“Just let the disc play... this is the song to give you hope
I wouldn't have it any other way... this is the song to give you hope” Big Sur
Welcome to the most complete collection of Mason Jennings lyrics and tabs online. We've tried to be as accurate as possible in transcribing both, but if you have any suggestions or corrections please don't hesitate to contact Justin.
- Minnesota Available for Pre-Order - 08/16/2011
Minnesota is available for pre-order in one of several attractive packs, all of which include an immediate MP3 download, “Raindrops on the Kitchen Floor”. Another teaser video has been posted to Mason’s YouTube account, this one going into a bit of detail about the piano-based nature of the record. This also means we have a full tracklist! - Teaser for Minnesota Released - 07/20/2011
A peculiar video teaser for Mason’s new album Minnesota, directed by Barry Kimm and featuring what appears to be vintage VHS footage of an 80s Gravitron ride, has been posted to Mason’s YouTube account, featuring the song “Clutch”. The album drops September 13, 2011. - The Flood Drops November 16 - 10/20/2010
According to Mason's official Facebook page, The Flood is now available for pre-order from iTunes, which means we have a traaaack liiiiisting and cooooover aaaaaart! (Read in your favorite Halloween scary voice.) Looks like five never-heard-(by-me-at-least) songs on there. We’ll post lyrics as soon as the album is available. - The Flood Pushed to November - 10/01/2010
Courtesy of a handful of forumites, Mason has apparently been saying at recent shows that the new album of old classics The Flood will drop in November, rather than September. Which is good, because September is over and it would be weird to release an album in the past. - Hear Live at First Ave. Online, Free - 08/12/2010
Twelve more days until the album drops proper, but Spinner is streaming the whole thing for free right now. Thanks Internet! - New Album Gets Title, Release Date - 07/26/2010
Courtesy of Surfline, it seems Mason's new album of unreleased oldies will be titled The Flood, will be 15-tracks long (whoo!), and will drop in September. Can't wait. - Live Album in August - 07/26/2010
This one snuck up on us. A live album titled Live at First Ave. – one may reasonably assume this is a live performance from First Avenue in Minneapolis – has appeared on iTunes, available for pre-order with an expected release date of August 3. (Update: The iTunes pre-order has been pulled, and the official website now lists a release date of August 24.) The track list is a pretty superb mix of Blood of Man cuts plus old classics and unreleaseds that many fans will be happy to hear. (Hat-tip to funkysoulbrother.) - New Album Due Fall 2010 - 05/25/2010
Jonesin’ for a Simple Life redux? This fall, another collection of unreleased live staples and fan favorites is on its way. So says a mysterious “M. Jennings” on stage at the 05/21 Dallas show. At the very least, In the Field (a.k.a. The Original “The Field”) will make the cut. Any you’d like to be on there? Hit up the boards! - Blood of Man Release Brings Many Options - 09/15/2009
Blood of Man drops in physical form today. At select indie retailers, it comes with two-song EP containing "Mark My Heart With Ashes" and "Wide Open Country". You can also download it from iTunes to get the iTunes-only track "Waves". My suggestion? Buy the iTunes version and wait for the EP to show up on eBay. Although I really wish Mason would do an iTunes LP for this album... - Mason's 10,000 Lakes Music Festival Performance - 08/19/2009
This warrants its own news post. An amazing taper recorded Mason's July 23 performance at the 10,000 Lakes Music Festival and uploaded it to Archive.org. Not only is this one of the best Mason shows I've heard, but it's got several tracks off the upcoming Blood of Man album that you'll definitely want to check out. The taper didn't supply a track list, but I've done so here. If Mason captured even a fraction of the energy and rockitude of these new songs on the studio recordings, this will be an amazing album. (Thanks to geezer for the heads up.) - Blood of Man Drops in September - 08/11/2009
Aforementioned new album, now officially detailed, will drop September 15, 2009. Pre-order from Amazon to give Bird Wings Beat a little referral love. You already know this, but Mason has described it as a darker, more electric album. Tracks already released on YouTube/etc. back up that statement, especially the bitter tear-jerker of a war story "The Field" (not to be confused with an unreleased song known as "The Field", which I've unilaterally renamed "In the Field"). Me no can wait. - "Sunlight" Single + New Album Announcement - 06/04/2009
Well now that was quick. Barely a year after In The Ever, we have a new album announcement (due "late summer 2009") and a terrific iTunes exclusive single – Sunlight – from said album sessions. According to Mason's website, "Mason will be donating proceeds [of the track] to the Surfrider Foundation, for the duration of the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project (June 1– August 30, 2009)." Neato. Oh, and the lyrics have been transcribed. - And It Was Good - 05/20/2008
