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INTERVIEWS |
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| Mason Weaver - The Man, the Myth, the Mammalian |
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Mason Weaver is a man of ambition. For every possible complaint about local music, Mason Weaver has an answer and the perseverance to carry through. For anyone that has trouble scouring the local vinyl market, Mason opened Next Door Music in Harrah, Oklahoma. For every shitty band practicing in their garage that wants to record a demo, Mason has a recording studio in the back of his store with affordable prices. He hosts all age shows at his store every Thursday and books band regardless of how many people will show up. He even has a small inventory of music equipment and accessories available for the aspiring musician. He blindly and whole-heartedly supports music in all forms with complete self-abandon. Next Door Music recently hosted a singer/songwriter show at the end of October and I was immediately struck by the vibe of the venue. As I entered the dimly lit record store, the crowd was quiet and attentive and the performers sang without amplification. The slew of songwriters were vulnerable, exposed, and huddled on stage taking turns performing and telling stories. The atmosphere was comfortable and the focus was on the music. Following ever song Mason’s face would light up and he giddily applauded as if he were sharing the stage with his favorite artists. After the show, I conversed with Mason through email about the show and happenings at his store.
WEAVER: Bryan Mangieri is a solo guy, Mason Weaver (me) is in the Moon Mission Death Squad, Mike Ross is in Superama, Tim Miller is in Cessation Bustle, Randy Heyer is just Randy, and Dillon Gerten is in the Badgers. OKROCK: What are you trying to accomplish with the singer/songwriter show? Why should people attend? WEAVER: The basic concept [is] that when you go to see someone’s band, you usually can’t hear what they are saying, and would you really care what they were talking about if you could? Generally not. A lot of people in a lot of bands have interesting, funny, cool lyrics and it sucks big time that no one ever hears any of what they say. So, on the basis of that and some early 80’s episodes of Austin City Limits…I called some people up about six months ago, set the date and just did it. The first show went over pretty well back in April so we decided to do another one. OKROCK: How did you select the performers? What is the application process? WEAVER: There’s not an application process per se…I had a few people call me and ask me about acoustic shows, and I knew a few people who I thought would be interested. We put out the Badgers EP last year, and Megan has known Mike Ross since the first grade. Bryan came out about nine months ago, and I wanted to get him for the first show, but he had other commitments, and we just finished recording his first full length disc. Tim had played a show here a while back, and I’ve known Randy for a while. OKROCK: What were you trying to accomplish through mood and setup? I.e. why did you have all of the performers on stage simultaneously? WEAVER: A thing that happens a lot with shows is that everyone’s friends show up for them, listen, and then stand around outside and smoke. So by having everyone play all at once, you sort of have to stay for the whole show, or you’ll miss part of your friend’s set. Also, there’s always a lot of funny interplay between…well mostly just me talking to everyone else and making fun of them. I told everyone that we weren’t going to use the PA so every one would have to be quiet and really listen, but it was mostly that I didn’t want to set it up. Last time everyone was a little loud, and that’s just not necessary at an acoustic show. OKROCK: When is the next singer/songwriter show planned? WEAVER: I don’t know, find me some good singer/songwriters with funny stories and we’ll plan one. I’m trying to not have the same people every time. Mark Lewellen, Dillon Gerten, Bryan Mangieri and I are going to try to book some other shows elsewhere using this concept as a sort of super group. Like the Traveling Wilburys, but not gross. OKROCK: Why did you open a record store in Harrah of all places? WEAVER: Because we liked this building, it’s huge, it accommodates the studio really well, and I like this town. There’s nothing else out here. OKROCK: I know you are supportive of music, people and things around you. Can you list some of your activities you do to help, support, or motivate music around you? WEAVER: We have free all ages shows once a week and pretty much anybody’s band, no matter how unbelievably bad, can play. I do cut rate recording for all kinds of people. Our crummy CD-R record label, Unhappy Birthday Records, put out the Badgers "Velcro EP", and the Hail Mary to Sin Ratio’s "Subtle Mind Control Diagram". If we had more money we would do a lot more stuff. We have a free arcade and anybody who wants to can hang out in here all day and bother me. I guess that’s about it. I hope that answers your question. Check out Next Door Music web site: nextdoormusic.net and Weaver's recording studio: Futuronics Recording. - Chris Rodriguez, 11/07/03 |
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