In a sold-out show, James Mastro and the Golden Stars, plus opener Renee Maskin, demonstrated why Franklin Schoolhouse is a special place that focuses on community arts. One of the first things James said to the audience of about 100 as he kicked off his charming, energetic set with his band, was, “You’re lucky to have a place like this.” That’s saying a lot because the Hoboken legend’s Guitar Bar repair shop and store curates 503 Social Club, a similar space for concerts and art exhibits.
A member of seminal Hoboken band The Bongos, James Mastro also is the founder of the late-eighties alt rock outfit Strange Cave and co-founder of nineties Hank Williams-inspired country-fried Bar/None recording act The Health And Happiness Show. All three acts are among Hoboken’s best-ever bands, but the Gold Stars aren’t too shabby either. The all-star ensemble consists of Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, Memphis-spawned singer-songwriter-keyboardist-guitarist Megan Reilly, Elk City guitarist Chris Robertson, and Patti Smith bassist-producer-collaborator Tony Shanahan (also of Health And Happiness, who produced James’ long-awaited 2024 solo debut album, Dawn of a New Error). I say long-awaited because he’s been playing in acclaimed bands since he was 16 in Richard Lloyd Band, the side project of the lead guitarist / CBGB staple Television.
While this evening of “songs of misery and pain presented in an upbeat and cheerful manner” mainly featured New Error songs, it kicked off with “To Be Free” from Health & Happiness’ second album, 1995’s Instant Living. The rest of the set included all but one of the 11 New Error tracks. In response to audience enthusiasm, Mastro said, “I’ve never been to Metuchen before. I consider myself a Jersey boy, so I’m moving here.” Then he and The Gold Stars slammed into “Three Words,” an energetic Who-like rocker propelled by Diken channeling Keith Moon on drums. Another highlight was the fantastic backing, harmony, and co-lead vocals by Megan.
The overachieving band then launched into “The Face of the Sun,” featuring fuzzy feedback and buzzy slide playing by Robertson, who rolled ‘n’ tumbled around Mastro’s jangle. At this point, the frontman revealed the band hadn’t rehearsed or gigged since December, which likely added to the raw energy of the show.
Sometimes there’s beauty in chaos, and that was evident on the spare dreaminess of “Everywhere,” which chronicles Mastro’s desire to once again dream that he can fly like he frequently did as a child.
“Never Die” followed; the upbeat song about death was inspired by James Mastro’s namesake, an uncle who died on the last day of World War II. He explained that his mother named him in an effort to keep her brother alive. After a tale like that, the audience was happy to participate in a Mastro-led singalong. Equally inspiring was Robertson’s “Ziggy Stardust” guitar playing.
Photo by Bob Makin
While conjuring the ghosts of Lou Reed and Roy Orbison on “Here Beside Me,” Mastro showcased his Silvertone tremolo guitar, made popular by Chris Isaak. The impressive guitar playing continued with fine slide work by Robertson on “Trouble.”
The high point of the night was a performance of the 2024 Makin Waves Song of the Year, “My God,” which is the cure for religious intolerance. It was sad to hear that the religious intolerant confronted Mastro about the song while on a solo acoustic tour, but the crowd at Franklin Schoolhouse loved the John Lennon-like tune as much as I do.
The political insanity frequently fueled by the religious right that has helped to dismantle our democracy is the theme of “Right Words, Wrong Song,” which, while performed live, took a punk-tinged turn with Diken’s frantic drumming. Also fun was longtime bandmates Mastro and Shanahan trading lead vocals.
Both Mastro and opener Renee Maskin are well played by WFMU, so it’s fitting that she joined the band for the group sing of “Someday Someone Will Turn Your Head Around,” which was inspired by the beloved freeform radio station. (Several of the station’s staff were in attendance.)
The night began to end on a rousing note with the last of Mastro’s original solo tunes: “River Runs Forever,” a look at how in the end, Mother Nature always will win. A river may run forever, but humans don’t – largely because we’re so destructive, the chaos of which was symbolized by a raucous rootsy jam with more fine guitar interplay between Robertson on slide and Mastro making his guitar sound like a harmonica.
