Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Mason.
Hi Christopher , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I stated playing the guitar in the middle of the COVID-19 Lockdown where I watched YouTube videos and learned my favorite rock tunes. After the lockdown, I continued to play simply for fun. After studying with Brian Darnell for about a year, I took a Guitar 1 class at GTCHS and realized that I wanted to understand my instrument in a deeper level. So I auditioned for the Fine Arts Center’s Jazz department. With the guidance of Matt Dingledine, I got into the program for my sophomore year, and till I graduated last school year, I have been studying both Jazz and classical music theory. I will be pursuing a higher education at Coastal Carolina University, majoring in music, specifically Commercial Music and Jazz.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, not a smooth road at all. Jazz is a classical art. This genre is often taken as an academic art form and truly only taught one way. I am a student with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. Short explanation, these are language based challenges. Essentially, how 80% of the population processes information on paper is not how I learn. A big frustration of mine was that I could not use the tools I learned at the Chandler School to combat dyslexia and dysgraphia, in a music oriented classroom setting. I had to find new ways to look at music due to the most popular way of teaching not clicking with me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love music. Above all, I love to play for people. I have been managing my Jazz combo around the Greenville upstate area for the past year and it has cemented my love for performance. I am especially proud of my system of booking my bands and keeping track of logistics due to that being a hard aspect to improve on in my early days of playing shows. Another thing I am proud of is that my combo will be playing at the “Upstate Jazz Festival” this September 27th at 2:30pm. This show is under my past projects name, “The Havana Jazz Trio” but now my combo is called “The Topher Mason Group.”
What sets us apart from most other bands is that, we are able to read a crowd very quickly and tell what type of music they are more interested in, whether that be Latin, Swing, or Funk.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am an Eagle Scout. Some of my best memories were in scouts and I was lucky enough to go backpacking at their Philmont Scout ranch in New Mexico and hike over 100 miles in 12 days.
Pricing:
- Duo Combo $200 per hour
- Trio Combo $225 per hour
- Quartet Combo $400 per hour
- Quintet $500 per hour
- Special request bands (example, if you wanted a horn section) $500 per hour plus $100 for every additional instrument after 5 people.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctmusician?igsh=ZTZzeDZ5cjdyZHQz&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AmPC3NSgA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ctmusician?si=gGIbqKvedkh-i3Uf