Mason's latest album In The Ever dropped today, and it's stellar. Especially if you're a fan of the "railroad troubadour" Mason, which I happen to be. Pick it up, or risk a Good Music Deficit in your heart. - In The Ever Tracklist, Cover, and Release Date Revealed - 04/25/2008
Hot on the heels of my (extremely belated) new album announcement, Amazon has revealed the track list and the (beautiful) cover for In The Ever, due out May 20, 2008. Check out the Discography page for all the deets, or pre-order your little heart out. (Thanks, Dustin!) - New Album: In The Ever - 04/24/2008
Has it been two years already? Mason's new album, In The Ever, is scheduled for release on Brushfire Records in May 2008. The track listing is currently unknown, but presumably "Fighter Girl" (a re-recorded version of the Boneclouds castoff) made the cut, since it was just released on Brushfire as an iTunes single. According to a recent interview in The Honolulu Advertiser, the album was recorded "in a cabin in the woods with minimal equipment", about which Mason says, "I really wanted to get out of the studio for this one. I wanted to be in an organic place; hear rain on the roof, hear birds outside." We likey. - Mason Signs With Brushfire Records - 04/24/2008
From the "apparently old news" department: Mason has switched labels, from Glacial Pace to Brushfire Records. (I heard Jack Johnson beat Isaac Brock in a cage match.) Presumably he fit in better with the chill atmosphere of Brushfire. Plus, which Christmas party would you rather attend: the one in Hawaii, or the one in Portland, or whatever? - Matt News - 12/12/2007
While we're waiting for Mason to eat that baby, there's always his talented brother Matt (Jennings) to talk about. Said brother is currently on tour, maybe with new music, hint hint? (Metroplex-ites: he'll be in Ft. Worth tonight and Dallas tomorrow night, so cancel your plans and, uh, get some tans.) - Meta News - 12/12/2007
There's been a total dearth of Mason news of late. So in "about the site" news [snore], it's pitifully sad that this place is still statically-driven and that I haven't linked the lyrics pages to counterpart live MP3s and such. Please know that as soon as The Man stops cracking The Whip, the site will get The Treatment. Oh, and Mason: do something newsworthy! Make an album, go electric, eat a baby... something! Your public is never satiated. - Server Move - 4/6/2007
BWB just moved to a sick new host. MP3s might not download for just a bit, and you might have to re-login to the forum before you can post again. Sorry for any troubles. - Digital Reasons - 11/14/2006
If you haven't got a reason to spend the scrilla on a Boneclouds/If You Need A Reason EP bundle, you can now download the EP from the iTunes Store! Oddly enough, at the time of this post, all Glacial Pace recordings are showing up twice on Mason's iTunes artist page. So if that first link disappears, just hit up the second link and find it manually. Sure, it's not as cool as the paper-sleeve version, but it may be your best bet. And first person to say "I shan't support this iPod/iTunes strangehold!" gets a douse in the face from a delicious Starbucks venti drip. [Thanks to Daniel for the tip.] - Nope, It's Really Like That - 10/09/2006
[Note: Read "Buy The Same Album Twice!" below to catch up on this topic.] One trip to Good Records later, and it seems there really is a "you must buy the album to get the EP" policy, intended to spur the "disappointing" sales of Boneclouds. (Good Records actually allows you to purchase any Mason CD to get the EP, so I replaced my missing Century Spring.) Really, this policy has to go. I understand it from a business and marketing perspective -- I'm sure the suits at Epic even find it extravagantly generous -- but I think it's inconsiderate of the fans. We certainly don't deserve any favors, and Mason is free to sell his music however he wants, but I'm sure we'd all be happier if they'd just offer it for sale on its own, too. In any case, it's very good, so if there are any holes in your Mason collection, don't hesitate to fill 'em now to get the songs. - I've [Possibly] Made A Huge Mistake - 10/07/2006
Following last night's indignant posting, I reexamined the actual language of the site, and it's not entirely clear whether the EP is available ala carte. Technically it never says you actually have to buy Boneclouds, just that they're offering it as a bonus. I assumed as much since there was no information on how to purchase the EP, but it's entirely possible you can just buy it alone. If so, I will stand horridly corrected and apologetic. I'll check in at Good Records today and report back. If I made a mistake, a huge apology goes out to the Mason crew for badmouthing them wrongly. If not, though... the wobbly remains. - Buy The Same Album Twice! - 10/06/2006
