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April 16, 2026
Thursday, April 16th - 8:00 PM at Tractor Tavern | Join Us
KBCS is proud to present an evening with two artists who have spent decades making music entirely on their own terms. On April 16th at Tractor Tavern, Marshall Crenshaw and James Mastro share a stage.
About the Artists
Marshall Crenshaw
Before the albums and the Grammy nominations. Before four decades of original music, Marshall Crenshaw played John Lennon in Beatlemania and Buddy Holly in La Bamba. Those are not small footnotes. Instead, they are the opening chapters of a larger story. A story about a musician so gifted that Hollywood noticed before the rest of the world caught up.
Born in Detroit in 1953, Crenshaw picked up a guitar at ten and never put it down. By the early 1980s he had landed in New York City. There he formed a band with his brother Robert and bassist Chris Donato. Meanwhile, his debut single broke on WNEW-FM alongside Robert Gordon's recording of his song "Someday Someway." New York took notice.
What followed was a career that has never chased a trend. Not once. In total, thirteen albums, a Grammy nomination, and a Golden Globe nomination. After thousands of live performances, Crenshaw remains exactly what he has always been. As Trouser Press put it — "too talented and original to be anyone but himself."
James Mastro
Some musicians spend their careers searching for their voice. James Mastro, however, has always known exactly where his is.
The New Jersey based guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer has spent decades as one of American rock's most trusted collaborators. Over the years he has toured and recorded with Patti Smith, Ian Hunter, The Jayhawks, Alejandro Escovedo, and Robert Plant. He was playing CBGB's at 16. By 17 he had joined Television's Richard Lloyd in his band. Some musicians take years to find the room. Mastro was born knowing how to get in.
His debut solo album Dawn of a New Error on MPress Records announces him as a frontman in full. Produced by Tony Shanahan and recorded by Grammy nominee James Frazee, the album draws on everyone from Elvis Costello to Tom Petty to Wilco — and sounds like none of them. Among his collaborators is Brandi Carlile's drummer Brian Griffin. That connection places Mastro within a broader constellation of artists that will feel familiar to Seattle music fans.
Independent, versatile, and wholly original.
Grab Your Tickets
Doors open at 7:00 PM
Show starts at 8:00 PM