154: Mason & The Gin Line

On Episode 155, I'm joined by Mason Server, the lead vocalist and chief lyricist of Mason & The Gin Line. Server and company released Caprock Composition, a five-song collection with West Texas & Panhandle touchpoints and is a throwback to the energy and feel of Texas country and songwriting of the late '90s and early '00s. At times, Caprock can feel like it was unearthed from a recently opened time capsule buried deep in the red dirt canyons or rolling plains of the Panhandle. There's an unpretentious nature to Server's storytelling that's earthy and earnest. The hardened grit of "Pipeliner" feels like a lost Charlie Robison storyteller while the haunting desert trekking "Ghosts" and "House of Gold & Diamonds" find Server offering something that's both familiar (there's a definite mid-'90s Pat Green tone to Server's delivery) and yet, is still left of center that feels new and different.

During this conversation, Server and I talk about those Lubbock and West Texas roots, plucking lines and dialogue from everyday life for songs, the hardened, real, and honest characters of Caprock Composition, how art imitates life & vice versa (Server is a shop foreman and welder), how Caprock Composition came to be, how Mason & The Gin Line have been able to make the best use of 2020, and how they're approaching music on their terms, and playing with "house money."

This episode's presenting partner is Desert Door Texas Sotol. In addition, this episode is sponsored by The Blue Light Live and Hot Damn Coffee.

Interview Transcript

Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.