SCENE SCRIBE
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Jennings finds humanity in the contrasts of ‘Blood of Man’
Mason Jennings admits that his new album, “Blood of Man,” is his darkest and his lightest album. In reality, it might be the 34-year-old, folk-rock Minnesotan’s most human album because it captures the highs and lows of a spectrum of people, ranging from carefree children, to working parents, to murderers.
“I think the record is about polarity and trying to free myself up to have full freedom of expression,” said Jennings via telephone from his Minnesota home. “I think it has to do with making the dark songs as dark as they can be and the light ones as light as they can be… to stretch the contrast out a little bit.”
The singer-songwriter-guitarist took several artistic licenses to create the kind of thematic, instrumental and lyrical contrasts that characterize the electrified “Blood of Man.” For starters, he took cues from his sons, ages 3 and 6. Last Christmas, while decorating the tree, his eldest son curiously asked about one of the ornaments sporting an electric guitar. Jennings, an established acoustic artist, was horrified at the thought that his son didn’t recognize an electric guitar, so he ran downstairs and returned with his wife’s vintage electric hollow body guitar, plugged in and tore into The Who’s “My Generation.” The jamming continued for two hours with the kids dancing around the room, and Jennings recalling the freedom of his youth and the electric guitar.
“The spirit of experimentation I see in them everyday where they aren’t afraid to try new things or to go with what they’re into at that moment is inspiring,” he said. “Playing electric guitar again, I had to trust in myself to try new things and be OK with making mistakes. I want to be able to push myself and keep growing.”
One week after his impromptu family jam, Jennings retreated to his home recording studio and wrote “City of Ghosts.” From there, he penned and performed all the parts for the album.
“I always try to keep in touch with my playful side. Recording the album myself up here allows me to get in the head space of trying something different and not being embarrassed by it,” he said.
While “Sunlight” captures the innocence of childhoods and “Pittsburgh” reflects the heaviness of being a teenager, other songs on “Blood of Man” take on more mature themes. “The Field,” for instance, is about the war and parenthood, while “Ain’t No Friend of Mine” (for which Jennings has filmed a video) and “Black Wind Blowing” address revenge and murder.
“That song (“Black Wind Blowing”) is about that part of your spirit where you can do things in the name of a higher power. I had read a book ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ about a murder that took place in Utah and had read another story about a man who killed his brother’s baby because a voice told him to do it. There are a lot of people in the world who are thinking that they’re hearing a direct line to a higher power,” Jennings said. “There is that choice everyone makes every day of going toward the light or the dark.”
Some years ago, Jennings made the choice to strike a balance between being a musician, a husband and a father.
“That’s the major struggle in my life,” Jennings said. “When I first began to tour it was about meeting people and partying, but at a certain point I knew I didn’t want to be the guy who hits the road and parties all the time and still tries to be a dad. I tour because I love the music and being onstage. It allows me to focus on the music when I’m on the road. For me, I really care about my family. So when I’m home, I’m home with my wife and kids all day for days or weeks at a time. It’s all about the balance and the choices you make.” CV
Caption: Mason Jennings performs Thursday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. at People’s Court. Tickets are $15 in advance through www.IowaTix.com or $20 at the door.
