Both are deft instrumentalists, and they’ve spent years playing in others’ bands before coming together as a unit. They’re bound by music and an uncommon depth of companionship, they’re good enough to make Steve Earle swoon, and all of that sounds quite nice.
Until 16 and a half seconds into track one, when Eleanor Whitmore begins singing, “The twitch in my left eye came back today.” “Yeah, we’re not exactly gazing lovingly at each other while we’re playing these songs,” says guitarist Chris Masterson. “Sometimes the ‘couple’ thing can seem a bit schmaltzy. We’re more a band than a duo, and we’re not going to be George and Tammy. We might not even be John and Exene.”
That’s not to say that these folks don’t love each other, or that they aren’t of a piece. It’s just that listening to The Mastersons – either live or on their immediately engaging, musically expansive debut album, Birds Fly South (due out April 10 on New West Records) – isn’t akin to eavesdropping on two soulmates’ impossibly intimate conversation. This is more fun than that, with bright melodies that lead to dark lyrics, inventive harmonies and enough sparkle and twang to fashion a Porter Wagoner suit. Together, Whitmore (who plays guitar, violin, mandolin and most anything else with strings) and Masterson arrive at a singular blend that Emmylou Harris speaks of as “the third voice,” one distinct from its individual elements.
“Eleanor on her own has a beautiful voice, far better than mine,” Masterson says. “But when we come together, something bigger happens.”
That “something bigger” is captured in full on Birds Fly South, an album with soul and groove and teeth and not an ounce of schmaltz. Like the Jayhawks or Buddy & Julie Miller, it exists in an expansive territory that encompasses rock, pop, blues and country, but this is not an “If you like x, then you’ll like y” kind of record. It’s an unexpected and frequently astonishing melding of sensibilities, from two unique yet perfectly-matched artists.
Both the Denton, Texas-born Whitmore and Houston-reared Masterson have been musicians for as long as they can recall. Whitmore’s parents were both musicians, her mother an opera singer and her dad a folksinger who piloted Delta airplanes for a living. She began playing fiddle at age four, and she and sister Bonnie (now a touring songwriter) played in the family band as kids, and she studied fiddle with Texas swing master Johnny Gimble. Masterson was playing searing blues in Houston clubs at age 13, and he spent his adolescence as a disciple of blues greats Big Walter Price and T-Bone Walker.
“We were both doomed from the start,” Whitmore laughs. “Actually, we were lucky. It’s rare to have supportive parents that believed and expected we would play music and be successful. Most people that have a passion for music aren’t that fortunate.”
Whitmore and Masterson apprenticed for years with other musicians, she with Regina Spektor, Susan Gibson, Kelly Willis, Diana Ross, Will Hoge and others, he in the bands of Jack Ingram, Son Volt, Bobby Bare Jr. and more. They met in 2005 and each released solo debuts (hers was 2008’s Airplanes and his was an EP called The Late Great Chris Masterson), but found themselves compelled to write and sing together.
“It all started coming together organically,” Whitmore says. “And the songs started to sound like a band, not like a song swap.”
To capture that sound, The Mastersons headed from their Brooklyn home back down to Texas, where they worked with a core group of close friends (Grammy-winning engineer Steve Chrisensen, bass man George Reiff and drummer Falcon Valdez) to co-produce Birds Fly South. To capture the harmonies, Whitmore and Masterson sang together, into one microphone. That didn’t mean the proceedings were free from arguments or eye-twitching.
“It’s weird working with someone you love,” Masterson says. “The highs are higher, and the lows are lower. The way Eleanor and I treat each other, you’d never treat someone else on a session or gig. There’s a candor there that’s insane sometimes, and we both believe in what we’re doing so much and neither is willing to back down.”
With the album complete, Whitmore and Masterson headed back to New York, and in May of 2011 they joined Earle’s group, The Dukes and Duchesses. Each night on the world tour, Earle moved aside to let his spotlight shine on The Mastersons, whose efforts were met with reviews like “scintillating” (London’s The Telegraph). Whitmore and Masterson remain integral players in Earle’s band.
“Playing with Steve has been so great for us,” Masterson says. “We’ve both learned so much from working with other people. We’ve learned to have something succinct to say onstage and learned a whole lot about work ethic. And we’ve learned to handle so many many different scenarios.”
The release of Birds Fly South should provide for some more of those scenarios, though The Mastersons aren’t making any predictions.
