The story behind my "Words and Music": my father, ALS, and trying to give back

Not a lot of people are aware of my experience with ALS, or more commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects over 5,600 new people and their families annually. My father was diagnosed with ALS when I was 10 years old and it quickly adjusted my lifestyle for the remainder of my adolescence.

The disease deteriorates the nerves, eventually atrophying the muscles, and forcing immobility. The most horrifying part is that the mind stays completely healthy...so while the body is wasting away, unable to move or to speak, the mind is still thinking as much, if not more, than it ever had. For over 6 years, I assisted my mom and my sister in caring for my dad as his body weakened and declined before our eyes. While my friends were out at football games or going to movies, I was on a pretty tight departure and arrival curfew but not for normal reasons of a teenager - I was back home around 10pm to help my mother put my dad to bed. Or to feed him and take him to the bathroom and provide help that no one really understood. His friends slowly disappeared (although new ones appeared that we never saw coming and will always be extremely grateful for) along with his ability to communicate.

Anytime I tell my story of my father and the disease that ultimately took him, I always have to interject and let it be known that my mother, who is easily the strongest and most able person I'll ever meet, did an AMAZING job of making sure I had as much of a normal childhood as possible. As we became more experienced with the situation, she assumed the duties all by herself so that I could hang out with my friends of a Saturday night or go to karate class a few nights a week. So there are small slivers of normalcy but they are rare.

So why am I telling you this? No, it's not to completely depress you around the holidays or give you one more thing to fear. But you must be aware and remember that such a horrible disease exists and it discriminates against NO ONE. There is no known cause or cure and the world needs all the help it can get to battle against it.

I am telling you this because I recently had an opportunity to assist in the best way that I know how and included my song "Home Free" on a compilation CD called "Words & Music Nashville". If you've seen "Home Free" live before, you may have heard me talk about how it was written as a tribute to my father, who, while in the Air Force for 22 years, flew F-4's in Vietnam and was an extremely proud veteran. So as further tribute towards curing his disease, I have included "Home Free" and will be donating 100% of my proceeds from this album to the ALS Association. The ALS Association is just one of the organizations that is doing everything possible to fight for a cure and to assist the people and families of those that are afflicted with ALS.

So please do what you can, if you can. To find out more about "Words & Music Nashville" and get a few copies, as well as discover all the incredible artists and talent that are included on the project, go to AdroitRecords.com. Not only do you get some of the most amazingly unforgettable music from Nashville but you also contribute to a cause that's extremely close and personal to me. And I am grateful! Thank you for reading this and, as always, for listening...

Mason

www.MasonDouglasMusic.com
masondouglasmusic.blogspot.com

Mason in Country Weekly, hitting the stands on 12/29/08!!

Hey guys - some really cool news: I'll be featured in the January 12th issue of Country Weekly magazine!! It hits the newstands on December 29th so make sure you get yourself a copy. I'll be doing my best to look sexy and cool and Country-Weekly-worthy in the ListenUp! section AND it will include a FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD of "Goodbye Woman" on their website:

http://www.countryweekly.com/freemusic/

So get your copy and get your free download and spread the word!! Hope you enjoy...thanks for listening!

Mason

www.masondouglasmusic.com
fanclub@masondouglasmusic.com

This is Max...

This is Max...

Max has literally been my best friend for the past 9 years - you may have heard about him or seen pictures or even come across his path here and there. I've been lucky enough to see him nearly every day (whether I was in the mood for it or not) and count on his boundless enthusiasm to brighten it.

Max was born in Knoxville, TN, a Golden Retriever/Irish Setter mix with 4 or 5 black-and-white splotched brothers and sisters. I have no clue why he was the only golden pup but maybe it just meant that he wanted to stand out and get everyones attention.

I've taken Max out west a couple of times, to hang out with his step-sister, Kalua, in Tucson and back east to see his cousins, Cisco and Maggie in Maryland...his favorite thing in the world is to take rides and he would literally go with me anywhere that I wanted to go as long as it was in the car. And nothing ever compared to the days that we went down to the Stones River off Percy Priest Lake. A quick 1-mile run and he'd splash into the river, jump off the dock a time or two, and chase some ducks around.