Hot on the heels of Kristin's eBay discovery (see below), the Mason crew officially announced the If You Need A Reason EP, along with the ridiculous news that it's only [currently] available as a free bonus with the purchase of Boneclouds (ala the "Be Here Now/Things Change" pre-order vinyl), and only at select independent record stores. Kudos on the support for independents, but a big wobbly to the early-adopter-screwing purchase policy. To reiterate, you have to purchase Boneclouds in order to receive the new EP as a free bonus. It doesn't make sense to me: release a fan-tantalizing EP as the exclusive bonus to an album the fans already own? The policy rewards late-comers and milks the most ardent supporters. However, I'm willing to assume the policy is less malevolent than simply misguided, and is either temporary or we're only getting half the story. I hope the other shoe drops soon. (Of course, I will be giving my copy of Boneclouds away and purchasing a new one at Good Records tomorrow. Milk milk.) - Buy The Same Song Twice! - 10/05/2006
Thanks to the wonders of the internets and their electronic "bays", Mason fan "Kristin" on the "official-schmofficial" boards has reportedly purchased the not-yet-even-officially-revealed upcoming EP of Boneclouds toss-offs. The EP will reportedly be named If You Need A Reason EP and feature five songs. (I'll give you one guess what one of them is titled.) You can see the track list on the discography page. Now, as much as I'm looking forward to the four B-sides, I really hope the title track is an alternate take from the Boneclouds version, or else I'm going to be wondering just what was so bad about the other 22 discards that they didn't deserve a chance to shine. [Edit: Okay, my count was off. If Mason had 36 songs to choose from for Boneclouds, and 10 made the album, and one ("Things Change") made the vinyl bonus, then he should have 25 discards previous to the EP and 21 after. My apologies.] - Video Killed... Nobody, Ever - 10/03/2006
Quickly now, quickly, a duo of "moving pictures" for the kids: first, Mason sings "Boneclouds" (the song) at the Gypsy Tea Room on September 29, 2006. This is one of several songs recorded during the Boneclouds (the album) sessions that were deemed unworthy of album inclusion -- what, put more than 10 songs on a CD? futuristic mumbo-jumbo! -- but will be released on an upcoming EP. (Hey, he's got 26 discards to choose from.) Moving on, we have an inexplicably good find from YouTube: an astonishingly beautiful cover of "If You Ain't Got Love" by two wonderful human beings of the female persuasion. For the Philistines out there who find Mason's voice "too divisive", just try to dislike his poignancy when delivered by harmonized folkstresses. Aaaaaand, scene! - Important System Message Concerning Bandwidth And Such - 10/01/2006
So sorry about the weekend downage. Looks like the "put as many MP3s as possible online and cross your fingers" experiment came to its inevitable bandwidth conclusion, two days before the 10GB/month refresh. Boo. I've got a bigger-bandwidth host to which I'll be moving BWB shortly, but it was supposed to coincide with a bigger backend overhaul that's taking a bit of time. (Here's a little hint.) Sometime this month it should happen, and bandwidth outages should be a thing of the past. Like polio! -
Second Leg Tour Dates - 8/14/2006
The newsletter -- or in this case, the decidedly goodnewsletter -- just arrived in the old mailbox, and it looks like Mason's going out for a second tour leg! And Texas is back in rotation! Here there will be happiness:September 07 - Madison, WI - Barrymore Theatre
September 08 - Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club
September 09 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
September 10 - Millvale, PA - Mr Small's Theatre
September 12 - Toronto, Canada - Drake Hotel
September 14 - Portland, ME - The Space
September 15 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
September 16 - Boston, MA - Avalon Ballroom
September 19 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
September 21 - Jacksonville Beach, FL - Freebird Café
September 22 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
September 23 - Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
September 24 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
September 26 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
September 28 - Houston, TX - Walters on Washington
September 29 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tearoom
September 30 - Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ - Boneclouds Tabs Up - 7/10/2006
Thanks to Ryan from MyGuitarTabs.com, we've got most of the Boneclouds tabs up. Still needing Some Say I'm Not and Where The Sun Had Been, if any tabbers out there want to take a stab. Oh, and anyone who's sent me tabs in the last few months: I've been enormously lazy. If I haven't added them, re-email them and I'll put 'em up. - MP3s Of Every Mason Song Ever - 6/17/2006
