New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Dorado Records) - '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 on Gena's blog, at https://doradomagazine.com/?p=561, and on Myspace. and at 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 also has 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.
genamason.com
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.'
'He's So Real'
Written just a few weeks before the studio sessions, 'He's So Real' is a laid-back, funky dance track, with Gena's 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: 'Heel!' / Oh, he's so real.
He says he loves me for my sex appeal. / He's so real.'
'My Demon Lover'
This song's 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 Mason's 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 Grey's 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 work of Jane's Addiction, Tool, and - most of all - Igor Stravinsky's revolutionary classical work The Rite of Spring. One of Mason's all-time favorite pieces of music, the Rite sparked a riot during its 1913 Paris premiere. Gena proudly notes that, though her shows haven't yet caused any riots, her band's first Los Angeles gig this year was shut down by the LAPD - supposedly for being too loud. Who says rock is dead?
More on Alex Grey: alexgrey.com
A staging of The Rite of Spring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjX3oAwv_Fs&feature=related
Exile photo shoot with Chris Doody: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=239303&id=738113531&l=a08a105772
More on Gena Mason:
Main website: https://www.genamason.com
Myspace: https://www.myspace.com/genamason
Blog: https://doradomagazine.com
Music videos:
- 'I'll Be Your Mirror' (demo version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gq-B1NZ0Ho
- 'Book 49? (demo version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rsu6IsybBw&feature=related
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=239303&id=738113531&l=a08a105772
Twitter: https://twitter.com/genamason
Short bio: https://doradomagazine.com/?page_id=385
Long bio: https://genamason.com/flash_bio.html
Vlog: https://genamason-aliennation.blogspot.com
