1 of 5 2 of 5 With files from David Matychuk. When David Matychuk of No Fun (“the Beatles of Surrey”) read my blogged primer for the upcoming Alejandro Escovedo show at The Pearl, he caught a name on the poster for which I had zero recognition: James Mastro. “Hang on: James Mastro, you say?” he commented.
“There’s a musician worth a writeup.” “Who?” I asked. (I was fixated, and still am, on Escovedo.
) Mastro is “one of the musicians who I’ve always associated with the New York rock music scene of the mid to late ‘70s and early ‘80s without ever knowing much about him,” Matychuk explained in a follow-up email. “He played guitar on Richard Lloyd’s Alchemy in 1979, then popped up a few years later in the Bongos—a pretty good outfit that seemed to vanish after signing to a major record company. But over the years I kept noticing Mastro’s name in association with a lot more of my favourite musicians.
” (Mastro has played with, produced, or crossed paths with everyone from Patti Smith to Robert Plant, from John Cale to Mott the Hoople). Video of The Bongos - Bulrushes (Director's Cut) “He’s obviously the real deal as a guitarist,” Matychuk continued, “and I’m glad to have the opportunity to fill in some of the blanks on an intriguing musical figure from a great musical time and place, now that he’s finally playing a show in Vancouver.” Mastro has been here before, in fact, but he doesn’t come often—and he hasn’t in a long time.
His last visit was when his band the Health & Happiness Show backed Texas troubadour Butch Hancock in the late 1990s. Not sure if Health & Happiness Show did their own introductory set that night, but Vancouver audiences will definitely be treated to one on Sunday (July 28), as Mastro will open for Escovedo before taking his place as Escovedo’s lead guitarist. Along with a couple of gems from Mastro’s back catalogue, the majority of the songs will be from his new album, entitled The Dawn of a New Error (no, he was not aware that Vancouver’s D.
O.A. had a similarly-titled compilation).
The lead single is “Right Words, Wrong Song”; note that Mott the Hoople vocalist Ian Hunter is in the video. Video of James Mastro - "Right Words, Wrong Song" (Official Video) Mastro’s backstory begins in 1979. He was living in northwest New Jersey and started a band with his brother John called Fast Car.
The label on their single 7-inch credits “J and J Mastrodimos”—their full Greek last name—but “my friends always called me ‘Mastro,’” he recalls now, “so it just stuck.” It would be a big deal for him that, years later (circa 2005), Patti Smith invited him to provide “a little extra instrumentation” for a tour that went through Athens, playing the Lycabettus Theatre—the highest point in the city. “Being of Greek descent, it’s always been a dream of mine to play there, and Patti made that dream come true,” Mastro says.
“I remember walking to the stage with her, holding her arm under the guise of supporting her, but it was really to help keep me grounded. Onstage, she kept encouraging me to talk to the crowd in Greek, which I did to their surprise and delight.” As for what happened to that Fast Car single: “I probably still have 200 copies in my parents’ basement somewhere,” Mastro jokes.
It’s not on Bandcamp, not on Youtube. Mastro promises he’ll “try and get it public soon,” but in the meantime, just know that it came to the attention of Terry Ork of Ork Records—the label that rock band Television’s first single was on. “Terry wanted to do a single with us and have [Television band member] Richard Lloyd produce,” Mastro explains.
“We met Richard, but the single never came to fruition. Shortly after, when Television broke up, Richard remembered me and called and asked if I’d like to be in his band. I was 17 at the time.
” That band was Health & Happiness Show. Ivan Julian of Richard Hell & the Voidoids would later join some of its records. Another noted New Yorker that worked with Mastro was Fred Smith—not the one married to Patti Smith and best known for his work in the MC5, but the one who played bass in Television.
“I consider him one of my dearest friends,” Mastro says. “He’s been a huge influence on me in more ways than he probably even realizes. One of the best musicians I’ve worked with—funny, smart, and incredibly kind.
He got me my first job at a guitar shop in New York City, which enabled me to finish high school early, move out of my parents’ home, and get my own apartment in Hoboken. Years later he gave me the encouragement and help to open my guitar shop— Guitar Bar —in Hoboken. I love him to pieces.
” Mastro’s next project was the Bongos, but he did not play on their debut album—1982’s Drums Along the Hudson —even though his picture is on the back cover. “I was friends with the band and would sit in with them unofficially,” he says, “but I was still working with Richard Lloyd at the time they recorded that album. I love every song on that album, but ‘The Bulrushes’ and their version of [T.
