The Monday after a holiday always hurts, but Marty Eagle made my day this morning by turning me on to the music of John-Alex Mason. If I had just happened to see a handbill advertising a one-man band that plays “deep country blues,” I never would have pictured a Caucasian blonde and Mason looks like he’d be more at home on a ski slope than down in the Delta. But he’s bona fide — grew up listening to his brother’s rock ‘n’ roll records and his godmother’s gospel choir, then discovered the blues on his own and eventually forsook the workaday world to become a Beale Street busker. The Colorado native won the Telluride Acoustic Blues Competition in 2001 and has been playing full-time ever since. Every show he’s got scheduled this summer will take place in his home state, except for this Friday, July 11, when he headlines the late show at Marty’s. You can preview below and find even more at www.johnalexmason.com. Complete show details are available by calling (205) 939-0045 or online at www.martysbar.com