Masonique From Portland, Oregon
Interview by GINGER COYOTE
Not long ago I became aware of Masonique from Portland. In this interview, they brought back memories of all the fabulous venues that The White Trash Debutantes used to play…Juding from their responses about Courtney Love, Ginger Coyote, and Jayne County they have a wicked sense of humor…
Punk Globe: Thanks for the interview. Give the readers some background on Masonique
Ron of Masonique: Word on the street is that we’re time travelers from the future but we can neither confirm nor deny this. The fact that we wear the logo for the Time Traveling Musicians Union should be of no concern to anyone. Our synth-punk trio originated in Portland, Oregon in 2016.
Punk Globe: Who is in Masonique and tell us what they do in the band?
Masonique: Ron Mason Gassaway (Party Killer, Muscle Beach, Vanishing Point), the lead vocalist and keyboardist, started the band as a solo project with Daniel Morris (Gang Radio, Masseter, Perseveration) joining on drums a year later. Gerry Hathaway (Arkham Sunset) was ultimately added on bass, which is the line-up heard on our new record. Gerry departed last year and Keith Martinez (Touchers, Zenitram Jr.) was brought in to pick up the low end, which he does well.
Punk Globe: Describe Masonique in three words
Masonique: Punk Prog Prism
Punk Globe: Who are some of the band’s influences?
Masonique: This band is a hybrid through and through. No genre purity tests for us! We’re inspired by a wide range of artists, like Roxy Music, Fugazi, Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, The Stooges, Crass, Gang of Four, The Buzzcocks, Neu!, The Damned, Lee Scratch Perry, Chrome, Black Sabbath, Suicide, King Crimson, PJ Harvey and many, many more.
Punk Globe: Tell us about the Portland music scene. What venues do you enjoy playing at?
Ron of Masonique: The Portland music scene has changed radically since the pandemic, with many exceptional venues closing shop. Thankfully a few of the best still remain, including The World Famous Kenton Club, Turn! Turn! Turn!, No Fun, Star Theater, Rontoms, Dante’s, Coffin Club (formerly Lovecraft), and The High Water Mark.
Although things got pretty gnarly in 2020 our community looked out for each other despite the chaos and the scene is finally rebounding. We’re damn grateful to still be sharing the stage with some of our favorites, including RLLRBLL, Inny, Descending Pharaohs, Lies We Were Told, Hovering Shrikes, Elrond, Arkham Sunset and The Hand That Bleeds.
Daniel of Masonique: Portland has such a plethora of sounds and scenes it can be a difficult choice some nights because there are so many good shows happening and you can’t catch them all. We’ve made many great connections over our respective years in this town and are always excited for the gigs we play because we know each act will bring excellence.
Punk Globe: When my band the White Trash Debutantes were playing in Portland we liked The Satyricon I loved George and Ben. Suburbia, The Roseland, The Paris, The OKay, and Mount Tabor Pub were always fun. Are any of those venues around now? I remember playing with The Supersuckers when it was 100-plus degrees so hot.
Ron of Masonique: Sadly all of those venues have fallen by the wayside, except for Roseland (formerly Starry Night) which is still going strong. Back in the day Satyricon was one of the best, along with Berbati’s, Pine Street (aka La Luna), Ash Street, East End, Backspace and Valentine’s. As with almost all downtown districts these venues were priced out, with most of the current clubs situated outside of the city center.
Punk Globe: Do they still do shows at Lewis and Clark College?
Ron of Masonique: Lewis and Clark still have some great shows, though not as often as they used to. I’m proud to report that a close friend, Duncan Neilson, who performed wild sets at The Knitting Factory in the 90s is now teaching music there. That’s gotta count for something.
Punk Globe: You recently released ‘As The World Burns’ Is it an Indie release or through a label?
Masonique: ‘As The World Burns’ is fresh off the presses (released June 21st) on vinyl and digital formats. This is an entirely self-produced effort; engineered, recorded and mixed at our studio in North Portland, with the mastering and vinyl pressing provided by Morphius Records in Baltimore. Released through Ghost Family Records, which is run by Daniel aka {[(gang radio)]}.
Punk Globe: It is a full album how many tracks are on it?
Masonique: 8 tracks in all, threading dance punk, shoegaze, synthpop, postpunk, and krautrock into a sonic odyssey from beginning to end. We worked to make an enduring album that feels continuous from the first song to the last, instead of a collection of singles that can be skipped through.
Punk Globe: What is in store for the future for the band A tour with Courtney Love?
Daniel of Masonique: We’re looking forward to meeting some minds on tour in the US and overseas. As for Courtney, If Faith No More can get her to perform the first 2 albums Chuck Mosley sang on, we’d be all for it. Until then, we’ll be making the rounds and promoting the record.
Ron of Masonique: Even better would be a reunion of you and Jayne County performing ‘Rock n Roll Republikkkan’. Feels like we need that now more than ever!
Punk Globe: Amen to Rock n Roll RepubliKKKan !!!!! Do you have any Internet addresses you want to share with the readers?
Masonique: Give our website a spin if you’d like to learn more about us and find links to our music, socials and videos:
Of course if you’re itching to hear the new record go here ASAP: https://masonique.bandcamp.com/
Punk Globe: Any last words for Punk Globe readers?
Daniel of Masonique: Thanks for checking out the music and for just being who you are. Here’s to human rights / animal rights / freedom of self / peace.
Ron of Masonique: Start a band and/or build a time machine. Save the future or at least yourselves. Creation is the only salvation from consumptive damnation.