Max is truly a fixture in my life...and is always the one constant that everyone asks about whenever they haven't seen me or us in a little while. "How's Max?!" is a pretty common question to answer. There answer has never changed much over the years: "Max is fine...happy as hell and more energy than he had yesterday..." I started commenting on Max looking a little stiff in the mornings but he's never shown any grey or any signs of slowing down...

And anyone who has ever dog-sat Max will have a story about him escaping. He ran out of the front door...he ran out the back door...he made his own door...he slipped his choke collar...even the vet/kennel has a story about him bolting out the damn front door. When he was 2, he was gone for an entire day before some lady found him about 3/4 of a mile away and finally called in the evening to say she'd found him. He's always been the explorer and the scout and always the leader.

Max has no enemies in the world. He's defended his honor and let us all know that he's grumpy here and there...but otherwise, he truly lives like he was born to be your best friend for those few moments. And he loooooooves cats. Maybe he wishes he were a cat, I don't know...but he thinks that cats just flat-out rock. He'd play for hours with his old buddy, Griffin, and has tried to buddy-up with his new pal, Noel (she's not so sure, though) - it might make for a nice Disney movie, maybe...if it were up to him, he'd be sharing a strand of spaghetti with a cat...

Over the past few months, Max started an odd habit...as soon as I come home for the day, he demands that he climb up on the bed and then jump up and put his front paws on my shoulders and give me a hug! Of course, I've hugged him back...otherwise, he will pout and grunt and voice his displeasure until this little ritual has been completed. Again, this hasn't been all of his life...only in the past few months...

There are so many things about him that I could talk about and go on about but I'm sure you get the idea. I love this dog. I love this dog as much as anyone could love anything. Like I said, he has been my best friend for 9 years, my solid rock through wavering relationships, my believer when there wasn't much to believe in, the only thing that has stayed absolutely constant and dependable since I've moved to Tennessee...

Max died unexpectedly on November 10th, 2008. I can't dwell on how immense of a hole has been left with his absence...I could but I won't. In life, Max wanted to be everywhere so part of him is going to be in the Stones River, part of him will be back on the ranch in Arizona with Kalua, who we lost back in March too...and part of him will stay with me. He really was one of the best dogs in the world and easily the best dog I've ever had. I just wanted to share him with you and let you get to know him a little bit, if only in these pictures. I hope he made you smile for a few minutes like he did for me for 9 years.

I'm going to miss him.

Mason Douglas Fan Club is open!!

The OFFICIAL Mason Douglas Fan Club is HERE!!

As you know, Mason is working on an album -- and a single and a video will be released in 2009.

Join him on this incredible journey and show your love and support, --- become a charter member of my official fanclub!!!

ONLY $15.00 and includes:
· Laminated Membership Card
· Bio/Information Sheet
· Autographed Picture
· Bumper/Window Sticker or other promotional gift
· Newsletters via U.S. Mail
· Routine E-mail news/updates
· Meet and Greets
· Occasional special fanclub member only music opportunities, CD's, t-shirts, exclusive mp3's, first access to tickets
· Free admission AND early entry to the Fan Club party held during FanFair/CMA Music Fest in June.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP WITH PAYPAL!

You can also sign up via check/money order by sending $15.00 (US Funds ) along with your name, address, phone, email, and birthdate to:
Mason Douglas FanClub
P.O. Box 128441
Nashville, TN 37212

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
If you have any questions, please contact the fanclub President, Rich Holland, at fanclub@masondouglasmusic.com

Mason Douglas Fan Club COMING SOON

**** COMING SOON ****

The OFFICIAL Mason Douglas Fan Club will be launched soon.

Mason is working on an album -- and a single and a video will be released early next year.
Join Mason on this incredible journey and show your love and support,
--- become a charter member of his official fanclub!!!

ONLY $15.00 and includes:

Laminated Membership Card
Bio/Information Sheet
Autographed Picture
Bumper/Window Sticker or other promotional gift
Newsletters via U.S. Mail
Routine E-mail news/updates
Meet and Greets
Occasional special fanclub member only music opportunities
Free admission AND early entry to the Fan Club party held during FanFair/CMA Music Fest in June.

An announcement will be made with details on signing up for the fanclub via paypal soon.

