Philadelphia area folk-rock outfit Mason Porter will be releasing their latest album “Key to the Skyway” the first week June. They will be celebrating with a hometown show at the World Cafe Live on June 5th before heading out for a summer tour. The band has spent much of the last year touring in support of their 2014 release Home For The Harvest. Focused on vocal harmonies and simple acoustic arrangements, the album has drawn comparisons to the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty and Neil Young’s Harvest The song “That’s Alright By Me” received significant airplay from SirusXM station The Coffee House this past year and the album received support from the Folk DJ, Americana and AAA radio communities as well.
Mason Porter got its start in the 2006 informally as friends playing folk songs together at parties in West Chester, PA. The band consists of core members Joe D’Amico (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Tim Celfo (upright bass, vocals), Paul Wilkinson (guitar, vocals) and is typically augmented with drums and other instrumentalist at live shows. The band released their debut EP Mason Porter (2008) resulting in immediate praise. Les McIntyre of Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine wrote of this inaugural recording “The music of Mason Porter could be best described as alternative bluegrass…in this debut recording, the eclectic trio show musical prowess that is difficult to overlook.” Following up with full lengths Thunder In The Valley (2009) and a collection of traditional folk and covers Story Of the Rifle (2011), the band became a fixture on the regional scene. Through the process of writing, recording and constant gigging, the band developed its original sound blending folk, bluegrass, blues, country and rock influences into the unique personality that IS Mason Porter.
Mason Porter has solidified an enthusiastic fan base becoming staple favorites by playing many of the festivals throughout the region. In addition the band regularly performs in top venues and has shared the stage with acts such as Ralph Stanley, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Greensky Bluegrass, Charlie Daniels, Spirit Family Reunion, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Hoots and Hellmouth and more.