Enigmatic new singer MASSEY receives a sterling endorsement from slamgrass luminary Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon) on his new tribute to late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, a poignant cover of “Box of Rain”. The sophomore single follows MASSSEY’s World Entertainment Award-nominated debut single, “(Never) 2 Hot” featuring XOCHI, which arrived last summer.
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh passed away on October 24th, 2024, leaving behind a lifelong legacy of searching for the sound. Accordingly, tributes poured in from across the live music spectrum from his Grateful Dead bandmates, Phish (who helped carry the Dead’s legacy into the new millennium), and the generations of musicians the band has inspired over the past 60 years. None, perhaps, were as unique as the one MASSEY turned in which brings out the soul of Lesh’s wistful reflection written on the precipice of his father’s death at the turn of the ’60s.
For “Box of Rain”, MASSEY recruited guitarists Daniel Groover (Col. Bruce Hampton, Macy Gray) and Peter Oravetz (Raised on Radio), keyboardist Michael Lemmler (George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners), drummer Doug Belote (Dr. John, Jerry Douglas), and bassist Charlie Wooton (Zydefunk), who also co-produced the track. With each musician bringing their unique background to bear—from New Orleans funk to Jersey Shore rock to interstellar space jazz and beyond—this Grateful Dead cover rises above the rest due to the band’s fearlessness to push the song’s boundaries.
At the center of it all is Herman and MASSEY’s vocal harmonies, the calloused edges of Vince’s road-worn pipes smoothed out in the studio and merged with MASSEY’s eloquent croon. The cover is emblematic of the genre-crossing ethos at the core of MASSEY’s artistic identity, imbuing a wide variety of songs and styles with the power of his soul.
“Since I discovered my much older brother’s 45 collection at age four, I was exposed to a wide range of Top 40 from ‘65–’73: R&B, bubblegum, British Invasion… This started my interest in and singing of all kinds of songs,” MASSEY told Live For Live Music. “Once I started early songwriting, at ten or so, I whistled, scatted, sang out melodies and syncopations that were not from one thing. They were culled from a broad range that came to me. Fast forward to the upcoming debut album, there’s neo-disco, jazz-funk, rock. It all makes sense to me”
Though this new project is still in its infancy, the eponymous endeavor merely scratches the surface of singer-songwriter MASSEY’s long musical career. Described as a “shadowy figure in music for years, dipping in and out of projects,” the artist was brought into the spotlight by producer JoeBaby Michaels (Neville Jacobs, Deanna Bogart, Shaun Murphy). As MASSEY used the pandemic to focus on his songwriting, composing a couple dozen songs in two years, Michaels approached him to join his recently launched label, Bent River Records. The stars aligned, and MASSEY was born.
“From the earliest age, I’ve had a smoldering desire to give music my all,” MASSEY reflected on his artistic journey. “Being an artist has been my dharma, my destiny. I never gave up on the vision. When amazing opportunities appeared, I was ready,” he said with a good-natured laugh.
Check out the music video for the Jim Mimna-directed music video for the “Box of Rain” cover from MASSEY and Vince Herman. Stay tuned to MASSEY’s social media for news and further releases from his upcoming debut album, tentatively titled Reason for Being.
MASSEY ft. Vince Herman — “Box Of Rain” (Grateful Dead) | Official Video