Gena Mason News

For immediate release, 10-3-10:

"It's like a dance party thrown to celebrate the end of a war." So Gena Mason describes her new EP, Exile, released today on Dorado Records and now streaming online. Featuring dark, yet danceable alt/prog rock tracks with infectious melodies, the 5-song EP is Mason's third commercial release.

Biologically descended from a line of preachers, Gena is the artistic descendant of visionary poets like William Blake and Arthur Rimbaud, who indulged in extremes to explore the heart of darkness. Exile is about braving the dangers of chaos and solitude that accompany such epic treks through the darker side of life and love ... and coming back, excited to be alive! Written and recorded while Gena was singing in gospel choirs in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA, Exile features Gena's trademark vocal style, somewhere between the rock/gospel belt of singer Merry Clayton and the scorched-earth vocals of Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

As on her previous records, The Queen EP and Testament, Gena sings and plays rhythm and lead guitar, bass, keys, drums, and percussion. But this time around, she is joined by drummer Alejandra Arellano (a Musicians Institute grad who also studied tabla in India) and lead guitarist Tim W (who survived both a flood and a fire in his home during the making of this EP). Sitting in on the track "He Who Is to Come" is violinist Brittany Cotto, who has also played with Bobby McFerrin, Lee Ann Rimes, and Marco Antonio Solis (and, like Gena, attended Indiana University's renowned School of Music). Recorded this summer, Exile was tracked, mixed, and mastered by Gavin Ross at Steady Studios in Burbank, CA.

THE SONGS

"Book 49"

The first track, "Book 49," incorporates ideas of sonic experimentation borrowed from acts like Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails, and Sonic Youth. Described by Gena as "the soundtrack to a revolution," "Book 49" was largely inspired by the rocket scientist and black magician Jack Parsons. A colleague of Aleister Crowley, Parsons conducted a series of rituals that invoked a mysterious force identified as the goddess Babalon. Mason (who has practiced Christianity, Buddhism, Witchcraft, and other occult sciences) elaborates that the lyrical inspiration also comes from her own intimate encounter with an entity "not of this world."

"HeÕs So Real"

Written just a few weeks before the studio sessions, "HeÕs So Real" is a laid-back, funky dance track, with GenaÕs rhythm guitar evoking the work of axe idol and Rolling Stones sideman Keith Richards. Dedicated to "R," the song explores the dynamics of a complex relationship. A lyrical excerpt:

"Just like sunlight harnesses gloom, / so he rode me, night and noon,

gawking, stalking, / bordello to room.

I say I need my freedom. He says: ÔHeel!Õ / Oh, heÕs so real.

He says he loves me for my sex appeal. / HeÕs so real."

"My Demon Lover"

This songÕs title and lyrics were inspired by "Kubla Khan," the masterwork of 19th-century poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Legend has it that Coleridge received the inspiration for his epic poem during an opium dream. After waking, Coleridge wrote down what he could remember of his induced hallucination, including lines about an Abyssinian woman "wailing for her demon lover." In "My Demon Lover," Mason steps into the role of that lustful female, and takes it from there.

"If I Could Forgive You"

A longtime staple at MasonÕs live shows, the track is finally in recorded form, its anthemic melodies tempered by the swampy slide guitar work of sideman Tim W.

"He Who Is to Come"

"He Who Is to Come" is an epic track that one music industry insider has described as a cross between The Birthday Party and Led Zeppelin. Gena wrote the song after the first time she met visionary artist Alex Grey during a ceremony at GreyÕs New York City art gallery, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. Mason later worked briefly for Grey as one of his assistants; the two, who share the same birthday (November 29, Sagittarius), remain friends. "He Who Is to Come" was also inspired by the music of JaneÕs Addiction, Tool, and Ñ most of all Ñ Igor StravinskyÕs revolutionary classical work The Rite of Spring. One of MasonÕs all-time favorite pieces of music, the Rite sparked a riot during its 1913 Paris premiere. Gena proudly notes that, though her shows havenÕt yet caused any riots, her bandÕs first Los Angeles gig this year was shut down by the LAPD Ñ supposedly for being too loud. Who says rock is dead?