Mason Jennings w/ Slow Runner (solo)

Minneapolis songwriter Mason Jennings shares his new video for the single, “Only Lovers Welcome” from his brand new album, Underneath The Roses out now via Loosegroove Records. Underneath The Roses is available on limited-edition colored vinyl and is available here.  Watch and share the video for “Only Lovers Welcome” here.  

Jennings writes that the songs from Underneath The Roses were, “Written in an unprecedented burst,” following the birth of his son, Western, in March 2022. Jennings explains, “I hadn’t written any songs in about a year. I had been dealing with the psychological after effects of the pandemic as well as the loss of my dad. So, when Western was born I didn’t expect to be writing much. But immediately he was responding to music in a very intense way. For this album, between May and November 2022, I wrote 48 songs! They certainly uplifted me and connected me with the creative spirit, and spirit in general, again. They cover all kinds of ground but, when I listen back, I think the central theme is overcoming fear with love.”

Jennings and Stone Gossard are ongoing collaborators in the band Painted Shield, who released their 2021 debut album on Loosegroove, the influential indie label that Gossard founded back in 1994 issued records from acts such as Critters Buggin, Malfunkshun, Weapon of Choice and Devilhead, and was the launching point for Queens of the Stone Age’s debut album in 1998. 

SLOW RUNNER (solo)

Slow Runner is the creative vessel for Michael Flynn, an Americana-adjacent singer/songwriter based in western North Carolina. His songs have been featured on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Shameless, and on commercials for useful products like cars and shampoo. He’s also won a few awards for songwriting, most recently the 2021 Newsong Music Grand Prize. After a few years performing under his own name, Michael signed a record deal with SonyBMG in 2006 and began releasing music as Slow Runner in a long-running collaboration with producer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaler and other musical friends. Slow Runner has spawned 6 full length albums among other EPs and singles, and has toured internationally with acts like The Avett Brothers, Josh Ritter, and many others. His music explores disparate genres from dreamy synth-pop to confessional folk, always anchored by compelling lyrics and an authentic emotional core.