You can also sign up via check/money order by sending $15.00 (US Funds ) along with your name, address, phone, email, and birthdate to:

Mason Douglas FanClub
P.O. Box 128441
Nashville, TN 37212

THE FIRST 25 PEOPLE TO SIGN UP WILL RECEIVE LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS!

If you have any questions, please contact the fanclub President, Rich Holland, at fanclub@masondouglasmusic.com

My Take On Last Night's Show at 3rd & Lindsley...

First of all, I couldn't even think of continuing without saying a HUGE "THANK YOU!!!!!" to the great crowd that showed up last night. I was happy, excited, and relieved that so many of you showed up - whew! It's VERY good to know that I've still got such incredible fans and friends out there. Again, thank you to all!!

I'm going to post a few pics up here soon, as soon as my buddy, Sean, gets them over to me. He was gracious enough to take a few shots at the show. Remember, if you like what you see, he's for hire! Check him out in my Top 8 on MySpace...













Now onto the show...

It felt so damn good to get back onstage. Even just having the band setting up their gear and doing a soundcheck felt like going back to my childhood home and taking a long look around. When the downbeat hit, it took a few minutes to adjust to the sound - for some reason, soundcheck and the show don't always sound exactly the same thru the monitors! I'm sure there's some scientific explanation - and it's most likely my own distorted perception, perhaps vibed up thru adrenaline or pheromones or Allegra - but it's quite a phenomenon. But again, once we hit those first few notes, we were cruising. No, we weren't perfect; the turnarounds and the solo's were a bit disorganized, there was a funky ending to "Storybook Love", and my microphone stand lost its erection more than once. But hey, we hadn't played for 6 months! Can't be too hard on ourselves, right? ;)

It was great to get some new songs out there too! Anytime that Force or Lauren have to learn new parts, it's definitely a new song. We had 6 new items and 2 that needed reviewing...it was like a whole new show to everyone and that felt great too. Even if our last appearance was 6 months ago, if we played too much that we played last time, I would've felt like I ripped y'all off. "Gimme something I haven't heard before, dammit! But make sure you play my favorites, dammit!" Ha! I think we pulled it off. My apologies to those who had requests that we were able to cover...but in my book, that's a good thing! Here's the setlist, in case you're wondering:

Last Time I Let You Down (Mason solo)
My Wild Heart
Damn Your Eyes (Etta James cover)
That's A Life
Call Me When You Need A Man
Storybook Love
Would You Stand
If You'd Have Called Yesterday (Cory Batten solo)
Hesitate
Road Goes On Forever (Robert Earl Keen cover)

I'll try to provide the setlists as long as I can. Can't guarantee it but I'll try...

So anyway, I really had a great time last night. Thanks again to all the fans and friends, to the all superstars that were there, and to everyone for putting up with the general loudness. You guys rock, seriously. Thanks for rockin' with me! See you out there next time...

Mason

Rarer than a 478-carat diamond: a full-band M.D. show tomorrow night!!!

What a very good, good, good, good feeling to say "We're back!" I've been waiting and it's finally time. So here it is:

We're back!!

Tomorrow night, Sept 23rd, at 3rd & Lindsley (in Nashville), 6:00 PM, it happens. We've got the full band, new songs from the upcoming new album (news on that finally to come, too) as well as some of the songs we can't live without, a few special guests, and always our fair share of surprises.

The damage is only $5 so come down and grab a seat and help us kick off this next segment of the ride…it comes with my personal music-back guarantee that you'll be glad you did.

Rock on and thanks for listening…

Mason

Review of the new Listening Room show last night...

Remember, band show next Tuesday (9/23) at 3rd & Lindsley at 6:00 PM!!

About last night...the long and short of it: we had a blast! The new place kicks some major butt so you'll definitely have to check it out when you can. My next appearance there is on Friday 10/10 so mark that down to get your fix on...

It didn't hurt last night that we had some crazysexycool talent onstage - Cory Batten, Shelby Merchant, and Craig Monday (and myself, of course) were prepped and ready for our usual shananigans. In between a slight mishap of a falling curtain rod (and subsequent curtain), things started off quite quickly with Cory knocking out "For The Girls" first thing. Now this is almost like Billy Joel opening a show with "Piano Man" but it was strongly requested so, hey, why the heck not. We also got to hear his Blake Shelton cut "She Wouldn't Be Gone" and some "Get A Hero Home" action.

