US singer Willy Mason set to embark on Mzansi tour

American singer-songwriter, Willy Mason is set to tour Joburg and Cape Town this weekend.

On Saturday, May 6, he'll be in Joburg performing at The Cradle Boutique Hotel with Nakhane Toure, Jamie Lee Sexton and Lazarusman, while in Cape Town he will be joined by Mark Fransman, Yoann Minkoff, Kris Nolly and Emily Capell at Mercury Live, Zonnebloem on Sunday.

Mason’s is an expansive discography spanning nine EP’s and three full length albums over a 13 year career.

Mason's popularity rose after being discovered by musician Conor Oberst in 2004 and he's since toured with the likes of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Kweller and Unbusted, and played world-renowned shows such as the Glastonbury Festival and South By Southwest.

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His tour to SA comes after he was invited here by Tribes Got Soul. “They're involved in lots of great projects and I jumped at the opportunity to work with them,” he said. “The thoughtfulness that has gone into the planning has me very excited indeed. I'm also looking forward to seeing the other great acts, from near and far, that will be sharing the bill.”

Mason also said that fans can look forward to “songs with lyrics you can understand and relate to, and music that moves with the fury and gentleness of water.”

Mason hasn’t released an album since 2012’s Carry On, but he says he’s been experimenting in the studio with multiple projects and we can expect some new music in the coming months.

I asked him how much growth we can expect to see on his next offering: “Well I've gotten better at guitar and singing and my songs have gotten a bit more considered, but I'm still taking chances. The subjects of the songs have changed too but they're about different faces of the same monsters and miracles I was writing about before.”

Despite an already impressive career, Mason is itching for more. “I'm pretty amazed by all of it, from getting called up onstage for the first time at a sold out show in Winooski VT to touring internationally. I've recorded three albums and taught 10 year olds to read music. I won't be satisfied til’ I have a garden and my dirt bike running and have written a song that can disarm the world.”