Willy Mason live on WYSO

On Friday afternoon, Excursions got a visit from an exciting new singer-songwriter, Willy Mason. Mason and friends have been opening for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in between stops on the Gentlemen of the Road tour headlined by Mumford and Sons. Fresh off their converted little yellow schoolbus, Mason and longtime friend and bandmate Nina Violet gave a preview of what listeners should expect to hear at their performance this evening at the Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Troy, OH. Armed with two voices, guitar and viola, the duo impressed with their tight harmonies, solid instrumental interplay, and dare I say Dylanesque lyrics.  Maybe it was the beautiful day outside, but their four song set had a surprising amount of energy for the early hour. Along with three of Mason's songs, the duo also played a song written by Mason's mother, Jemima James. You can find her own performance of 'Waiter at the Station' here.