Craig brought up the sophomore position with his incredible voice and soft-spoken demeanor which usually ends up being the most powerful energy in the room by the end of the night. Speak soft and carry and stick as big as Craig Monday's and you'll get along just fine. Craig got all the ladies wiggling with "Mama Was Right", "Stuff Like That" and the fan favorite "Elephino", to name a few. Love that stuff, if I do say so...make sure you request "Slept Right Thru It All" the next time you're at a Craig Monday show.

Shelby took us on a little trip to his neck of the woods with his distiguished style of awesomeness. If you're anywhere near the internet, check out www.ShelbyMerchant.com to see what I'm talking about. Shelby's got a couple of albums out there that I know you'll dig if you give them a listen. We got a little taste of them last night with "It Ain't The Preachin'", "Lonely", and everybody's #1 request, "Slow Row". Vivo El Hunky Tonks.

I tried to switch things up a little...I put a brand new one out there that Cory and I finished a few weeks ago called "Would You Stand". Maybe I'll get a guitar/vocal down and post it - we'll definitely be doing it again at the band show next week so check it out. Also did some "Goodbye Woman", "My Wild Heart", and a trecherous version of "Big Bad Wolf" that was in some serious need of lead guitar rehearsal. But we survived...

And we had a great time. The venue is GREAT - make sure you check it out ASAP. The food is still right on par and they've even added some menu items...the view is pretty sweet with the cityscape behind the stage...a great beer and wine selection...an incomparable atmosphere (candles by the stage!). It was just cool - I hope to see you down at the next one! 10/10! Rock on...

Mason

Virgins, new shows, and Daniel LaRusso's gonna fight...

Is it September already?! Holy crap, that was fast. Ah, but here we are and with some very cool things to show for it. I've had some pretty awesome past couple of weeks...been hanging out at the pool a bit, did some boating, been enjoying some Tennessee Fat Tire, hit a few Titans games, wrote some songs. One of the coolest things I did was go camping out in the Middle-Of-Freakin'-Nowhere, TN, otherwise known as Virgin Falls. It's just southeast of Crossville (once you actually find the area and get parked) and is a good 5 or 6 mile hike into the wilderness to find the falls. We hiked in about 2.5 miles, set up camp next to a HUGE cave and falls, and then made our way back to the actual Virgin Falls. Truly amazing site - if you're up for some remote camping, this is an undeniable spot.


Virgin Falls flowing in winter...


I also went out to L.A. for a few days for both pleasure and business. I saw my best friend that I've known since 2nd grade, Brian, out there and our buddy, Mark, who drove in from Vegas to add to the excitement, and one of my best friends, Sam, who I haven't seen in literally 5 years. The unavoidable geeky side of me LOVES movie locations and pop culture locations so we spent a good part of Friday seeing some pretty cool stuff...the Scrubs hospital, a bunch of Karate Kid sites, some Back To The Future sites, the original Michael Myers house from Halloween, etc. Yes, that's the geeky side of me...get over it! You've got one too.


The LaRusso residence in Reseda...


"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need 'roads'..."


Incredible view coming over the mountains into Malibu...


Me being super-geeky in front of Sacred Heart from Scrubs...


The Cobra Kai dojo, now a dance studio...


The original Michael Myers house from Halloween...


The E.T. house...


Aaaaand not a bad moment to be in...



Speaking of good moments, I also spent my Sunday in L.A. with the family over at Rural Rhythm, where we talked about the upcoming project and started fine-tuning some plans. I'm still not ballsey enough to put any time-frames on anything but I did leave pretty excited, provided a few minor planetoids align. We could be underway sooner than later so I'll just leave it at that for now. The music biz is a tempting mistress who loves to make a man wait...for example, RR just released Carrie Hasslers new CD which debuted at #3 on Billboard Bluegrass aaaaaand have a billion other projects in the queue that were started before ol' Mason Douglas ever came along. So I hurry up and wait until they call my number, simple as that.



In the meantime, the good news is that I'm "putting the band back together" for a show at 3rd & Lindsley on Sept 23rd, 6 pm. There'll be some new material, lots of the old stuff, and a few of the surprises you've come to know and love. So put it on your calendar and rock me like a hurricane.