“I’m not in the outcomes business,” says Masterson. He and Whitmore are more concerned with the action than the consequence, more about the offering than the reception.
Eye-twitching or no, Birds Fly South is a lovely offering.
The Mastersons.
Husband and wife, singing and playing together.
Good Luck Charm
The Mastersons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wide awake and politicians make me mad
And I can't take it
Take it any longer
I can't close my eyes
Doesn't stop the tears from fallin' truth be told
It's a long road and I don't know where to go
Hold my hand
I could sure use a good luck charm
Sing sing sing with me
La de da da da da di di di
It gets louder when we sing it together
In the great divide
When the television makes you want to run and hide
Now don't you see what they're trying to do
You can come with me
Hold my hand
I could sure use a good luck charm
Oh come what may
Stand by me
We can all use a good luck charm
Big big big bad wolf
He's comin' for your children and your pocket book
And he doesn't want to hear our song
So sing sing sing with me
la de da da you tell me
Who's house is fallin' down when we're standing together
You can come with me
Hold my hand
I could sure use a good luck charm
Oh come what may
Stand by me
We can all use a good luck charm
Sing sing sing with me
Sing sing sing with me
The Mastersons' "Good Luck Charm" is a song that touches on the feelings of helplessness that many people experience in today's world. The lyrics reflect the frustration that comes from being bombarded with news about politicians, inequality, and other social and political issues. The song suggests that the only way to find solace is by holding onto each other, which the singers express by inviting the listener to join them in song.
The lyrics "Wide awake and politicians make me mad/And I can't take it/Take it any longer/I can't close my eyes" speak to the sense of desperation that many people feel when confronted with news about political problems. The phrase "It's a long road and I don't know where to go" illustrates the challenge of figuring out how to make a difference in a world that seems to be spinning out of control.
The song offers a positive message of unity through music, as the singers repeat the refrain "Sing sing sing with me" and invite the listener to join them in singing. The song suggests that by coming together and supporting each other, we can find a way to make a difference in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't it make you sad
The state of the world we live in leaves us disheartened.
Wide awake and politicians make me mad
Being awake and aware of what politicians do makes one angry.
And I can't take it
The situation feels overwhelming and unbearable.
Take it any longer
They can't endure it any further.
I can't close my eyes
They can't ignore the issues and pretend everything is fine.
Doesn't stop the tears from fallin' truth be told
The sadness and frustration still bring tears despite bravado.
It's a long road and I don't know where to go
The path forward is unclear and uncertain.
You can come with me
They extend an invitation to others.
Hold my hand
They offer a sense of comfort and solidarity.
I could sure use a good luck charm
They seek a source of hope and luck to help them persevere.
Sing sing sing with me
Music is a way to connect and express emotions.
La de da da da da di di di
The sound of nonsense syllables indicating the joy of making music together.
It gets louder when we sing it together
Uniting and raising our voices amplifies our message and highlights our power.
In the great divide
In the midst of polarized opinions and conflicting viewpoints.
When the television makes you want to run and hide
Sometimes the news and media can be overwhelming and too much to bear.
Now don't you see what they're trying to do
The media and those in power may try to manipulate the public and push certain agendas.
Oh come what may
Regardless of what may happen in the future.
Stand by me
Request for support and allegiance.
We can all use a good luck charm
We all need something to believe in and rely on.
Big big big bad wolf
A representation of powerful and threatening forces that try to overpower and control people.
He's comin' for your children and your pocket book
Symbolic representation of threats to safety and livelihood.
And he doesn't want to hear our song
Those in power may try to silence or ignore dissenting voices.
So sing sing sing with me
Call to action to unite and amplify our message.
la de da da you tell me
A playful and joyous expression of unity through music and song.
Who's house is fallin' down when we're standing together
We're stronger and more resilient when we come together and support one another.
Writer(s): Chris Masterson, Eleanor Whitmore
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@aaronarellano7395
this is a great song i could imagine listening to this on a main stream media outlet...(heard it on a local western slope colorado radio station, KVNF Mountain Grown Radio) but wow The Mastersons are doing some great work, congrats guys! :)
@eliredeker2691
Saw these guys with Steve Earle and this song literally blew me away. Fantastic.
@IllustrationWithEveii
+Eli Redeker seen them yesterday with Steve earl! her voice is beautiful!!
@joannestazio4495
We are listening to this on WEXT 97.7 FM in the Albany NY area.
Thankful for the stations that take the time to find and play great music.