Adam Masterson Talks ‘Delayed Fuse,’ The Clash, New Music + More

2020-01-16

Adam Masterson – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Robert Ascroft

Adam Masterson speaks with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink about his new EP, “Delayed Fuse,” his love for The Clash and more in this fresh interview

West London-born and New York-based musician Adam Masterson crafts rock ‘n’ roll songs with a pop sensibility. Masterson is looking at a busy 2020, as he’ll release a new EP this spring, “Delayed Fuse,” and a new full-length album later this year. Both releases promise a plethora of guest musicians, including drummers Jeremy Stacey (King Crimson, Ryan Adams) and Omar Hakim, guitarist Paul Stacey (Oasis, The Black Crowes), bassist Charlie Jones (Page & Plant, Goldfrapp), guitarist David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel, Scott Walker), mandolinist and violinist Peter Tickell (Sting) and bassist Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols).

Adam Masterson spoke with Audio Ink Radio/Publications about “Delayed Fuse,” his love for The Clash, what it’s like working with his wife on music videos and more. Read the interview below, and find Masterson online via AdamMasterson.com.

Congrats on your new EP on the way, “Delayed Fuse.” Tell me about the significance behind the phrase, “Delayed Fuse.”

There’s a song called, “Take A Little Love,” on my upcoming full-length, and it’s a line from that. It struck me. Those words had quite an impact on me, “Delayed Fuse.” When you’re writing a song, you come up with a spark of an idea, and you build up those ideas, and eventually, they become powerful. So much of life is like that. Very often with me, with music, it bubbles up inside of me and I get glimpses of it, and sometimes melodies appear in my head, and I become aware of it, and this builds over time. So, it’s delayed, in a sense. It’s something that’s been building for a while. In personal life, you might meet someone and not get together at first, but it can come together quite powerfully over time. I feel like much of our lives have that small spark becoming something much more significant.

The first single off the EP is a catchy tune called, “Avenue Walk.” Explain the meaning behind that song and how it came together.

I had this idea of writing about what was simply going on in my life. At first, I started writing about this laughter from the restaurant next door and what I was doing in my everyday life. I put that into the verses, what going on outside, and then the chorus is about what’s going on inside on an emotional level. So, I tried to juxtapose those two things. I want everyone to have their own feeling for it, but that is what was going on in my mind when I wrote that song.

I saw that you spoke with the Recording Academy/Grammys about the 40th anniversary of The Clash’s “London Calling.” What is your favorite thing about that record?

I got into The Clash later on. I remember hearing them at school, and it was after they had been around, but people had recordings from their older brothers and sisters and such. I remember liking the track “Bankrobber” because it was funny. I must have been into the big hits, too, but I mainly remember that it was in my later teens when I started becoming more aware of them and their music…

I covered the song “Gates of the West,” because I have every record, and I thought this was one I could put myself into and do something with. I thought it was hard to take on The Clash, because they have such a singular, eclectic writing style. They are quite unique, so I took this song and switched it around to fit an acoustic guitar. A few weeks later, I actually saw Mick Jones (of the Clash) and said, “Hey, I covered one of your songs.” He said, “Which one?” When I told him, he said, “I think I heard that! You changed it around, and I really liked that!” From then on, he started taking an interest in what I was doing, and from there, I would see him around, and he encouraged me. He really supported what was going on in the whole music community.

You worked with your wife to create the music video for “Bad Luck Baby.” What was it like to work together on the visuals for the song?

We’re actually working on another music video right now! My wife thinks very visually, so she’s really helped me come out with a unique way to put visuals to the music. I think in terms of sharing stuff on social media, the visuals seem to be more important than ever, so it’s been great to have that opportunity to work with her.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News