Multi-instrumentalist and singer Dave Mason’s tenure in the international music business began around the time when he joined seminal psychedelic rock band Traffic. He played lead guitar, as well as a slew of other instruments including the sitar, tambura, and mellotron, on Traffic’s 1967 debut Mr. Fantasy, but separated from the band soon after. Though the end of that instantaneous membership is approaching its 50th anniversary, the membership itself looms in the forefront of his legacy and seems almost impossible not to comment on.
Since then, he’s mostly worked as a solo artist accompanied by backing bands whose lineup has gradually shifted over the years, currently consisting of Johnne Sambataro on guitar and vocals, Alvino Bennett on drums, and Tony Patler on keyboards and bass. His solo career arguably peaking with his classic 1970 album Alone Together, which he recently “rerecorded completely,” over the course of a single afternoon in his home studio. After he finishes his current tour with Journey and the Doobie Brothers (who will not appear at the S.B. Bowl), he’s hitting the road again to tour behind the recent reissue, dubbed the Alone Together Again Tour.
The entire effort simultaneously reflects Mason’s belief that he, and all the bands he’s touring with, are “selling memories” to his older fans, as well as his desire to reach out to younger generations through a rehashing of his classic recordings.