Masonique Productions
Portland
Ron Mason Gassaway is a songwriter, film & theatre composer, live performer, video and installation artist, art director, illustrator and designer based in Portland, Oregon.
He is a founding member of the provocative improvisational group Party Killer, summarized by esteemed musicologist and recording artist Julian Cope as "colossal." He is also a founding member of the dance music ensemble Muscle Beach, which recently contributed a track to the "Let It Rain” album release, a celebration of Oregon music curated by PDX Pop Now and the Oregon Historical Society.
His new solo endeavor using the moniker “Masonique” is scheduled for release later this year. This album will include eight new recordings, produced with the symphonic pop sound he has been refining for several years, plus “Red, Blonde & Blue” an anthemic disco track that boldly addresses the perils of white privilege, which is currently available on iTunes (under Ron Mason Gassaway).
Additionally, he has written and produced compositions for several renowned film and theatre directors, writers and companies, including Grace Carter, Holly Andres, Sue Mach, Philip Cuomo, Karl Lind, Defunkt Theatre and Coho Theatre Productions, where he recently completed the score and sound design for The Yellow Wallpaper, a critically acclaimed production which opened in Portland earlier this year.
As a visual artist specializing in video and installation art, Ron has exhibited work at a variety of galleries, museums and events, such as the Artists' Television Access, PLACE, the Portland Art Museum, the Taipei Biennial, EFFPortland, the NW Film Forum, Nofest and the PDX Film Festival. His video work has also been archived in the American University Shorts Filmography Collection.
As a commercial artist Ron has contributed art direction, illustration and design to local businesses, non-profit organizations and international corporations such as Adidas, Nike, Dark Horse Comics, U.S. Bank, Intel, Microsoft, Adobe Systems, the Children’s Television Workshop, and Tower Records, where he began his music and artistic career as a store artist for the legendary chain, helping to coordinate and promote in-stores for Devo, Adam Ant and Arrested Development, amongst others.