Mason Daring
Encyclopedia
Mason K. Daring is an American musician and composer
of scores for film and television
. He has worked on nearly all the films directed by John Sayles
, adapting his style to fit whatever period in which the film is set.
, playing trumpet
, which he played in school bands on through to Amherst College
, where he majored in music and graduated cum laude in 1971. He began playing guitar
in seventh grade and formed a rock band called The Squires the following year. After college, he played and recorded with bands around the East Coast
, taught university courses and continued his studies in music and law.
He earned a law degree from Suffolk Law School in 1976 and passed the Massachusetts
bar in 1977. He also continued working in music, and gained experience as a film editor and director of television commercials.
It was through a career in entertainment law that he became acquainted with John Sayles
. While Daring was serving as legal counsel for the director's first film, Return of the Secaucus 7
, Sayles had heard some of Daring's music and asked the lawyer to compose the film score.
Since then, Daring has worked full time as a composer, mostly on films by Sayles, but also for other films and for television. He also maintains his own record label, Daring Records (a subsidiary of Rounder Records
). He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts
and Santa Monica, California
.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of scores for film and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. He has worked on nearly all the films directed by John Sayles
John Sayles
John Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter and author.-Early life:Sayles was born in Schenectady, New York, the son of Mary , a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator. He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist"...
, adapting his style to fit whatever period in which the film is set.
Biography
Daring began his music studies in fourth gradeElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, playing trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, which he played in school bands on through to Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, where he majored in music and graduated cum laude in 1971. He began playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
in seventh grade and formed a rock band called The Squires the following year. After college, he played and recorded with bands around the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, taught university courses and continued his studies in music and law.
He earned a law degree from Suffolk Law School in 1976 and passed the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
bar in 1977. He also continued working in music, and gained experience as a film editor and director of television commercials.
It was through a career in entertainment law that he became acquainted with John Sayles
John Sayles
John Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter and author.-Early life:Sayles was born in Schenectady, New York, the son of Mary , a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator. He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist"...
. While Daring was serving as legal counsel for the director's first film, Return of the Secaucus 7
Return of the Secaucus 7
Return of the Secaucus 7 is a drama film written and directed by John Sayles. It features Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, Jean Passanante, and others....
, Sayles had heard some of Daring's music and asked the lawyer to compose the film score.
Since then, Daring has worked full time as a composer, mostly on films by Sayles, but also for other films and for television. He also maintains his own record label, Daring Records (a subsidiary of Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
). He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
and Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.