Other upcoming shows inclued The Listening Room (new location!), The Bluebird Cafe, and the Tennessee State Fair. Check out http://www.masondouglasmusic.com/ and click on "Shows" for more info!!



I'm also appearing on a radio show in a Writer's Night with a bunch of my songwriting buddies: Vince Melamed ("Walk Away Joe", "What Mattered Most"), Craig Monday ("Got A Little Crazy"), Ray Sisk, Joshua Rush, and Cheley Tackett. The show is on Monday, Sept 8 at 8:00 PM EST on Dudley, MA 97.5 WNRC. Check out http://www.masondouglasmusic.com/ for more info!



Some final news pieces - Cory's (and Jen Adan's) song, "She Wouldn't Be Gone", recorded by Blake Shelton, was released to radio last week so make sure you request it wherever and whenever you can.



More to come soon...thanks for listening!



Mason

Did You Know...with Mason Douglas

Hey y'all - I hope you're doing good and enjoying the summer! I figured I'd send out a few tidbits of info that I'm not too sure everyone is aware of. We want to make sure you're able to get your hands on what you want but what good is it if you don't know it's there, right? Right. Exactly. So here we go:

Did You Know...
1.) There's a plethora of M.D. video on YouTube! You can just search "Mason Douglas" on YouTube and it'll introduce you to everything from March's 3rd & Lindsley show to the infamous "Bo and Luke Duke duets" and even to some randomness that I'm not even sure is appropriate for some viewing audiences. AND, of course, make sure you check out Brooks And Dunn's "Proud Of The House We Built" and see if you see some familiar faces in there!

Did You Know...
2.) There's a whole stack of rare mp3's and raw material available at Snocap. Just go to the "Store" section of my website and click on "Snocap"...or just click on the Snocap icon at the bottom of this newsletter. The M.D. Snocap store will pop up and, if you scroll down a tad, you'll find an album called "My Demographic" which is loaded with 30 acoustic guitar/vocal versions of old and new songs, fully produced tracks from other projects, and songs to download that have previously only been available thru streaming! So if you're wanting something new to tide you over, this is the place to go!!!

Did You Know...
3.) There's more to the homepage than ever before: www.MasonDouglasMusic.com. Why's that? Because we simply pointed it over to ReverbNation and there is now so many available features and so much content that it was ridiculous to ignore it. If you're a musician, run (do not walk) over to www.reverbnation.com/masondouglas and see for yourself what is available to you! And if you're not a musician, check it out too because there are a TON of your favorite artists and music on there and it's easy to become instantaneously interactive with them. Video, music, blogs, tour maps, widgets, banners, comments, photos...everything. And it's ALL COMPLETELY FREE! I really just think it rocks so I'm making sure that everyone knows about it...

Did You Know...
4.) There's an official Mason Douglas blog! Click the link and set up a browser bookmark or an RSS feed - the latest news will hit here first, before it gets posted to MySpace. Lately, you may have read about my enthusiasm at Fat Tire finally being sold in Tennessee...or my role in the latest music industry-wide debacle...that's where you're going to get the news! Video blogs are coming so be on the lookout for those too...

If there's something I missed, let me know! PLEASE feel free to stop by the website and drop me a comment and say hi...thanks for listening and enjoy browsing thru this stuff. See you soon!

Mason

The Fat Tire...

Oops! Didn't give any Fat Tire info on the last one...here you go!

http://www.prnewsnow.com/Public_Release/Supermarkets/213102.html

I have found it, so far, in Publix for resale - haven't seen it in Kroger yet, though. And pretty much most bars in Nashville are now carrying so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

~M

Where has the time gone: musings, explanations, and Fat Tire is now in TN.

OK. So here I am. I'm thinking I should probably put this all down on video but at least this way, I can backspace and delete anything odd that I say. There's a LOT of ground to cover and I'm undecided at this point in my typing if I'm going to lay it all out here in one lump sum or batch it out to you over a period of a couple of days. I know you've been absolutely DYING to hear all about my adventures, both good and bad, so get up off the edge of that seat you've been sittin' on, raise your hands in the air, and let's take a little ride!!

