The ocean breeze whistled through the cell phone as Matt Lovette leaned back in a beach chair and talked about his southern rock/country band, the Mason Lovette Band.
Lovette, for whom part of the band is named, was taking a much-needed vacation down at Ocean Isle last week. He and his wife are anticipating the birth of their first child later next month, and this trip away was a chance to relax.
That’s not easy for Lovette to do; he’s constantly on the go. He has a full-time job is with Aramark uniforms company and at least four times a month, if not more, the Haw River native is the frontman for one of the area’s most popular bands.
The Mason Lovette Band got its start in Alamance County back in the late 1990s and early 2000. Even though the lineup has changed somewhat throughout the years, the goal remains the same: to play fun, upbeat country and Southern rock music.
Lovette and Michael Sudyk are the only original members; the band now includes Ryan Burgess on drums and background vocals, Billy Hatley on bass and background vocals, Clint Rhodes on rhythm and lead guitar, bass and background vocals and Billy Faucette on keyboard and organ.
The band has played in Greensboro and is looking for gigs as far away as Bristol, Tenn., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The shows are booked a year in advance so as to accommodate the musicians’ busy schedules. But when Lovette found out that a slot at the annual Sunset Rhythms Concert Series was open, "I was real glad. We love playing in Burlington."
Mason Lovette takes the stage at the Depot Amphitheater, at South Main and Front streets, at 6:30 p.m. Friday. In case of rain, the show will be canceled.
"This will be our first time at the Depot," he said. "We’re looking forward to it."
Listeners can expect to hear country hits like Josh Turner’s "Your Man," John Mellencamp’s "Hurts So Good" and Wilson Pickett’s "Mustang Sally" with Mason Lovette’s own spin thrown in.
"We really like to play crowdpleasing, fun, party songs," he said.
If the music career becomes a full-time gig in the future, so be it, but for now "we’re having a lot of fun. I think everybody is real content with the band and the music. We’re all buddies. We have a good time on and off stage."
Upcoming concerts
