Minnesota-based singer/songwriter Mason Jennings releases his eighth LP, "Blood of Man," this month. The album's songs are some of the most dark and expansive of his 12-year career.
Last fall, exhausted from touring and the inability to escape the constant beckoning of his computer and Blackberry, he sought out the solitude of his cabin in the woods.
"I took the whole winter off last year," Jennings said recently from his home in Minneapolis. "I went to a remote little place I have out here to record. I didn't know I was going to make an album. I thought I was going to record for fun and get free with it. As I started the process, the songs got really dark and really free. I loved it so much that I decided to put it out as an album."
Originally, Jennings had the idea that his next effort was going to be a solo acoustic guitar and voice record. He had wanted to do one for a while, and the timing seemed right. Once he started the cabin recordings, however, that all changed. Songs with big, expansive sounds, such as "City of Ghosts" and "Ain't No Friend of Mine" were penned, taking him by surprise and shattering his initial expectations. The isolation that came with the unforgiving Midwest weather was instrumental in the process.
"I love it here in Minnesota," Jennings said. "And I love the winter. I like the extreme weather and the privacy of it. I toured so much last year that I was feeling a little burned out. I needed a break. And I got totally comfortable and relaxed out there. The new stuff just flew out. When you get away from it all, you don't know what you're going to find."
Born in Hawaii and raised in Pittsburgh, Jennings adopted Minneapolis as his home base specifically for its distance away from either coast. While he loves much about both New York and Los Angeles, the business side of things seems to dominate most of the time he spends in either city.
"For me, it's perfect," said Jennings. "With the kind of music I make, as far as it being so open and personal, Minnesota is a place where I can totally be myself and not feel the pressure of the business all around me. I love being out in the woods, without pressure, just feeling the creative energy of it all. And I love trees so much. If you love trees and open sky, this is the place."
Jennings signed with Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records last year and released the album "In the Ever" shortly after. He met Johnson years ago when he opened for him during a festival at a Minnesota college. "Blood of Man" will be his second release for the label, and Jennings is excited about the partnership.
"It's really cool," he said. "I've been friends with Jack for about eight years. The people at Brushfire are great and totally supportive of whatever I'm doing. They were the first people to say that they were into the new record and wanted to put it out. Jack is more of a pop star, but that doesn't mean that they don't know how to deal with someone like me. It's like dealing with family."
To accommodate the new direction of the album, Jennings will tour with three other players. He says that people will be surprised by the difference in scope of sound, but the band will be playing some of his more subtle songs as well. The tour will kick off with back-to-back dates at the Belly Up next week and run through November. Jennings then plans to head back to his cabin in the woods.
"I do love it," he said. "Going out there by myself and not knowing what's going to happen is just so fun. It's such a joy to be able to do that. It's really amazing. And that's what I'm after."
Mason Jennings
When: 9 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16
Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach
Tickets: $20
Info: 858-481-8140 or bellyup.com
