Dave Mason was maybe not the best-known of musicians \u2013 certainly not to the casual rock fan \u2013 but he cast a long shadow.<\/p>\n
Mason passed away several days ago at 79 after dealing with health issues for a few years.\u00a0 A road dog among road dogs, Mason toured and performed as long as he could, but eventually he began to cancel concerts with increasing frequency (a couple here in Houston) until he announced his retirement from touring.<\/p>\n
In addition to his own recordings (\u201cWe Just Disagree,\u201d \u201cOnly You Know and I Know,\u201d \u201cLet It Go, Let It Flow\u201d), Mason was a cofounder of Traffic and wrote the rock and roll standard \u201cFeelin\u2019 Alright?\u201d for that band.\u00a0 He made numerous guest appearances on friends\u2019 songs, including \u201cAll Along the Watchtower\u201d (Jimi Hendrix), \u201cStreet Fighting Man\u201d (Rolling Stones), \u201cListen to What the Man Said\u201d (Wings) and \u201cImmigration Man\u201d (Crosby and Nash).<\/p>\n
By all accounts, Mason was the kind of guy you would want in the foxhole beside you.\u00a0 He always treated his band members well during his solo career, even inviting a guitar player\u2019s wife who was expecting to join the band on tour on his dime.\u00a0 Not only that, he \u2013unbeknownst to the guitarist until later \u2013 gave the couple his own hotel suite and bunked in a smaller room so that they could better enjoy their time together.\u00a0 Dave Mason was one of the good guys.<\/p>\n
Ticket Alert<\/strong><\/p>\n Three bands with the word \u201cblack\u201d in their names have just announced Houston dates.\u00a0 Black Stone Cherry, co-headlining with Buckcherry (we see what they did there), will perform on Tuesday, September 1, at the House of Blues<\/a>.\u00a0 On Wednesday, September 2, guitarist Zakk Wylde\u2019s band Black Label Society plays at the Bayou Music Center<\/a>.\u00a0 OG punk rockers Black Flag are booked at the House of Blues<\/a> on Sunday, November 1.\u00a0 Tickets for all shows are on sale now, but with all those similar names, don\u2019t get confused!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Columbian reggaeton superstar Karol G \u2013 who was just recently a headliner at Coachella \u2013 brings her \u201cViajando por el Mundo\u201d (\u201cTraveling Around the World\u201d) tour to NRG Stadium <\/a>on Sunday, September 27.\u00a0 Some of the presales are in progress right now, with the rest of the sales set to roll out over the next few days.<\/p>\n Who says chicks can\u2019t rock?\u00a0 Certainly not the fans of the Japanese group Babymetal, a female trio who will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion<\/a> on Friday, September 25.\u00a0\u00a0 Babymetal is considered to be among the founders of the genre \u201ckawaii metal,\u201d which combines heavy metal and J-pop.\u00a0 \u201cKawaii\u201d translates roughly as \u201ccute\u201d or \u201cendearing.\u201d That being said, Babymetal rocks hard, as do scheduled opening acts Halestorm (featuring guitarist Lzzy Hale) and Violent Vira.\u00a0 Tickets and VIP packages are on sale now.<\/p>\n Concerts This Week<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Guitarist Robert Cray performs tonight at the Heights Theater<\/a>.\u00a0 Tremendous guitar player, great singer, masterful stage presence and a man of integrity.\u00a0 Not to mention the fact that he appeared as a member of Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House! \u00a0You can\u2019t go wrong here.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It was said by poet T.S. Eliot that \u201cApril is the cruelest month.\u201d \u00a0My bandmate Nick Rawson used to use that line to test his vocal mic at our gigs.\u00a0 He found it more interesting than \u201cCheck one, check two,\u201d but that\u2019s another story.\u00a0 \u00a0At any rate, May is starting out as a close second in the cruel department, with three great shows booked on Sunday.\u00a0 Decisions, decisions.\u00a0 Choice number one is Little Feat at the 713 Music Hall<\/a>.\u00a0 The band had quite a following in Houston during its heyday in the \u201870s, so no doubt a bunch of old timers (and yes, I\u2019m including myself here) will be on hand to welcome Little Feat when the \u201cLast Farewell Tour\u201d pulls into town.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Option number two on Sunday?\u00a0 Los Lobos at the Heights Theater<\/a>.\u00a0 This one really hurts, as Little Feat and Los Lobos are two of my all-time favorite American bands.\u00a0 I\u2019m going with Little Feat since I had to miss them last time they were in town, but this is a situation where I\u2019m cursing the notions of space and time and their preventing me from being in two places at once.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Finally on Sunday, Lil\u2019 Ed and the Blues Imperials pay a visit to the Big Easy<\/a>.\u00a0 If you are a fan of serious Chicago blues, you won\u2019t be disappointed.\u00a0 Besides, there aren\u2019t many people who can rock a fez better than Lil\u2019 Ed Williams.\u00a0 And be sure to check out the band\u2019s new album, Sideways, as it\u2019s a killer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Monday brings Florence and the Machine, performing at Toyota Center<\/a> as part of the band\u2019s \u201cEverybody Scream\u201d tour. I imagine some sort of an artistic statement is being made, but for whatever reason, lead vocalist Florence Welch appears in recent ads, publicity photos and videos in what my mother might refer to as an unladylike position. Rock stars. What can I tell you? <\/p>\n<\/p>\n