Dave Mason plays At the Key West Theater

Dave Mason plays At the Key West Theater - Dave Mason wearing a black shirt - Dave Mason

ON THE STAGE

Feelin’ Alright?

Dave Mason isn’t the most recognizable name in music but his songs have been on your radio and lips for decades. Mason’s upcoming gig at The Key West Theater on Thursday, June 8 backs the notion “There’s too much to do before I die” from his hit song “Feelin’ Alright.” Since the ’70s, those were the most conjoined words ever sung, first recorded by his band Traffic and then made even more famous when re-recorded by Joe Cocker and countless other artists.

“It’s a simple song,” said Mason. “The original title had a question mark at the end, because it’s more about not feeling so good about myself than actually feeling alright.” Mason would not share the reason he wrote the song, rumored to be because of his on-and-off relationship with Traffic but left it at this: “It’s an unrequited love song.”

On tour, he will be singing all the songs from his first original album “Alone Together Again” with hits like “Only You and I Know You” and “World in Changes.” Mason also plays his music tributes such as “All Along the Watch Tower,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” and “We Just Disagree.” When guitarist Jim Krueger wrote “We Just Disagree,” he knew Mason should sing it. Mason put it on his 1977 album “Let It Flow,” and it became his single biggest hit with simple lyrics like “There ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy, There’s only you and me and we just disagree.” And again, another unrequited love song for Mason and lasting hit song.

Playing music since he was 18, a young Mason teamed up with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood to form the band Traffic in the late ’60s. He then went on to record “Alone Together” and “Let It Flow” as a solo singer songwriter. But he collaborated and played guitar on many great albums such as Rolling Stones’ “Beggars Banquet” and Paul McCartney’s (Wings) “Listen to What The Man Said” and his acoustic guitar leads before Jimi Hendrix’s begins in “All Along The Watchtower.” He was inducted into the the Roll ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 as a member of the band Traffic.

photocredit: CHRIS JENSEN/Contributed

Dave Mason

Thursday, June 8

8 p.m.

Key West Theater

 

 

Hays Blinckmann is an oil painter, author of the novel “In The Salt,” lover of all things German including husband, children and Bundesliga. She spends her free time developing a font for sarcasm, testing foreign wines and failing miserably at home cooking.