Settling back in to his hometown of Austin, after several years of living far from the warmth of Texas, Mason Kinard has slipped back into life here, reuniting with old friends from bands long gone.
Born in 1976, growing up in Austin had destined Mason to a musician’s path. His Dad picked on an acoustic guitar at home and he was surrounded by good music. “My Dad was always playing Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash records and my Mom loved Leonard Cohen,” remembers Mason.
In high school Mason aligned with the punk rockers and metal heads. He threw himself into learning the bass guitar at the age of thirteen. Performing in three local punk bands, Sweatlodge, Last Ditch Effort and Ignorance Park, Mason experienced a fertile scene that supported itself from the inside, organizing and promoting shows independently. This experience is part of the foundation that still informs his work today.
Touring and traveling left Mason with wanderlust. In 1999, he left Austin and moved to Portland, OR, followed by stints in Colorado, Maryland and New Jersey, before returning to Texas. About the time he left Texas for Oregon, he began playing acoustic guitar, and quickly started writing and singing his own songs. Influenced by musicians such as Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Waylon Jennings, Mason began writing extensively and focused on singing and playing his own kind of blues.
Mason’s first solo EP, the 2003 release Gone, was recorded by Eric Shiveley of Desert Air Recording. And for his second EP release, self-titled Mason Kinard, he recorded himself at home.
Mason combines a slow, steady rhythm guitar with poignant lyrics. With songs about life as he understands it, his music grows from a diverse range of vast landscapes, hard times and life loved.
Born in 1976, growing up in Austin had destined Mason to a musician’s path. His Dad picked on an acoustic guitar at home and he was surrounded by good music. “My Dad was always playing Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash records and my Mom loved Leonard Cohen,” remembers Mason.
In high school Mason aligned with the punk rockers and metal heads. He threw himself into learning the bass guitar at the age of thirteen. Performing in three local punk bands, Sweatlodge, Last Ditch Effort and Ignorance Park, Mason experienced a fertile scene that supported itself from the inside, organizing and promoting shows independently. This experience is part of the foundation that still informs his work today.
Touring and traveling left Mason with wanderlust. In 1999, he left Austin and moved to Portland, OR, followed by stints in Colorado, Maryland and New Jersey, before returning to Texas. About the time he left Texas for Oregon, he began playing acoustic guitar, and quickly started writing and singing his own songs. Influenced by musicians such as Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Waylon Jennings, Mason began writing extensively and focused on singing and playing his own kind of blues.
Mason’s first solo EP, the 2003 release Gone, was recorded by Eric Shiveley of Desert Air Recording. And for his second EP release, self-titled Mason Kinard, he recorded himself at home.
Mason combines a slow, steady rhythm guitar with poignant lyrics. With songs about life as he understands it, his music grows from a diverse range of vast landscapes, hard times and life loved.