I had the pleasure to swing by and visit with my old friend Jeff Raspe a couple weeks ago to swap stories and play some songs. You can listen to it HERE.
New Single 'Everyday and Night Now" out Today /
“Every Day and Night Now” from the forthcoming album Coast and Refuge (out June 22) is a duet with Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John).
After a seven-country European tour supporting Jesse Malin, he sat down with Moren in Stockholm and two wrote the song together in a former movie theater-turned-music venue. It’s a radio-friendly earworm that kicks off with finger- picked guitar and then rises to answer a mystical call, with a string quartet in tow. The song was produced by Charles Newman (AM, The Magnetic Fields, The Bones of J.R Jones). The duet had special meaning for Gruen for another reason: he played PB&J’s song “Young Folks” for his eldest daughter every night when she was an infant.
On Tour with Alejandro Escovedo /
Hitting the road again with Alejandro Escovedo this Spring! Tour dates are listed below.
Tribeca Film Fest Premiere and Show /
Kris will be in NYC celebrating the premiere of the film "All These Small Moments' on April 24th as part of this years Tribeca Film festival . His new song "Coming Down Around Me" off his upcoming album "Coast & Refuge" was co-penned by director Melissa Miller Costanzo and the song comes during a pivotal moment in the film. There will be a special solo performance in NYC to celebrate the premiere on April 25th.
What Brings You - OUT NOW! /
"What Brings You" is the fitting title of the first single from Kris Gruen’s highly anticipated globe-trotting album of co-written songs, Coast & Refuge. Gathering the talents of accomplished writers and producers from around the world for his fourth full length release, Coast & Refuge promises to be Gruen’s return to opulent and muscular indie-pop, and if "What Brings You" is any indication of what’s to follow, it seems he’s made good on his word.
"What Brings You" is one of four songs on Coast & Refuge that Gruen wrote with LA producer, Brad Gordon. Gordon’s regular collaborations as a performer with Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Adele) and cult indie favorites The Weepies, and his studio work for artists such as Brett Dennon and Vance Joy has reached many millions of ears. His earthy production here gives the song an inviting, instant familiarity, both meditative yet explosively celebratory.
That sense of having heard "What Brings You" would be stronger for those who may have unknowingly come across it in an award winning American Eagle Outfitters spot in the months just following its recording. Oddly enough, the gorgeous commercial was shot in the same landscape that the song was written in— the California coast line between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara—and chronicles (in slow motion sanctity) an introspective, honey-drizzled day in the lives of a diverse group of uncommonly beautiful young people. Like a brand new pair of jeans, the song is an anthem for wanderlust and self-assuredness, adventure and discovery. A sonic and lyrical foray between the secretive and the gushing, there’s an inner conversation in the verses about “home” being wherever we lay our head at night, with gigantic choruses calling for storied hours with friends new and old. The song suggests the journey is the destination.
All These Small Moments: Music featured in Tribeca Film Festival movie /
Two Kris Gruen songs are featured in the upcoming film All These Small Moments. The film marks writer Melissa B. Miller-Costanzo's directorial debut, and premieres on April 24th at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
Kris contributed the song "Coming Down Around Me", which was co-written with Melissa B. Miller-Costanzo, and was written specifically for one of the film's most pivotal scenes. "Coming Down Around Me" is also set to appear on Kris' upcoming album Coast and Refuge.
"Morning Glory", from Kris' 2013 album New Comics from the Wooded World, also appears in the film.
All These Small Moments stars Molly Ringwald, Jemima Kirke, and Brian d’Arcy. Brendan Meyer, Harley Quinn Smith, and Sam McCarthy are also among the cast. The film centers on a teenage boy (Meyer), whose infatuation with a woman (Kirke) he sees on the bus further complicates his already tumultuous adolescence.
SXSW Bound /
Hey everyone! Excited to announce I'll be performing at SXSW 2018 in Austin this year.
Stay tuned for a schedule of shows!
We Made It... Thanks To All Of You! /
Dear Campaign Patrons,
You rock!!! Because of your support, we made our goal Saturday night, just in the nick of time.
I’ll be heading down to NYC this coming weekend to start the finishing work for this campaign; which includes recording the EP of Montessori In Song, some more production in finalizing this first volume of Coast & Refuge songs, getting things in order for a large run of tees/CDs/vinyl for all of you who pledged for one, and playing a C&R campaign closing show at Berlin club in the East Village, NYC on Monday night, 1/29.
Thank you all so much for being a part of this and investing in the future of this music. I’ll be back shortly with some info on when you can expect your pledge premiums.
In the meantime, I really hope to see you at the party at Berlin on Monday if you’re in NYC, and if not, at the next show near you!
Love,
Kris