Rex’s] ‘Mambo Sun’ are my personal faves.” (Matychuk compares the Bongos to T. Rex overall, but I quibble, thinking they sound more like Guadalcanal Diary.
Just listen for yourself and decide!) “The band still plays together from time to time, but the members are a bit scattered geographically,” Mastro says, which makes it a challenge. “When we do play, it’s all the original members. And if the right offer comes up, we’ll go anywhere—even Vancouver!” An earlier Mastro song that will be on Sunday’s set is “ No One Has to Know ”.
This piece came off a 1983 split album with fellow Bongo Richard Barone, Nuts and Bolts , with Barone contributing one side and Mastro the second. Another New Yorker who Mastro calls a friend is Jesse Malin, who recently suffered a debilitating spinal stroke. As with Escovedo some 20 years ago , friends have “rallied to help him,” with a compilation due out in September called Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin , featuring both Escovedo and Hunter, as well as the likes of Wayne Kramer, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Lucinda Williams.
“We’re all just devastated that something so random could happen to such a strong guy,” says Mastro. “We all believe he can beat this, and he’s showing every sign that he will.” Mastro produced and played on “Dead On”, which Ian Hunter contributed to the record.
“Is Ian Hunter an astoundingly vital freak of nature or just a regular demigod?” asks Matychuk, who’s also on the call. “I think Ian must have made some kind of deal with the gods for sure,” Mastro answers. “At 85, he’s still producing work that rivals his best from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
I’ve learned a lot from Ian over the years, the most important being honesty in how you approach everything. If it feels wrong, then it is wrong.” One of the weirder scenarios to come from Mastro’s association with Hunter is his background vocals on Ozzy Osbourne’s cover of “ All the Young Dudes ”.
“That was a total fluke, but it looks good on a resume,” Mastro muses. “Ozzy asked Ian to sing backups on it, but Ian didn’t want to go alone, so he dragged me along—then dragged me into the vocal booth with him to join in.” Hunter appears on Mastro’s album in the song “Right Words, Wrong Song”, which took its lyrical genesis from the chorus.
“The genesis of the song—and most songs for me—comes from having a strong chorus line or opening verse line,” Mastro explains. “The title came first, and it just rolled from there. For some reason I had a vision of the old Roman forums for this, and ‘the Christians ate the lions’ line seemed to fit the duplicity that the song is confronting.
” Another song from Mastro’s new album that you’ll likely hear on Sunday is “My God”, which to my mind is one of the greatest pop songs themed around religion ever written—though Mastro says, in fact, he doesn’t view it as a religious song (“It might be considered more a love song.”) But growing up religious probably has some bearing. Video of James Mastro - "My god" (Official Music Video) “I had a Greek Orthodox upbringing, church every Sunday, altar boy, the whole deal,” he says.
“I’m glad I had that as a part of my life; both as a foundation for learning what’s right or wrong, but also for later as something to rebel against. Though there are differences between all religions, the core beliefs are kindness and being good. Once I realized that, I saw no point in aligning with one denomination.
” The song was written over a decade ago, he continues, “and to be honest, it was one of the hardest songs I’ve written, only because it seemed too easy, too obvious to me. I hadn’t written anything else like it before, and I just didn’t know if it was any good. At the time I was writing it, I was working with Patti, so I had her ear.
I sent her the lyrics and asked her opinion. She gave me the encouragement to go with it, so that was all I needed to finish it.” I ask Mastro about working with Escovedo (my thumbnail sketch of his career can be found here )—specifically, what’s his favourite Escovedo song as a listener and a guitar player? “That's truly a tough call, as I love them all, and he’s giving us some of the most beautiful ballads and fiercest rock songs in his illustrious career,” Mastro says.
“But forced to choose faves, today I’ll say ‘Rosalie’—a truly tender song with a beautiful story that hits home every time.” Mastro also loves Escovedo’s “Chelsea Hotel 78”, which deals with the death of Nancy Spungen and the arrest of Sid Vicious. Escovedo was their neighbour at the time, and saw Vicious being led out of the Chelsea with cops on each arm.
The song “is as punk rock as it gets, and it references a time in NYC that was my formative years there, so I find it very personal,” Mastro explains. “As far as live performances, on this tour we do a combination of ‘Castanuelas’ from the new album , morphing back to its original ‘Castanets’—which covers every musical itch you want scratched.” Video of Alejandro Escovedo- live in Austin TX April 14 2023 - Chelsea Hotel 78 One thing I know for sure is where I’m going to be on Sunday night.
Alejandro Escovedo (with James Mastro) plays The Pearl on July 28. Tickets are available here ..
