Gena Mason
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Gena Mason

New York City, New York, United States | INDIE

New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Band Alternative Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Fallen Angel"

"There is an angel inside Gena Mason, but I suspect it is one of those fallen angels that wreak havoc, like those earthbound in that Prophecy movie starring Christopher Walken. Spent a little too much time walking the gritty midnight streets, making friends with sidewalk sleepers and stray dogs. Falling in love but realizing that angels and mortals don't mix well and cursing the bossman for sending her here in the first place. Embittered, she takes solace in her studio apartment, no TV, just a lot of Velvet Underground.

“Then out comes The Queen, a five-song ode to surviving. Recorded entirely by herself (minus the drums and viola), Gena shows herself to be self-reliant, talented, and ambitious. With its liberal use of the tambourine and the fuzzy Lou Reed style guitar lines, it tends to be heavily reminiscent of the aforementioned Underground, even to the point that the first track is called “I'll Be Your Mirror.” No, it's not a cover and she's not Nico. Gena's voice has a gravel that Nico didn't have, or didn't use if she did. And sometimes Gena employs a growl that, honestly, seems a bit forced, but not like she doesn't mean it, because clearly she does. Like I said, there is an angel inside Mason, but one that wants to go home and knows she can't.”

--Seth Halden, Music Liberation Project (Portland, OR)
- Music Liberation Project


"Portland Approves"

“Globetrotting boho Gena Mason has, apparently, taken up residence in Portland--and subsequently this town's cred should increase threefold. In both her poetry and her bass-heavy rock, Mason has received comparisons with Burroughs, Reed, Morrison and Cobain...Mason, who is much more beautiful than any of those white guys, carries her influences' independent spirit and gritty aesthetic.”

--Mark Baumgarten, Willamette Week (Portland, OR)
- Willamette Week


"The Queen's in Your Area"

“Gena Mason completely caught Bobble Tiki off guard when he caught her show in Portland. The bass-heavy rock along with her Jim Morrison-like words sucked Bobble Tiki in like a Hoover in heat. Mason pounded out some beautifully gritty and spirited rock. And it sounds real. She is easily one of Bobble Tiki's favorite contemporary songwriters. Trust him. You just gotta see her.”

--Bobble Tiki, The Weekly Volcano (Olympia, WA)
- The Weekly Volcano


"Gets Under Your Skin"

"Mason is a one woman bedroom band who crafts husky, dark, moody rock to support a distinct, weary, assertive voice. Her lyrics out her alter-egos, as she is also a poet and a conspiracy expert (she wrote the recent issue of The C.I.A. Makes Science Fiction Unexciting that explained the evils of the Patriot Act). Mason's music is as personal and moody and unique as an outsider musician's, but she also is obviously a seasoned musician who knows exactly what she's doing with her haunting sounds."

--Flamin' Waymon Timbsdayle, Roctober (Chicago, IL)

- Roctober


"America's New Rock Poet"

“Gena Mason, who mixes covers by Willie Dixon and Guns N' Roses, reveals a poetic perspective in her original lyrics.”

--Falling James, LA Weekly (Los Angeles, CA)
- LA Weekly


"Long Live the Queen!"

“Gena Mason is a NY artist/poet/writer. Reading her 'Rapsheet' on her website will make most of the contestants on “Survivor” shit their pants. She has done it all and it's been done to her, and it comes out of her in her music. Gena has been blessed with a low growl bluesy singing voice that is backed up by fuzzy guitar tone and heavy back beats. She reminds you of Grace Slick during her best days, and a little Mama Cass thrown
in for good measure.

She is also a talented musician, playing every instrument on her new EP, Queen, and she does a pretty good job of handling all of these musical chores. Her strength though, lies in her lyrics and her voice.

Because of a poetry background, her lyrics are smart, but sometimes seem to be more fit for a book of poems than heavy rock tracks. This is evident on the song “Queen”:

‘I defy the death squad to follow me to my next job.
Dark Aphrodite martyr I come again harder.
Couldnt kill me if you injected or shocked me.
Dont you know itd take an army to stop me?’

But it works, the same way the Doors were able to blend their music with Jim Morrison. The music giving the words more impact, and vice versa. The heavy guitar and backbeat work especially well on the song “Savage Garden,” that finds Mason writing of a battered heart and a country battered by war:

“Hey, happiness, see you around, I guess.
My heart's battered, not that it mattered.
On the news today, more dead every day,
a country shattered--not that it mattered.’

Not exactly Britney Spears, and thank God for that.

Gena Mason is an artist definitely worth checking out. She is original, talented, and real. Something that is in short supply these days. Long live the Queen!”
--Loud Orange Reviews
- Loud Orange


Discography

The Queen EP (2004)
Testament (2007)

Photos

Bio

New York City multi-instrumentalist and poet Gena Mason writes, sings, and plays textured, progressive metal with pop hooks

“Globetrotting boho Gena Mason has, apparently, taken up residence in Portland--and subsequently this town's cred should increase threefold. In both her poetry and her bass-heavy rock, Mason has received comparisons with Burroughs, Reed, Morrison, and Cobain...Mason, who is much more beautiful than any of those white guys, carries her influences' independent spirit and gritty aesthetic.”
--Mark Baumgarten, Willamette Week (Portland, OR)

Gena is working on her third album after last year's release of Testament, her second commercial record and first full-length album. Last year she also launched the first episode of her new TV show, "Alien Nation," on Manhattan Neighborhood Network and the world-wide web. She is currently taping segments for future episodes. Recently Gena celebrated the second printing of her acclaimed political zine, "The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting 3" (Microcosm Publishing), after the first printing sold out nationwide. Somehow, Gena is managing all these tasks while also holding down her coursework at Columbia University Law School, where she is a first-year student. Mason writes, sings, and plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, drum machine, and other percussion. She has graced stages in New York; Los Angeles; Seattle; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Austin, TX; Nashville, TN; Portland, OR; Pittsburgh, PA; Olympia, WA; Boise, ID; Burlington, VT; and Santa Cruz, CA. Her music has been in rotation on college and community radio in Los Angeles, Portland, Olympia, Provincetown, and online. Gena first gained notoriety as an outspoken poet in New York, where she has frequently shared bills with downtown luminaries. Gena Mason played her first rock gig (in 2000) in Hollywood, CA; predicted the terrorist attacks of 2001 (after receiving dream premonitions for more than a year); was abducted by a religious cult; has lived in shelters; has sung with members of Blondie and Guns N' Roses; is descended from a line of preachers; is a practicing Witch; has had 40 or 50 jobs, ranging from editor to exotic dancer; and writes songs inspired by her experiences.