About this Event
Opening Reception Sunday, Oct 12, 2-6pm
Oct 12- Nov 23, 2025
As a photographer, James Mastro brings the same sense of wonder and adventure that resonates in his music: A peeling away of layers, a focus on something in the corner of your eye, finding beauty in a rusted factory as easily as a flowering cactus. The images in this exhibit span the past three years, with travels that include the continental States, Greece and the UK. "Many of my photos are taken from a backseat while moving at 70 miles per hour," says Mastro. "It's a combination of quick reflexes and luck when something catches my eye."
On tour, Mastro always kept journals; but lately, he uses photography to remember the day. "I get a song lyric or idea out of many of the images I capture. They put me back in a scene, and then the imagination just adds more color." Take a look, and you just might find a song of your own in these photographs.
Mastro's music career began in the early glory days of NYC's Lower East Side in the '70s. At the age of 17, he was already a veteran of the CBGB's/Max's Kansas City scene, as rhythm guitarist for Televison's Richard Lloyd Group. In the '80s, he was a member of The Bongos, Hoboken's premier band that recorded and toured non-stop through much of that decade. Health & Happiness Show was the Mastro-fronted band in the '90s, an alt-country fave signed to Bar/None Records, and touring with the likes of Wilco and Butch Hancock. In 2000, Mastro became a recording and touring member of legendary Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter band, where he still is involved. In between all that, other luminaries he's worked with include Patti Smith, John Cale, Alejandro Escovedo, Garland Jeffreys, Phoebe Snow, and Robert Plant. His latest album, Dawn of a New Error, was released early last year on MPress Records, and he has been touring nonstop since then.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
503 Social Club, 503 3rd Street, Hoboken, United States
USD 0.00
