Minneapolis-based folk-pop singer-songwriter Mason Jennings is touring his brand-new album Underneath The Roses. With tender and resonant songs, Jennings has made a brilliant career with his unique approach to the singer-songwriter-focused genre. Jennings says the songs on his latest album were “written in an unprecedented burst,” following the birth of his son, Western, in March 2022. “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 (of Pearl Jam) play together in a collaborative band called Painted Shield, and Gossard and Regan Hagar from Loosegroove Records “helped edit the 48 down to 11. I then enlisted the help of my Painted Shield bandmates to record the songs.” “I called it Underneath The Roses because I feel like these songs are musical roses and when I look below them there are many thorns and so much dirt and soil. All of it was needed for them to come into existence and bloom. It’s been a long hard road of self-discovery and discernment for me the last few years and the roses wouldn’t be here without what lies underneath. Hope you enjoy the music!” Don’t miss Mason Jennings as he tours with Underneath The Roses at the Historic Temple Theatre on August 16.