New York, NY (Top40 Charts) It's not often that a blind songwriting date turns into something special, but that's just what happened one early summer night in Los Angeles between Kendall Jane Meade (Mascott, Sparklehorse, Helium) and the Vermont-based Kris Gruen.
The spontaneous setup happened through producer Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields, The Bones of J.R. Jones), who was working with Gruen that week on his new album. "It's always a little awkward to write when you don't know each other well," said Meade, "So when Kris asked me if I had any ideas for us to jam on, I nervously and quietly played him an unfinished version of
Heaven on A Car Ride, which I had written the night before during a bout of full moon insomnia. He stopped me after the 2nd verse, saying 'Wait, that's my story. You're singing my story.' And that's when we knew we had to keep working on it, as it was likely someone else's story as well."
After finessing and completing the song together, Newman recorded the song with them the very next day, capturing the emotion and excitement of the moment. He brought in drummer
Butch Norton (Lucinda Williams,
Rufus Wainwright) and Jake Pinto on Hammond organ, and played some parts himself, while Kris took the tracks home to Vermont where Colin McCaffery rounded out the arrangement with banjo, mandolin, and upright bass. The result is an honest and moving story about when a big love hits bumpy roads.
The next time Kris and Kendall got together was in NYC in February, when Kris's dad, legendary photographer Bob Gruen, snapped their photo for the single cover. The next time Meade and Gruen will reunite will be in the UK this June, where Meade will join Gruen on his UK tour (supporting Chuck Prophet) to promote the single which appears on his new album, In Bloom, out June 2nd on Mother West.
From relative strangers to musicians bonded together through a song, a lot can happen in one year—proving that the most magical moments always appear when you least expect them.
Kendall Jane Meade & Kris Gruen
Heaven on a Car Ride
Release Date - May 26th
Written by Kendall Jane Meade and Kris Gruen
Vocals: Kendall Jane Meade and Kris Gruen
Guitar: Kris Gruen
Pump organ, Marxaphone: Charles Newman
Mandolin, Banjo, Upright Bass: Colin McCaffery
Organ: Jake Pinto
Drums:
Butch Norton