So what the hell happened to me?! I've been asking myself that for years now, as have my mom and sister, so don't feel too bad asking the same. But the answer is simple and it's something that's important for you to know, provided you want to continue in this relationship with me: I'm a hermit. As in a really baaaaaaad hermit. I disappear for months at a time and go hang out with DB Cooper, Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa at a highly secretive undisclosed location. I did re-emerge sporadically to have the following occurrances....ummmm...occur:

1.) I moved. You must also understand as you continue to attempt to define me that I can only do one big thing at a time. Now between selling my house and moving all my crap, that left absolutely no time for Myspace or internet or relationship maintenance or even callbacks. I've taken flak and you can continue to give me flak...but it's just the way I am drawn! It's OK - we'll all learn these things together.

2.) I got bronchitis. For 3 weeks DURING my dang move, I had a beautifully generous virus in my lungs and upper respiratory system that really gave all that it could give. Even Elvis thought I looked like crap...which was far better than how I felt. But my immune system stepped up and finally gave it the ass-whooping that it deserved. BTW, anyone who came out to Judge Beans for those incredible performances at the onset of that sickness, thank you and my apologies! And if anyone got any video or audio of it, please lose it immediately.

3.) I got chi..."Wait, wait, wait, Mason...hold on a sec. What about the freakin' music?! Where's this album you've been spouting about and all this news and 'things are coming', etc, etc?! Get to the good stuff or else I'm going to stop reading right now and will evermore refer to you as Mason Dixon..."

OK, fiiiiiine. Here we go and what I know. First off, here was the plan: enter the studio this week, record 11 tracks, begin radio and video promotion in August, release the album the 2nd Tuesday in October, and commence touring and worldwide domination. However, about 6 weeks ago, the following took place:

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS123665+02-Jun-2008+PRN20080602

My label, Rural Rhythm, has a very developed relationship with Handleman that has been developed over many, many, many years, and simply put, without Handleman, the marketing campaign and distribution plan that we had in place would be tough, if not nearly impossible to accomplish in order to break out a brand new artist. So to play it safe, and in a smart yet disappointing move, the team at Rural Rhythm had no choice but to push back the debut Mason Douglas project with hopes to be in production in October.

My reaction? Well, obviously, disappointing is a less-than accurate word for the turn of events. To be given the opportunity to make my music the way I know it can be made and to finally get it out to you in the way I've always dreamed...and then to have it essentially dangled in front of me for a little while longer is not a very calming effect. I'm an artist!! I want to get it going and get rockin' and, more importantly, I want it on my time frame and done exactly right, dammit!! And it would all be really easy to understand if they'd just see it my way. But I can also fully understand that timing is everything, especially in today's tumultuous musical climate so to have something postponed for a few months for the greater good of everyone involved is not the end of the world. I've heard of some other alternatives with other labels (postponement 'til January, shelving, closing the doors, etc) and I'm also in some very good company, if you check out the RR roster. I'll still get to make these albums and you're still going to get to hear them in time...I just have to think of new and creative ways to keep y'all excited and involved in the meantime!

One way to do that is to contact Rural Rhythm and let them know the sooner the better! Now, I am NOT saying be mean about it - they are GREAT people and really working hard to make everything go as smoothly as possible. But I think they'd like to hear from you and that you're truly ready to hear something new from they're newest artist! They can only hear it from me so many times so maybe it's time to get you onboard. Who knows...

And another way is to just know that I have enjoyed my hermit-ism. I'm doing some traveling, a lot of songwriting, adjusting my life in so many amazing ways (corner me when I'm drunk and I'll go on and on and on about the fulfilling effects of simplification), and still enjoying the "calm before the storm". I have no doubt that a very amazing storm is coming - but until then, it's really good to be right here, right now.

So I hope you're doing well, that you've missed me, and that I do get to see you out there soon. Thanks for reading this and most of all, for keeping with me! Rock on, and happy 4th of July!!!!

Mason

Something funny I found...

To all my friends who in 2007 and 2008 to date, sent me best 'wishes', chain letters, 'angel' letters or other promises of good luck if I forwarded something to twenty other people...

NONE OF THAT SHIT WORKED!

For the rest of 2008, could you please just send money, Wine, chocolate or gasoline vouchers? Thank you!