Mason Porter

w/ Andrew Gray (of Hoots & Hellmouth) & Ron Gallo (of Toy Soldiers)

From a whisper to a roar Mason Porter will take you by surprise. Combining lush harmonies with hand clapping sing-along’s and the unfiltered emotion of a hungry young rock band, Mason Porter is a force that evokes the spirits of each and every person whose life they touch. Blending folk, rock, blues and bluegrass with creative songwriting and constant experimentation; Mason Porter is a group of musicians working together to push the limits of American music. This is clearly evident in Story Of The Rifle (2010) and Thunder In The Valley (2009).

Since the release of their self-titled EP (2008) the band has steadily made a name for themselves and have spent the last year and a half playing clubs and festivals from VT to TN. They have shared the stage with many nationally recognized acts including Peter Rowan, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Hackensaw Boys, Enter the Haggis, Carrie Rodriguez, and Caravan of Thieves.

Their recent performance at the 2010 Philadelphia Folk Festival, (with headliners Jeff Tweedy and Taj Mahal) was testament to their hard work and was followed with great reviews. “The band I was most impressed with, was Mason Porter” says Dennis Bakay of Philly2Philly.com. And Helen Leicht of WXPN says “They really rallied everyone at the Folk Fest around with their old timey folk feel – but with a real indie spirit,”.

The band came to together through late night jam sessions in West Chester, PA. Through this process the core of the band was born in late 2006 with Tim Celfo on upright bass, Joe D’Amico on mandolin, and Paul Wilkinson on guitar. Since the band has grown to include Pat Hughes (drums) and Brad Hinton (Dobro); and if your catch the right show, Bob Beach (harmonica).