Jack Mason has played and toured all over the globe. He is the #1 artist in TEXAS according to Reverbnation. It's easy to see why when you take the time to check out the diversity of this guy. He writes incredible lyrics that fit perfectly with his arena style rock and country melodies.
Jack never chose music. Music chose him and grabbed him in early childhood. Jack was born and named Jo De Almeida Ciodaro, from a couple of missionary parents who belonged to an interdenominational group that called themselves “The Family”. They had an international spread and music was present in absolutely every piece of our lives. From daily morning devotions to fund raising and parties. Everything had music in it. They had a classical music teacher in the community and at the age of 5, Jack started learning the flute, but the guitar is now an extension of his body.
He recorded and released a full album, ‘Alem Das Palavras’ in Portuguese under the name Kadu Almeida in 2014. Perhaps as a hint of what was yet to come, he did record one song (Look At Me) in English for the album.
Jack can easily float between the genres of Blues, Country, Rock, pop and Latin music in a style of his own where he plays his guitar in a unique way and sings in such a passionate way that folks at his show always claim to me amazed.
He has been performing professionally for over 10 years now. On his records he sings the main vocals, harmonies and plays most instruments in a very diverse musical print. His shows include performing at the disputed International Fifa Fan Fest 2014, to a crowd of 12,000 people.
Jack is a passionate musician, singer producer and songwriter. He has the electric guitar as his main instrument, owns a strong and striking voice and puts a ton of energy into shows. Currently living in Dallas, Tx, he has a weekly agenda of 6 to 7 shows. He also has a Youtube channel with several interesting music entertainment videos, with over 1 million views.
Alan Mercer: Jack I see that you come from São Paulo, Brazil, but you speak perfect English. Did you come to the United States as a child?
Jack Mason: My parents were missionaries. They devoted a good ten or eleven years to missionary work. It was an American Mission community that traveled all around the world. I traveled a lot as a kid. Music was a part of fund raising, devotion, inspiration and witnessing, you name it. I really believe music picked me at an early age.
AM: So, did you grow up in Gospel music or inspirational?
JM: Gospel definitely. Back in the day, Gospel music went together with Country music. That’s what I grew up listening to, and of course Rock music too. Those are my main roots.
AM: Did you speak English as a kid?
JM: English was always spoken when I was a kid.
AM: When did you live in Sao Paulo?
JM: I started living in Sao Paulo when I was twenty. I moved to Brazil when I was ten and that’s where my parents settled down. From the day I was born until I turned ten, we lived in trailers because we traveled all around the world.
AM: You grew up with a worldly education then.
JM: I spent time in Europe, the United States and South America.
AM: That’s pretty worldly! (Laughter)
JM: You get to see a lot on 3 different continents and there is a lot out there.
AM: So, music has been it for you since you were a small child?
JM: Always. The story my dad tells me is he had a guitar in the trailer we lived in. I was just a baby and I wanted to play with the strings and he as afraid it would fall on me, so he moved it as far away as he could, but I would somehow manage to go after it. He noticed this, so he decided to teach me how to crawl to get the guitar, and to this day, you could give me all the money in the world to work a 9 to 5 desk job and I couldn’t do it.
AM: That is intense.
JM: Even with this pandemic that has made it extremely challenging for all musicians to make a living, I would still choose to do this. I never referred to a side job. This is it. This is what I do.
AM: I found your Portuguese album under the name of Kadu Almedia and it is great. Portuguese sounds so different than Spanish.
JM: You must speak a little Spanish because non-Spanish speaking people think it’s the same.
AM: Yes, I grew up with Spanish being spoken. When did you record that album and perform under that name?
JM: I went to Portugal in 2014 because they like Brazilian music there. I had a following in Portugal, so I did a lot of TV and radio shows. I did the Fifa International Fan Fest in Brazil. They had a bunch of international artists on big stages and I was fortunate enough to do one of the shows. Then in 2015 I came to the United States and started all over from scratch. Brazil is a beautiful place but it’s very dangerous.
AM: So you came to Dallas?
JM: Everyone asks me why I didn’t go to Nashville or Austin. I never know exactly what brought me to Dallas. I think I believed I could hustle and support myself here. There is a big guitar fanbase here. I love to play guitar. There has never been a logical reason.
AM: Did you decide you needed an American sounding name?
JM: Yes, I knew my real name wasn’t going to fly for the style of music I play. I wanted a name that would work hand in hand with my sound. I love Country, Blues and Rock.
AM: I have to say how much I enjoy listening to the 12 original songs you have available for download. Do you write all the time?
JM: An artist has to constantly be writing new songs because that’s what keeps an artist alive. It’s what you resonate with and what message you give to people. Right now, I’m building a structure where I’ll be able to record a lot of the song I have written.
AM: Do you do everything yourself?
JM: I am doing everything.
AM: I want to hear your songs performed in an arena. They remind me of the best songs I’ve heard in an arena.
JM: That’s the intention I had when I made them. That was my vision and you telling me this is an inspiration.
AM: I guess you must take control of all your videos too.
JM: Yes, I am recording and editing them myself. I do have a videographer who shoots all the footage for me. I record the sound in the studio and then sync the audio and the video myself.
AM: You are doing like ten full time jobs.
JM: It’s a lot of work.
AM: Do you just go all day every day?
JM: I try to stick to a schedule. Some days I go really hard and put everything else to the side. That’s what I do when I have to get a video done. It becomes my top priority. Then some days I feel like I should have worked a little more and I feel bad when I don’t do so much work.
AM: You have a family too!
JM: Yes, I have a four-year-old son and his mom. She doesn’t work so I take care of both of them. So, during this pandemic it has been extra challenging.
AM: Tell me what you're writing now?
JM: I just wrote a song called 'Fishing.' I'm already recording it and this is my next video project too.
AM: I look forward to that project being out. Thanks for chatting with me about your amazing music Jack.
