This week in Freak Scene, we have the latest from eternal teenager Ray Mason, plus a new video from Northampton singer and songwriter Henning Ohlenbusch.

There were surely other musicians kicking up a fuss with their guitars at the Holyoke YMCA in 1966, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Ray Mason is the only one still gigging 60 years later. The veteran singer and songwriter has been making music for decades now, on his own and with a succession of bands including the Lonesome Brothers and Ware River Club. Mason’s latest album, Glaze, is his 16th, and a bit of a departure: there’s no guitar.

Though he wrote these 10 songs on a six-string, Mason wanted to try something different when it was time to record them. So instead of slinging his vintage Silvertone guitar over his shoulder, Mason played bass and sang at the head of a trio that also features Ken Maiuri on keyboards and Keith Levreault on drums and percussion. Without guitar, Maiuri’s organ carries these songs, and while a lot of organ trios lean toward soul jazz (the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, for example, who play as part of the Back Porch Festival March 27-29), Mason and Co. have more of a poppy rock sensibility.

Ray MasonGlaze

Credit for that goes to Mason, 75, who has described himself as “a teenager with 40-plus years of experience.” He retains that youthful spirit here, on songs that are straightforward and unfussy. He finds a metaphor for love in rollercoasters and ferris wheels on opener “Amusement Park,” where his bassline rumbles along beneath burbling organ from Maiuri. He’s shopping for new duds on “Apparel,” accompanied by a snapping beat from Levreault, and calling out an establishment type on “Cheap Slippery Yes Man” as Maiuri’s keyboard parts see-saw up and down.

Mason sounds vibrant and upbeat throughout, even on the slower jams like “No Golden Year” or the title track. That’s a testament to how much he continues to be engaged with — and clearly thrilled by — making music. WRSI-FM (93.9) used to refer to artists from around here as “local heroes.” It’s hard to think of a musician from Western Mass. who deserves that designation more than Ray Mason.

Henning Ohlenbusch Braves the Cold for ‘You, So I’

The sight of Henning Ohlenbusch strolling around Northampton is a common one, so the video for his new song “You, So I” feels like a window into the Henning experience. He’s ambling along the Norwottuck Rail Trail, a.k.a. the bike path, between King Street and Jackson Street as snow drifts down gently around him. He’s there by himself, without another soul in sight, which is the perfect accompaniment to the wistful lyrics he’s singing in the bitter cold during the recent blizzard.

The song is from Ohlenbusch’s upcoming solo album Almost Always Overwhelmed. He wrote, performed and recorded each of the 10 tracks himself at his Rub Wrongways Studios. “You, So I” floats on a current of jangly electric guitars while the soft snick of a tambourine keeps time. His lyrics find that elusive balance between vague and specific that allows listeners to put themselves into the song as he sings what amounts to a bashful love song.

Almost Always Overwhelmed is Ohlenbusch’s first solo release since The Dream Is to Dream in 2022. (He also fronts Gentle Hen, which performs tonight, Feb. 13, at Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton). The new album comes out March 6.

Upcoming Concerts

In addition to June Millington's four-part guitar master class, the Institute for the Musical Arts in Goshen hosts a performance by John Hollenbeck's George, presented by JazzShares March 17 (tickets). "Lesbo-centric" rockers (their term!) Kay Turner Her & the Pages are there April 11 (tickets).

Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing in South Deerfield has the String Cheese Incident June 23 (tickets).

The Iron Horse in Northampton hosts the Felice Brothers April 30 (tickets); the Kingston, N.Y., band has released a consistently excellent string of albums over the past five years. Also coming: Secret Planet shows with Mexican cumbia-fusion act Son Rompe Pera May 9 (tickets) and North African futurists Saha Gnawa May 28 (tickets) and Tuba Skinny Aug. 29 (tickets).

Bombyx in Florence hosts Welcome Table Chorus March 31 (tickets); created by Nerissa and Katryna Nields, the chorus seeks to bring people together to sing (in four-part harmony) in an act of community-building. Their repertoire includes songs from the folk tradition and more contemporary selections. Arabic-Yemini "junkyard band" El Khat are there April 10 (tickets).

De La Luz in Holyoke features Mtali Banda Feb. 28 (tickets), Sue Foley March 18 (tickets), Kaleta and the Super Yamba Band March 19 (tickets), the Soul Rebels March 25 (tickets) and Club d'Elf April 10 (tickets).

Hope Center for the Arts in Springfield presents Young@Heart Feb. 28 with Sweet Honey in the Rock and Kayla Staley (tickets), John Violinist April 25 (tickets), Madeleine Peyroux April 29 (tickets) and the Bo-Deans May 3 (tickets).

The Marigold Theater in Easthampton hosts Wishbone Zoë this coming Wednesday, Feb. 18, with Saliba and Matthew Thornton Trio (tickets), Boston alt-country band Swinging Steaks with Christa Joy Feb. 27 (tickets) and Frenchy and the Punk with Pilgrims and Ghost Painted Sky March 13 (tickets).

The Drake in Amherst hosts Brooklyn indie-pop band Juice April 30 (tickets), Maine indie-rockers Sparks the Rescue May 15 (tickets) and the Max Johnson Sextet June 4 (tickets).

The HU, a [checks notes] Mongolian folk-metal band from Ulaanbaatar, and Apocalyptica play May 14 at College Street Music Hall in New Haven (tickets).

The Space Ballroom in Hamden hosts Kerosense Heights with Dear Maryanne May 24 (tickets) and Oranssi Pazuzu May 26 (tickets).

Housekeeping Item

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