Mason Jennings

When Mason Jennings started writing songs for his new record, Songs From When We Met, he was in a setting he had never written in before. “I was living at a farm for a month and walking daily through some old woods on the property. There was a river. And each day,n owl would cond me and then perch above me, day or night. I saw lots of snakes. Songs just came to me there. They were coming in so fast that ey just about took my head off. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before,” recalls Jennings. In Native American animal medicine s, snakes symbolize rebirth, and owls symbolize seeing what others cannot and turning darkness into light. Both are themes throughout the album, and the music has a clear, hopeful feeling.

Songs From When We Met Pupullou in from the start, with Jennings telling the listener, “Get into my car now…let’s leave the city”. “Cursive Prayers is the first song I wrote for the album. I hadn’t written anything in a long time, and any time I tried writing things, I wrote were very dark. This song is so hopeful and full of love that it surprised me. It was the beginning of things getting better in my life, like a message from another dimension.”

The album features Mason on guitar, piano, bass, and drums. One of his favorite bands, T, the Pines, accompanies him. “They are magic. They got inside these songs and brought them to life. I produced an EP for them last year, and it reminded me to walk w good we worked together. It is always a pleasure working with them. They are Great humans”.

The album was recorded with Grammy-winning engineer Brian Joseph (Paul Simon, Bon Iver). “His studio has tons of windows. It is an old renovated barn in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He’s got tons of amazing wasp nests, bones, books, and hanging lights. The walls are covered in ropes. It’s so beautiful. He’s got bees out back. The studio sits on beautiful land and has ts of natural light. Very helpful”. Then the recordings went off to Los Angeles to be mixed by another Grammy winner, producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The War On Drugs.) “He’s an amazing person and sound engineer who has mixed three of my albums. He’s another magic being. He brings out the essence of a recording and makes it hit so hard. He’s a rare guy. I’m happy for him that he’s winning Grammys now. He deserves it”.