Check out this forum thread to find out how you can help BWB compile the greatest collection of live Mason MP3s that man has ever seen! (Woman has seen it, but she ain't talking. Crafty guttersnipe.) And if you're selfish and work-averse, replace "help BWB compile" with "download" and go to the thread anyway. Meanie. - Boneclouds Lyrics Up - 6/15/2006
Sorry for the delay. These had to be transcribed by ear since the liner notes were lyric-less, and the new Mason site doesn't see lyrics as much of a necessity. They's all up now. - Tour/Line-up Verified, Pre-Order Goodies, and Video Released - 4/15/2006
The latest Mason Jennings Newsletter was a cornucopia of tasty delights. First, the tour dates were confirmed (see below). Second, it was revealed that joining Mason and Chris on the tour will be Peter Leggett (of the Heiruspecs) on drums and Bradford Swanson on guitar and piano. Wait... a fourth member?! Awesome. Also, apparently if you pre-order Boneclouds from the Sony Music Store you'll also receive an autographed 7" vinyl that includes "Be Here Now" on one side and the unreleased "Things Change" on the other. No word on if this applies retroactively to earlier pre-orders (hint hint, Sony). Peeps who shop at Awarestore can apparently have the "opportunity" to purchase either the 7" vinyl or a CD single of "Be Here Now" if they pre-order. Which I guess might prove useful for, like, one person. And lastly, the video for "Be Here Now" is finally available! Tell your friends and vote for it on TRL. I'm joking about that last one. I hope. -
2006 Tour Dates "Leaked" - 4/13/2006
(Update: Dates have been confirmed, along with two additions and a correction.) Static Multimedia has a list of Boneclouds-supporting tour dates. We won't know for sure these are valid until they go on the official site -- and is Texas getting screwed again?! -- but here they are anyway:New: June 03 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
New: June 05 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
September 07 - Pittsburgh, PA - Three Rivers Festival
June 08 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
June 09 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
June 10 - Washington, D.C - 9:30 Club
June 14 - Charlottesville, VA - Starr Hill
June 15 - Asheville, NC - OrangePeel The Grey Eagle
June 16 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle
June 17 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
June 20 - Louisville, KY - Headliners
June 21 - St. Louis, MO - Mississippi Nights
June 22 - Chicago, IL - Park West
June 23 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
June 24 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
July 07 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
July 08 - Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
July 11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Theatre
July 13 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
July 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon Theatre
July 15 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues - Mason on CBS Sunday Morning - 4/12/2006
In a little three-mornings-after news, Mason was featured on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood last Sunday. Thanks to Lucid, we have vidcaps available, in two chunky sizes: 320x240 (3.8MB) and 640x480 (8.2MB). (You will want to right-click and download those links before watching the movies. And you might need Quicktime. I'm stupid.) This may seem small, but it's our first real indication of Mason's mainstream acceptance, and from an apparently reputable source. Go Mason. - Boneclouds Tracklisting, Preorder - 3/16/2006
Ooh, a bumper crop of goodies! The Sony Music Store (dot com) has Boneclouds available for preorder, so go get you some of that Boneclouds. Naturally, the site contains a track listing, which you can now read on the Discography page. - New Boneclouds Details: Brian Out, David In, And Noah (Not That One) On The Mixer - 3/07/2006
The newest Boneclouds details come from Mason's inexplicable MySpace page. The bio description reveals that Boneclouds will waft from "delicately finger picked mediations to raw, searing rockers." This sounds promising, if just a bit familiar. The article also notes that Brian Mcleod has been replaced by David King (of The Bad Plus) on the drums, and that Noah Georgeson produced the album. If his previous work on Devendra Banhart's excellent Cripple Crow is any indication, the album will be absolutely lush. - Album Announcement: Boneclouds - 2/22/2006
According to Mason's website, his new album will be titled Boneclouds and will be released on May 2 May 16, 2006. The album is Mason's first release on Glacial Pace, and has an utterly awesome cover. (Edit: The site just changed the release date from May 2 to May 16. You can still see the original poster that shows the May 2 date.) - New Album? - 10/14/2005
