Meet Lear Mason | Some Days Are Darker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lear Mason, singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of Some Days Are Darker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lear, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Some Days Are Darker was began as a method of finding my way back to myself after a period in my life where I was completely lost. My music, my career, and my sense of self were all kind of misaligned and skewed by a lot of negative experiences. The early songs were intentionally bleak. So much so that those around me, including my friends who were working on it with me were like, “are you sure you want it this bleak?” The answer was always yes.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We just released a new song on Valentine’s Day called Obsession. I think it’s our best work yet and a milestone in the continuous development of the band and our sound. An expansion of the Some Days Are Darker universe.

In late 2023 we released a remix album called Rituals and from that stemmed a collaboration with Canadian dark wave band, Actors. Jason remixed a song of ours called Downpour. That version will drop on March 15th and we’ve got some promo up our sleeves that we are very excited about. It will be a true dance floor anthem.

On February 28th we have a jewelry collaboration launching with Rad & Rae (Scottsdale) called High Voltage which will feature a collection of necklaces and ear rings designed by myself and Taylor Rae Archer who is a great friend and colleague of mine.

I’ve been a musician since I was 12 years old. I was already obsessive about music as a kid and when I started playing guitar I became even more obsessive. By about the age of 17 I could play anything I wanted on guitar from classical music to the most elite shredders. But guitar is one thing and songs are another. I joined a band and started writing original songs and never looked back. I never wanted to live in anyone’s shadow. Music is one of the greatest mediums for emotional expression and I’ve been writing songs for 20 years chasing that dragon.

To me a song is successful when it conveys the feeling I have in my gut. If the song evokes less emotion when it’s finished, it’s a failure to me. If I listen back and get that gut feeling again, or if someone else does, that’s a successful song. I’m not interested in anything fleeting.

Music as a career is a constant uphill battle and not for the faint of heart. Money should never be the goal. It should be a consequence. There are plenty of ways to make money. If music makes you money, you’re lucky. Just always put the art before the business if you don’t want your art to suffer.

To me, music is therapy. Singing and playing guitar alone in a room is therapeutic to me. On stage is even better. Bonus points if there are people in the room. It doesn’t matter to me the level of success I achieve as long as I get to contribute to the medium that has given me so much. Listening to music created by others has meant everything to me and giving back to that community, to that conversation, that’s what’s important. Sure there are other forms of therapy. I’m currently trying most of them. Music will always have my heart.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the city, they would very likely be a musician and a vinyl junkie like me. The first place I would take them is Dark Hall coffee for an Americano, then to Epicentre to see @OrangeBlossomRecording’s studio. Lunch would be next door at Bad Jimmy’s for an excellent burger with an indie-rock bar vibe. Record shopping is a must and we’d do that at Stinkweeds, my favorite local shop. Another stop would be Rad & Rae in Scottsdale. Not all of my friends wear as much jewelry as me (and sometimes give me grief for it) but I’d want to show off our new High Voltage collection. For entertainment, we’d see shows at the Nile. Preferably one upstairs and one downstairs and probably pop into the Nile record store as well. Tattoos (likely Misfits related) would happen at Naysayer Tattoo in Mesa. At least one of the dinners would be cocktails and sushi at Hillstone. For a late night out, we’d do a 6feetunderphx goth night at the Palazzo downtown. And finally, for the best branding and creative services in town, I’d refer them to Experience Studio (www.exp-studio.com).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Some Days Are Darker would not exist without the never ending support of Lauren Bradley and the contributions of Chris Martin, but this particular shoutout is dedicated to Robbie Williamson. I met Robbie, (aka @OrangeBlossomRecording on socials) at Epicentre Recording Studio in downtown Phoenix. He is an incredible musician and engineer and most importantly—an excellent producer who has helped take my music to a higher level. The word producer gets thrown around a lot these days. Most people think it’s just someone who makes beats. A true producer can see the potential in what you’re doing and amplify your strengths. That might mean altering the song for the better, like adding a chorus or switching up the instrumentation, or shifting the key so it suits your voice better. The essence of the song stays the same but the way it is presented to the world is better. Like a musical makeover. Most artists are hesitant to let producers in. When I met Robbie I realized he knew exactly what I was trying to do and I knew he had the skill set to get it there. We complement each other in that way.

Website: https://somedaysaredarker.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/somedaysaredarker

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lear-mason-aa013073/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/learmason_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somedaysaredarker

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/somedaysaredarker

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5wbLdfDQwuzP4mOD2ETKo2

Image Credits
Primary photo, photo of me and Taylor, and spotlight photo by Sydney Cisco. Live photo with white guitar by Channing Yazzie. Embrace photo and live performance photos by Lear Mason.