A little bit pop, a little bit rock, a little bit folk and a little bit alt-country'when it comes to his music, Mason Jennings has been thrown into many different genres. Also, he's been thrown into the mix with many of the famed singer-songwriters, such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but he shrugs off the expectations with a laugh. Although Jennings' first two albums were primarily sold at shows, his recently released third album \Century Spring"" is sold nationwide and is finally getting him some well-deserved notoriety. On Friday night, Jennings and his band stop into Madison's Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave, on the heels of the new album to play a gig. The impressive Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire opens.
From doing a lot of research on you, I've noticed that your music has been labeled pop rock, folk rock and alt-country. In your own opinion, how would you categorize the music you play?
I'd have to say pop rock is the best answer.
Who would you say some of your major influences have been?
Probably, Paul McCartney. Bob Marley. Yeah. I'd say those two mostly.
Is there anybody who you're really into now?
Yeah. I like Jack Johnson a lot.
Yeah, I was reading another interview you did and you said that he played a big role in getting your career started. How would you say that he did that?
Well, he invited us out on a 10 week national tour and it was pretty huge. He's really big now, so basically it was just a great tour for us.
I've seen that your music has been compared to the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Nick Drake, just to name a few. How does that make you feel?
It's flattering. I think it's awesome.
Do you think that with a reputation like that, the critics are asking too much? Do you think their expectations are a little high?
No. I think it's cool.
During the recording of your second album Birds Flying Away you've said that you listened to a lot of jazz for inspiration. Is there anything you listened to this time around while recording the new album, Century Spring?
Just a lot of Wings and Neil Young. I really like Neil Young's record Silver and Gold. It's beautiful.
I read somewhere that your objective for the new album was to write the perfect love song. What gave you the inspiration to do that?
Well, I'm getting married this year, so that's pretty huge. Plus, I read a lot of novels. I'm just tying to bring a novel sensibility to a pop song.
Reading your bio online, I found out that you've written over 300 songs. Being on the road so much and having your own record company, when do you find the time to write songs?
Pretty much in the hotel rooms. We're out so much, but we get a lot of time to hang out in the hotel rooms to write.
Do you ever plan on signing with a major record label?
Right now it's going great just being independent. At some point it could happen, if it was the right deal. I mean, I'm not against it, but I just don't think that it's a smart move right now.
What would you consider to be the biggest advantages of having your own record label?
Well, you're allowed to develop as an artist, you know? Nobody's going to drop me. And every time you grow, you actually do grow. There's no one there to cut your knees out from under you.
Do you ever plan on signing any other artists to the label?
Not yet. We're supposed to see how the record goes. If we do really well, we'll have some extra money to help other artists. They're going to release my first two albums this summer.
Out of all the places you've been, is there any place that you really enjoyed playing?
It's all been pretty awesome. The crowds on the West Coast have been really good for us. That's probably because of the Jack [Johnson] tour.
About how many times would you say you've played Madison?
I'd say we've played there about five times.
So what do you think of it?
It's awesome. State Street's cool and just the Barrymore Theatre is a really great venue to play.
Do you ever plan on putting out a live album?
Not right now, but maybe in the future, if we get enough recordings of the live stuff. I like to let people record the shows, like bootlegs and stuff. Then the people can have that kind of a recording.
Here are a few more shows worth checking out in Madison this weekend.
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise with Shannon McNally
Luther's Blues, 1401 University Ave.
9:30 p.m. $18
Cabaret Diosa
Memorial Union Rathskeller
9:30 p.m., free.
The Cool People with A-Set and 41 Twin
Electric Earth, 546 W. Washington
8 p.m. $5, all ages.
A.J. Love with Hanah Jon Taylor
Ken's Bar & Grill, 117 S. Butler
10 p.m., $4.
John Brown's Body with Wookiefoot
Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave.
8 p.m., $15