Mason's back in the studio, recording for his unnamed 2006 release... or so says his website. What with all the big label brou-haha that's been going on lately, that might just be marketing fluff dreamed up by the suits to whet our ape tits while The Matrix puts the finishing touches on his duet with Hilary Duff. I'd wager Texas-with-a-dollar-sign on that. - Mason Sells Out. (Just kidding.) - 06/18/2005
According to Twin Cities rag Star Tribune, Mason just signed with Glacial Pace, a subsidiary of Sony's Epic music label headed by Modest Mouse growler Isaac Brock. Big news. Huge. For years, Mason has maintained distance from the major labels to avoid the politics and creative control that usually accompany such career-boosting proximity. Brock must have convinced Mason on the tour last fall that Glacial wouldn't stifle him, and would let him — wait for it — move at his own pace. The article also states that Mason is searching for a "big name" producer for his next album, to be released next spring. Here's hoping for a Lillywhite or Rubin, and not that guy who ruined Dave Matthews Band. With Brock himself recently doing producer duties for Wolf Parade's self-titled EP, maybe we'll see a Modest Mouse/Mason Jennings album. I don't think I'm alone when I pee myself a little. (Note: The title of this article is a friendly joke. Except the "just kidding" part... that's real.) - Board Be PunBB - 1/15/2005
I should just rededicate this site to forum engines... or look harder for new Mason news. In any case, I changed the forums from phpBB to punBB, because the latter is more streamlined and easier to administer. Plus, it had a built-in theme ("Mercury") that was the spitting image of the rest of BWB. Yay. All posts/accounts moved over from phpBB loverly. Enjoy. Again. - Board Be Back - 12/23/2004
The boards are back up, and updated to phpBB 2.0.11 to avoid the net-wide phpBB hack. The only difference is that I deleted the GoldMine theme for now, until I can get it looking better. If you were using it, you'll have to put up with the default phpBB look for a while. Enjoy. - "Be Here Now" MP3
Thanks to a Mason fan who recorded the AOL Webcast 2004-09-18 Austin City Limits performance, we've got a reasonable-quality MP3 of Mason's newest song, "Be Here Now," albeit with a few digital blips at the beginning. Enjoy. (And in case you don't already know, visit this forum topic for another delectable Mason MP3.) - Order Use Your Van - 09/21/2004
Quickly now, order Use Your Van from Awarestore.com; not only does it promise to be a jewel for Mason fans, it apparently features a new (or alternately-titled) song, "Lonely Computer Screen." Lyrics to come. - Mason DVD Announced - 08/26/2004
The Official Mason Jennings website has just announced that Mason's aforementioned DVD will be entitled Use Your Van, and will be available "soon." The site also reports that "there will be a two [sic] screenings of the DVD at the Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday, September 30 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. This is an all ages event and tickets are $8." Tickets to those shows are available from MusicToday. - Documasonry? - 03/22/2004
The rumor mill sayeth that Mason has been filming concerts for an upcoming documentary that purportedly shows the life of an independent artist, on and off the road. We'll keep you updated when official news arises. - Bird Wings Beat - 03/13/2004
Thanks to the philanthropy of a few fine Mason fans and a guy with a killer server, we now have a permanent home at birdwingsbeat.com. Tell all your friends and update your bookmarks! - Use Your Credit Card (Part 2) - 02/10/2004
Mason's new album, Use Your Voice, is now available for purchase. - Use Your Credit Card - 11/22/2003
At last night's Menominee show, Mason announced the new album Use Your Voice will be released on February 10, 2004. Presumably, he will use his voice to sing songs and perhaps make interesting noises. - Forums Revisited - 08/13/2003
Thanks to the brilliantly brilliant Tony Previte, we've now got a beautiful phpBB forum. Welcommen. - New Mason Videos - 03/02/2003
Two new videos have appeared on the official Mason site: a music video for "Sorry Signs on Cash Machines" (shot using footage from the 12/6/03 and 12/7/03 First Avenue shows plus some on-location stuff), and a promotional bit with lots of Mason monologuing. Check 'em out. - Robert Leaves - 02/08/2003
As rumoured, MJB bassist and tour staple Robert Skoro has officially left the band to pursue his promising solo career. Chris Morrissey of the Bill Mike Band will replace him. - August and Everything After - 01/22/2003
At last night's University of Minnesota show, Mason announced that he and Amy just welcomed their first child, a boy named August, into the family. Congrats go out to them from the entire fan community. (Note to Mason: change Sylvan to "August" and throw it into play rotation for a surefire crowd-pleaser.) - More Proof That Bassists Rock - 12/13/2002
Mason's longtime bassist/collaborator Robert Skoro just released his first album, Proof, and it's winning rave reviews from listeners so far. You can read more at his official site.
