Steve Mason | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Daniel Mason |
| Born | July 8, 1975 [1] Joliet, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, folk, Christian |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Essential/Silvertone, Gray Matters/Nettwerk |
Stephen Daniel Mason (born July 8, 1975) [2] is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for Christian alternative folk rock group Jars of Clay.
Mason was born in Joliet, Illinois [3] in 1975, however was brought up from age 8 in Decatur, Illinois where he attended Warrensburg-Latham schools. [4]
Mason joined Jars of Clay as a founding member in 1993 with singer Dan Haseltine and pianist Charlie Lowell while studying at Greenville College in his home state of Illinois. As a submission piece to get into college, Mason wrote an instrumental guitar piece entitled "Frail" which was later recorded and used as the namesake for the group's first demo Frail . The song later had lyrics added by Jars of Clay's lead singer Dan Haseltine for the group's second album Much Afraid .
Growing up in Illinois, Mason is a Chicago Bears football team supporter, but also now supports the Tennessee Titans, who play in his adopted city of Nashville. [3]
He is also a supporter of the Nashville SC soccer club, where he attended its first MLS home match dressed as Moses, resulting in national attention and the club referring to him as "Soccer Moses". [5] [6]
In 2014, Stephen qualified as a Master Barber and has started cutting hair at his shop, The Handsomizer. [7]
Mason married former BBC Radio producer Jude Adam on October 24, 2009. [8] [9]
Mason uses a range of different guitars for performing with Jars of Clay, both electric and acoustic. Some of them he uses exclusively in the studio and others exclusively for live performances. [3]
As for pedals, over the years Mason has been seen using a Boss Tuner, Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde, Swell Pedals G-TOD, Tonephile Puredrive, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, DMB Pedals, and a Pedaltrain pedalboard.
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.
Jars of Clay is the first full-length studio album by Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Essential Records. The album was released to commercial and critical acclaim, becoming one of the few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status.
Much Afraid is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released in 1997 by Essential Records. Following the charting success of the band's debut album, Much Afraid was moderately successful, but was unable to achieve the level of its predecessor.
If I Left the Zoo is the third full-length studio album of the band Jars of Clay. It was released November 9, 1999, by Essential Records.
The Eleventh Hour is the fourth full-length studio album by the band Jars of Clay. It was released in 2002 by Essential Records and marked the band's first attempt at producing a full album by themselves.
Who We Are Instead is the fifth full-length studio album recorded by Christian rock band Jars of Clay and produced by Mitch Dane. It was released in 2003 by Essential Records.
Good Monsters is the seventh full-length studio album from Jars of Clay, released by Essential Records on September 5, 2006. This is their last album of new material from Essential Records and it is said to be lyrically their most aggressive album to date. It features eleven original songs, and a remake of "All My Tears" by Julie Miller. It also features guest appearances by singer/songwriter Kate York, Leigh Nash, of Sixpence None the Richer, and the African Children's Choir.
Drummer Boy is an EP release by Christian folk group Jars of Clay featuring a new interpretation of the classic 1958 Christmas Carol "Little Drummer Boy". The EP was originally released by Essential Records in the Christmas following the release of Jars Of Clay in 1995. The EP was re-released as a two-pack with Jars of Clay prior to their second album, Much Afraid.
"Show You Love" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It was the first single from their 2003 studio album, Who We Are Instead. The song was prominently featured in the Adam Sandler motion picture, Spanglish. The song was featured at the end of an episode of The WB television series Summerland, as well as in an episode of the UPN series Kevin Hill. This song also appears on the WOW Hits 2005 compilation album, and the 2008 greatest hits album Jars of Clay: Greatest Hits.
"Overjoyed" is a song by American Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was the fourth single from the band's second album, Much Afraid, and the fourth consecutive No. 1 radio single from the album. An acoustic rendition of the song appears on the band's 2003 double album, Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage. This song was also the compilation album WOW 1998.
"Crazy Times" is a song recorded and performed by Jars of Clay. The song was a writing collaboration between the band members Dan Haseltine and Stephen Mason with songwriters Mark Hudson and Greg Wells. It was the first single from their second studio album, Much Afraid. The single fared well in the mainstream, peaking at No. 38 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The demo version of the song can be found on the album The White Elephant Sessions, while a live version of the song is included on the 2003 double album, Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage. This song also appears on the WOW 1999 compilation album.
Christmas Songs is the eighth full-length studio album and first Christmas album from Jars of Clay, that was released on October 16, 2007, through Gray Matters/Nettwerk. This is the first ever release from the band through their newly created Gray Matters imprint via Nettwerk Music Group.
"This Road" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay that appears on the compilation album City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise that was released in 2000 through Essential Records. The song was also featured on the bonus CD that was packaged with the Brother Andrew-penned book entitled The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together. A live version of "This Road" appears on disc two of the 2003 double album Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage.
"Frail" is a song written and performed by Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It has appeared on many recordings by the group and lends its name to their debut demo release, Frail, from 1994. The song has never been released as a single.
"Truce" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It is the fifth and final radio single from the band's second studio album, Much Afraid. In addition, it was the fifth straight single from Much Afraid to reach number one on the Christian radio airplay charts. No promotional single was shipped to radio stations for airplay. Instead, radio stations played the track directly from the album.
"Five Candles " is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It is the second radio single from their 1997 studio album Much Afraid. The song was initially written for the soundtrack to the motion picture Liar Liar, starring Jim Carrey. However, the ending credits, when the song would have been played, were changed to an outtakes and bloopers reel, thus cutting the song from the film. A working title of the song during the writing and recording studio sessions was "The Wish", which fits in with the themes of Liar Liar, just as the eventual title, "Five Candles", as the story of the film revolves around the wish Max made as he blew out the five candles for his fifth birthday. The song was later used in the 1998 Michael Keaton film, Jack Frost, and was featured on that film's soundtrack.
"Fade to Grey" is the first song ever written by Jars of Clay. It originally was recorded for the group's debut demo album, Frail, which was released in 1994. However, when the group recorded tracks for their self-titled debut album, time and budget issues were problems in being able to record the track.
Matthew Ryan Bronleewe is an American record producer, musician, novelist and songwriter.
The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009 through Gray Matters and Essential Records.
iTunes Originals – Jars of Clay is a digital-only studio album that was recorded and released by Jars of Clay. Just like other iTunes Originals albums, it features acoustic re-recordings of some of the band's favourite tracks interluded with discussion & interview-type conversation. As the title suggests, the album is available only through Apple's iTunes Store.
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