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Tone Masseve

His mother, painter Eve Mass, was from Holland. His father Anthony Goins Sr., from North, Carolina, was a musician. Tone was born in New York City.

At age 6 he built his own guitar out of scrap wood, nails and rubber bands. Although it did make sound was wasn't playable as a musical instrument. His parents were impressed with his creativity and bought him a second hand Harmony Airline Stratotone electric guitar but couldn't afford an amp. He immediately taught himself the chords to The House of the Rising Sun.

When he was 12 he heard about The Tom Scholz Rockman headphone amp. He pled, argued and badgered his mother until she finally gave in and bought him one. He practiced constantly to the excursion of everything else. Schoolwork, sports, friends, TV and sometimes even meals went neglected when he was practicing. His mother would often find him late at night asleep with his headphones on and his guitar in his hands. He started playing live at age 13 with his band The Footnotes.

When Tone was 15 his mother died. He blamed his father for her death and disavowed all connection to him. He shortened his given name from Anthony to Tone. He also took as his surname, a combination of his mother’s two names in reverse order, Mass - Eve. That same year he left home. By the time he was 18 he was doing session work in NYC.

Graham Parker saw him playing with a band called Robazz Bowtime, and asked him to play with him. That only lasted a few gigs. “I didn’t play with Tone for a great deal of time, but it was one of the most illuminating musical experiences of my career. Yes, he was that good. But like many artists of genius calibre, he could be a bit of a Bolshy bastard and get right up in your face with some right daft ranting. The price of such extreme talent, no doubt."

Tone was dyslexic which made sight reading of notated music impossible. He did have the ability to instantly memorize long complicated musical passages. If he heard a piece once he could pick up his guitar and not only play it, but play it with every subtlety and nuance in the original piece.

With his musical ear he picked up languages easily. In addition to English, he spoke; French, Gaelic, Yiddish and Nadsat fluently.

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Album Review

Tone Masseve: Amp L'étude

Read "Amp L'étude" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


This is a posthumous release by guitarist Tone Masseve, whose vision led him to reformulate celebrated classical pieces by Chopin, Bach and others into the rock idiom. At the time, Masseve said, “In my childhood I was exposed to many different musical styles and genres. Although I am really a blues player, I also love the music of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy. I wanted to play their classical pieces with a rock sound and attitude." Sadly, Masseve ...

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Recording

Guitarist Tone Masseve To Release Debut Album Amp L'étude Feat. Jethro Tull Drum Legend Doane Perry

Guitarist Tone Masseve To Release Debut Album Amp L'étude Feat. Jethro Tull Drum Legend Doane Perry

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

The singing sustain of multiple razor edged electric guitars, the monster rock backbeat of Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry and The Moonlight Sonata? Yes, This mash-up is the concept behind Tone Masseve's album Amp L'étude. Classical pieces? Yes, but these are not the dry, conventional versions we've all heard before. The album vividly brings these compositions to life with a new and powerful sound. Tone said, “In my childhood I was exposed to many different musical styles and genres. Although ...

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