Franklin Schoolhouse is too small for a band actually to leave the stage before an encore, so the golden group stayed up for two closing covers preceded by a solo acoustic version of Health & Happiness’ “Some Stay Broke” that served as a musical eulogy for Mastro’s recently deceased older brother John. A mightily well-blended medley followed of The Bongos’ “Bulrushes,” sung by the frontman, and featuring a blistering guitar solo by him, then Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot” sung by Reilly and Shanahan, and The Smithereens’ “Blood and Roses” sung by Diken and featuring a great solo by Roberston made more fascinating by the fact that the fella who originated it – The Smithereens’ Jim Babjak – was in the room.
A group sing closed the night with the entire band taking a verse of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart.” The emotional tune was made more powerful by Chris Robertson playing on the mandola, the deeper, richer cousin of the mandolin.
Raised in Metuchen and based in Asbury Park for a long time now, Renee opened the show earlier in the evening with the chilling “Bones” from her former band Lowlight’s 2016 debut album, Where Do We Go from Here. The stampeding rhythm of the old, but unreleased jewel “Cigarette” followed. Then came “The Stranger It Gets,” a song about the uncertain and sometimes uneasy adventure of life.
A new bittersweet tune entitled “Wonderland” simultaneously celebrated the 94 years of joy Ocean City’s Wonderland Pier brought families like Maskin’s while lamenting the sorrow of its recent demolition and forthcoming redevelopment as a 252-room resort hotel. I love the line, “I could show you something real tethered to a Ferris wheel.”
Photo by Jack Silbert
Inspired by several musician friends relocating to Music City, including Mint 400 Records label mate Tom Barrett and Morgan Wallen guitarist Tony Aichele, “Nashville” channeled the simple but stunning train rhythms of Johnny Cash. Maskin then preceded one of my favorite songs, “Horses,” with a funny plug for merchandise that became an even funnier story about how legendary photographer Danny Clinch bought a box of her T-shirts that just read, “Thought about horses,” and gave the box to the equestrian family of Bruce Springsteen. Unfortunately, Renee Maskin had neglected to include her name on the merch. After a good laugh, she demonstrated how the song brilliantly compares the freedom of wild horses to the confines of feeling awkward at a party. Plus, she threw in some really amazing guitar playing.
Speaking of Clinch, Maskin will return to his Transparent Clinch Gallery on March 29 to celebrate the release of what will be a great single – if the live performance of “Western Shores” is any indication. The edgy song was inspired by a late-night viewing of Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man” while battling insomnia.
At the show, Maskin also announced that she’s forming a new band, but didn’t say with whom. She did, however, play one of their songs: “Breakers.” The impressive lyrics make ocean waves symbolic of breaking hearts and crashing lives.
Another Lowlight song, “California Blue,” which was appreciated by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde when the band toured with The Pretenders, led to the rhythmic roots rocker “Hot Moon” and then a closing Townes Van Zandt-like take on the Stones’ “Dead Flowers.”
Renee Maskin also will play on April 6 at Pet Shop Bar in Jersey City with Tom Barrett and the Unnamed; then April 25 and July 18 at The Asbury, in Asbury Park; May 3 at John & Peter’s in New Hope, Pennsulvania, with Mike Montrey; on August 3 at The Starving Artist in Stockton, and September 6 at Wild Air in Asbury Park with The Dust-Ups and Emerson Woolf.
And James Mastro is just heading back after taking to the industrial skies of Buffalo, Cleveland, Ferndale, and Pittsburgh earlier this week for another solo acoustic jaunt opening for Marshall Crenshaw.
Coming up at Franklin Schoolhouse will be an open mic on March 31; Amy Rigby on April 9; a Four Seasonal Poetry Reading on April 11; Roadside Graves Family Pizza Party on April 27, and Freedy Johnston and Walter Salas-Humera on May 10.
