're also featured in the soundtrack from the feature length film "YOU MUST BE THIS TALL" which opened on September 7, 2007, and documents the long history of Rocky Point Park, the amusement park and Shore Dinner Hall situated along the coast of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The soundtrack features 15 tracks by Johnny Carlevale performed by his many musical projects - His Band Of All Stars, The Rollin' Pins, The Acoustic Trio, The Big Kahunays, and The Bomboleros!

BYO Bloodies & Mimosas

and........... WE'VE GOT TREES :)
The Liberty Elm now has a limited supply
of fresh cut New England-grown holiday trees
and wreaths decorated by Tink w/luv
for sale out front on the lot

Support local business and New England agriculture
and please buy yours from us :)
(instead of from the "big box" stores like Lowe's and Home Depot)

**************************************************

"Feed your neighbor!"
GIFT CERTIFICATES
to The Liberty Elm Diner
in any amount
Great for friends and family and anybody who likes
good coffee, food and music

THE LIBERTY ELM
777 ELMWOOD AVENUE
PROVIDENCE RI 02907
401-467-0777
in the little red 1947 Worcester Lunch Car diner
across the street from the RIPTA garages
just a few blocks from Roger Williams Park<
Meredith





Nov 28 2007 12:51 PM

Sauderstown eh?
Ace, dude, yer movie's up.
i'm promotin the hell out of it!
The Liberty Elm





Nov 24 2007 3:17 PM

This SUNDAY 11/25
"Americana Breakfast Club"
at THE LIBERTY ELM

brings you

CHRIS DALTRY (the 'mericans)
& friends

FREE, LIVE & UNPLUGED
from 11am - 1pm
in the wi-fi room

Here he is, formerly of Purple Ivy Shadows, the master of Providence's
Record Show and Rock & Roll Yard Sale, What Cheer Antiques & Vintage,
and the 'mericans - Chris Daltry: http://www.myspace.com/themericans

Playing in the wi-fi room
just fer u

THE LIBERTY ELM
777 ELMWOOD AVENUE
PROVIDENCE RI 02907
401-467-0777
myspace.com/libertyelm

in the little red 1947 diner
across the street from the RIPTA bus garages
just blocks from Roger Williams Park



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Os Skywalkers





Nov 18 2007 7:32 AM

Do you like brazilian garage psychedelic music?
2 songs updated in our page!

27 ou quem quer ser Kurt Kobain?
Agora quem vai rir...

Check it out:
http://www.myspace.com/osskywalkersbanda
Motorway





Nov 18 2007 5:22 AM

Great song you made, I am always fond of yours, best!
The Liberty Elm





Nov 16 2007 5:54 AM

THIS SUN. 11/18
"Americana Breakfast Club"
at
The Liberty Elm
with
PHIL EDMONDS (Providence Wholebellies) and friends
Free, Live and Unplugged
in the wi-fi room
11am-1pm
C'mon down!
Coming Next Sun 11/25
CHRIS DALTRY (the 'mericans)


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LocalBandsRI.com





Oct 22 2007 8:01 PM

The Boxes





Oct 21 2007 8:54 PM

~~~The Boxes Heart The Masons~~~
wins





Oct 16 2007 8:55 AM

Sorry I didn't reply to your reply to my email. You're still one of my very favorites. And it's time for a barbecue in your backyard. xowp
Six Star General





Oct 9 2007 8:41 AM

*Plummahh*





Sep 25 2007 5:23 PM

Hey!!! Glad you checked in... had to say it didn't you!?? I miss lunch time with you, and our crazy chats about everything... its a culture shock down here... but I am enjoying it!
Cynthia