MASON PORTER

Click here to stream the entire album.

Click here for a free download of “Girl From The North Country”.
(Right click to save mp3.)

West Chester, PA based Roots/Americana group Mason Porter announce the release of Story of the Rifle. Reaching into their repertoire of traditional folk and cover songs, the band decided it was time to record this material which has been such a big part of their sound since its beginning. The album was recorded this past summer at Second Story Sound Studios in West Chester, PA by engineer Mike Bardzic and mixed by Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Hoots and Hellmouth). Following up their 2009 release Thunder In the Valley, the band took a more raw and organic approach to the Story Of The Rifle and the result is bursting with energy.

The album was initially released as a limited run (just 50 copies) at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in August. The album sold out that weekend and their performance was one of the most talked about of the festival “The band I was most impressed with, was Mason Porter” says Dennis Bakay of Philly2Philly.com. And Helen Liecht of WXPN Philadelphia says “They really rallied everyone at the Folk Fest around with their old timey folk feel – but with a real indie spirit.” The extended release features four additional tracks that were not on the Folk Fest release as well as new artwork and liner notes by publisher and folklorist Max Spiegel.

A complete album from start to finish, Story Of The Rifle is not a single story, but a collection of great folk tales. Mason Porter expertly puts their spin on classics like “Long Black Veil” and “Wayfaring Stranger” and isn’t afraid to reach outside of the box for a cover of the White Stripes “Hotel Yorba” and a hard hitting blues medley of “Spike Drivers Blues” (Traditional) and Robert Johnsons “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day”. A masterfully crafted rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Girl From The North Country” and a sparse but powerful arrangement of Merle Travis’ “Dark As A Dungeon” showcase the bands strong dynamics fans are used to.

Both vinyl and CD editions are available for pre-order at www.masonporter.com. The band will celebrate with an album release show at the World Café Live in Philadelphia on Dec. 17th 2010.

Track List:

1. My Creole Belle (Mississippi John Hurt)
2. Wayfaring Stranger (Traditional)
3. Hotel Yorba (Jack White)
4. Frankie and Johnny (Traditional)
5. Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)
6. * Dark Hollow (Traditional)
7. ** The Crawdad Song (Traditional)
8. Corrina, Corrina (Traditional)
9. Long Black Veil (Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin)
10. Spike Driver Blues >> If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day (Traditional/Robert Johnson)
11. Dark As A Dungeon (Merl Travis)

* CD edition only

** Vinyl edition only

Artwork by Carpe Diem Construction Co.

This Friday (12/12) is our last scheduled show for the year and we’re going out in style with our good friends Wissahickon Chicken Shack and were doing it at the world famous Brickette Lounge. They’ll be starting the night off at 9:00. Mason Porter will follow, and a Chicken and Porter set will close the night! This is the first time the Chickens are coming to West Chester and we’re very excited to have them.

World Café w/Hezekiah Jones!
Not too early to think about next year. The show is Saturday Jan 3rd. Check out Hezekiah Jonesand buy a ticket! This will be a great show.

T-Shirts and CD’s
The holidays are here and we have plenty of Mason Porter merchandise for sale on our web site.

FREE SHIPPING on CD’s and T-Shirts!

The Folk Show on WXPN Sunday
Tune in a little before 9:00 on Nov. 16th to hear Mason Porter perform a few songs live! The station is 88.5 FM in the Philadelphia area or you can listen online at http://xpn.org/

Andy’s Tonight.
Andy’s is a great place down on the Easter Shore of MD.
http://www.andys-ctown.com/

Steel City Show Nov 29th
We’re excited to get back to what has become one of our favorite venues. Our friends the very talented band Painted Blue will be joining us. Tickets are available for purchase on the Steel City website. You can check out our page to see some video of our last performance there. http://steelcitycoffeehouse.com/eventschedule.asp

FREE SHIPPING on CD’s and T-Shirts!
The holidays are approaching and we have plenty of Mason Porter merchandise for sale at
http://masonporter.com/home/store/

We have a fresh stock of Mason Porter t-shirts available to buy right here on the site! Check out the Store for more stuff like our EP!

Don’t forget we have some big shows coming up at Steel City, North Star Bar, World Cafe Live and more.

Just $12.00 – Price Includes Shipping!

Color/Size

XL Brown $12.00 XL Charcoal $12.00 L Brown $12.00 L Charcoal $12.00 M Royal Blue $12.00 M Kelly Green $12.00 S Royal Blue $12.00 S Kelly Green $12.00

That’s right folks. We have some brand new Mason Porter T’s available for you. We will have them available at MilkBoy on Sept 6th. We have them in a variety of colors, and they’re going fast already! It’s a first come first serve thing, so if you get there early, not only will you get a great seat, you’ll have first pick at size and color.

Saturday Sept. 6th we have three of the best bluegrass related acts in Philadelphia getting together at MilkBoy Coffee in Ardmore, PA. You can get a discounted pre-sale ticket here on the TicketLeap site. We recommend getting one in advance.

Wissahickon Chicken Shack starts the night off at 8:00. Mason Porter is 2nd at 9:00 and Painted Blue closes out the night at 10:00. Members of all three bands had an amazing time jamming together at the Philly Folk Fest last weekend and we’ll be bringing that spirit along to MilkBoy! We’ll probably be heading down to one of the local pubs after too for some more fun! More info available on the MilkBoy website.