Volcanic Theatre Pub & 1988 Entertainment Presents:

Marshall Crenshaw

special guest James Mastro

Genre - New Wave/Power Pop

Tuesday, April 14th 2025

Doors @ 6:30 PM - Show Starts @ 7:30 PM

This show is seated. 

Born in 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, Marshall Crenshaw learned to tune a guitar correctly at age ten and has been trying ever since. His first big break came in 1978 playing John Lennon in “Beatlemania”, first as an understudy in New York, then in the West Coast company, followed by a national touring company. Removing himself from that situation in Feb. 1980, Marshall settled in New York City. Enthralled by the hyper-diverse musical culture of the City, and the local Rock scene in particular, Marshall formed a Rock and Roll band with brother Robert on drums and Chris Donato on bass.

After crossing paths with the great and legendary Alan Betrock, Marshall recorded his debut single “Something’s Gonna Happen” for Betrock’s Shake Records label; at nearly the same time, legendary Rockabilly singer Robert Gordon’s recording of Marshall’s “Someday Someway” was released as a single on the RCA label. These two records simultaneously broke big on New York’s WNEW-FM, causing Marshall and his trio’s local popularity to explode.

And so began a career that’s spanned four decades, 13 albums, Grammy and Golden Globe nominations, film and TV appearances (Buddy Holly in “La Bamba”) and thousands of live performances. Marshall Crenshaw’s musical output has maintained a consistent fidelity to the qualities of artfulness, and passion, and his efforts have been rewarded with the devotion of a broad and loyal fan base.

Presently, along with touring around the country and the occasional recording project, other current projects include producing a documentary film-in progress about legendary record producer Tom Wilson. Says Crenshaw, “This is a road that I’d never imagined taking before, but it’s been an incredible learning experience.”

James Mastro - guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter extraordinaire - has toured the world dozens of times over as a supportive musician with some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed rock and pop artists ever to grace a stage including Ian Hunter, Patti Smith, John Cale, The Jayhawks, Alejandro Escovedo, Garland Jeffreys, Jesse Malin, and with Robert Plant as his musical director for a benefit concert for an artist they both admired immensely, Love’s Arthur Lee. From The Beacon Theater to the Shepherd's Bush Empire (UK), Mastro has roused crowds with brilliant performances channeling the sonic inventiveness of David Bowie and the tastefulness of Mick Ronson. Discussing his new album for  MPress Records, Dawn of a New Error, the Americana-rock singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer reveals: "As an underage kid, I used to do whatever it took to see the bands I loved: wait in line for hours for tickets, or sneak into clubs and push my way to the front of the stage.  Now, as an overaged kid, I’ve had the best seat in the house playing guitar onstage with many of those same artists that inspired me to do what I’ve been doing all these years. And I still feel like I’m sneaking in!”  

Dawn of a New Error finds Mastro firmly in frontman territory, unleashing 11 brand-new, fiery cuts that will make even the most jaded music listener sit up and listen. What makes Mastro all the more impressive - band cred aside - is his arsenal of sounds. Textural and otherworldly one minute and retro-rock the next, each track on his MPress debut is a swoon-worthy, master class in crafting timeless hooks, intelligent lyrics, and kick-ass playing that any fan of Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, or Wilco will embrace. Produced by Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith’s bassist, co-producer and musical collaborator) at Hobo Sound, the album was recorded and mixed by Grammy nominee James Frazee (Patti Smith, Sharon Van Etten, Marshall Crenshaw), and mastered by the legendary Greg Calbi. Mastro wrote and sang all the songs, along with playing all guitars and mandolin. Shanahan played bass, keyboards, and sang backing vocals.  Noteworthy drummers on the record include the late Louie Appel (Southside Johnny), Brian Griffin (Brandi Carlile, Black Crowes), Steve Goulding (The Mekons, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe), and Bill Dubrow (Yoko Ono, Linda Thompson).