Indigenous Artist

“TIGER” WILL MASON
(formerly on stage as Andy Mason or Andy W. Mason)
Biography

“Tiger” Will Mason has been on stage for over half of his life.
He started teaching himself drums at 7; songs on the piano in his teens, and could play rhythm guitar, and various songs by the age of 20. He moved from rural Niagara Peninsula to Toronto to pursue a career in the arts soon after. He acted in plays, played music on guitar and piano for his high school, to standing ovations, by the time he left home in 1983.

Playing a few coffee houses, and put-together bands for various functions, in 1986 he met several street musicians in the downtown core of Toronto, and they began playing and writing. Will had, by this time, done theater, television, toured Canada as an actor, and gained some respect in the native performing arts community. He participated in K.Y.T.E.S., a theater troupe that toured Canada in 1985, and had a TV documentary made about it; the documentary featured songs by Will and his sister CJ Mason, a bluegrass songwriter. In ’87, after participating as a production assistant in K.Y T.E.S., musicians he met busking on Yonge Street, formed ‘4 Way Street’, Canada’s only complete ‘tribute’ to the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Moving to Ottawa summer of ’87, they were booked for shows and tours by various agencies, including The Agency, playing big venues around Ontario, and opened for many major recording acts. The band played until 95, with various members, then broke up until 2005, when a reunion sparked an interest in playing together for special events, which they did til Dec 2016. In 1993, “Tiger” Will entered a contest, and won under his former name Andy, which led him to CJOH-TV’s “Homegrown Café”, where he won Male Adult Performer of the Year in 1994, performing original songs on television. The show had an estimated 200,000-1 million viewers on any given Sunday night.

In ’98, he moved to British Columbia, and joined with an old friend and began performing around the Lower Mainland. This led to a CD recording of songs he had begun writing as far back as 1984. The CD, called ‘Long Walk 49’, was first released in 2001 in BC, and then again in 08 in the U.S. The CD was picked up by Aboriginal Voices Radio across Canada, and enjoyed quite a bit of airplay for several years. In 08, he entered the Native-E Music Awards in Albuquerque, NM, and was nominated for 5 awards. He won, along with Star Nayea, the ‘Mainstream Song of the Year’ award for his song ‘Battle Raging’ which he performed live on the show, with MTV in attendance.

He continued to play venues, Aboriginal festivals, and with several artists like Joanne Shenandoah, Keith Secola; he and his band opened for the legendary Redbone, and jammed with the late Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman, of “Dances With Wolves” fame, in the US. He played several instruments on B.C. musician Joey Onley’s debut CD, ‘Radical Folk of the Great North’, which was produced by Joey, with help from Will, and David Roy Parsons. The former Andy Mason and David had a small production venture to produce their own, and Joey’s music. He also played with several other artists, contributing to their studio work, for which he was never credited. It was not that important to him; it was a forum for him to improve his playing and experience. He also acted in television and film during that time, as an extra in TV series and theatrical movie releases, such as ‘The X-Files’; ‘Battlestar Galactica’; ‘Masters of Horror’; film ‘Out Cold’, and others.

He moved back to Eastern Ontario in ’09; he continues to write, perform, and act. He has played a few big Aboriginal festivals in Ottawa, winning ‘Canada’s Aboriginals got Talent’ in 2012. This gained him an opening slot for fellow Six Nations player and Juno winner Murray Porter in 2013, with a band of friends specifically put together to perform his music. In 2014, he played his first big folk festival, the Kingsville Folk Music Festival, with Jane Siberry, Bruce Cockburn, Valdy, Jaron Freeman-Fox, Fish and Bird, Ken Whiteley, and many others. In 2014 he had a bit part as an indigenous elder in CBC Miniseries’ “The Best Laid Plans”. He also did other extra parts and bit parts; movie 'Daddy's Little Girl'; Canada-NZ co-production 'Night Raiders' in fall of 2019; plus others.

He continues to play, hosting jams and sessions for others; playing in cover bands, and solo shows around Ottawa and Southern Ontario. He is still writing, and will have his sophomore CD out in the near future. He did a series of solo shows in B.C. in the fall of 2015, gaining more notoriety for his music and style, which encompasses many genres.

Check out his music on www.reverbnation.com/tigerwillmason;
www.youtube.com/andson49
https://tigerlover049.wixsite.com/tigerwillmason – this is a central hub website to link with all his current acting and music websites
To contact him by email: tigerlover049@hotmail.com

Some reviews of “Tiger” Will Mason:

“… carries a powerful collection of original songs...he impressed me with his honesty and insight..I would like to see his work appreciated and listened to by a wider audience....time to take it to the next level....”
George Koller - facebook.com

"...the feelings of...protest in the song ('Barbwire Blues') ...gave me the chills...yeah, it did...really liked your vocals...".
Eddie Birkett, owner of bookmyact.com, and Starblanket Music

"...Canadian tribal swamp beat meets Paul Ortega meets the heartbeat of Redbone with Doobie Brothers vocals..."
Vince Fontaine, country musician, Eagle and Hawk

“a fantastic entertainer. Your vocals outmatch most anyone around”
Maria Hawkins, locally well-known r&b singer, Ottawa, Canada

"Will(Andy) is a great songwriter and musician. He'll even sing for his supper!"
The Laws - Zoosk

INDIGENOUS ANCESTRY

First Nations

SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Kanien'ke:ha:ka(Mohawk), Cayugeh:ha:ka