Jenn Grinels “Always on the Run” (photo by Rebecca Boyd)
Jenn Grinels has a new album coming out later this year with some Western influences and beautiful West Coast imagery, Western Heart. Ahead of the album’s release, Jenn has just released a new song “Always on the Run” with thoughtful lines: “Cobblestones and empty streets, Virginia is a memory. I’ll trade the vines draped over trees / For cactuses and tumbleweeds. They say I have a western heart, waiting ’til the day turns dark.” It’s achingly powerful. We had a brief chat with Jenn about the song, the album and more.
Americana Highways: Hi Jenn. We’re so happy to have you join us at Americana Highways to talk about your music. You have a new single out in April called “Always on the Run.” What background information can you give us about the song?
Jenn Grinels: This song absolutely started with Alfred Howard, who’s a wonderful poet and lyricist. During Covid, he decided he wanted to collaborate with artists he admired, and “Always on the Run” was the first set of lyrics he sent me.
I read them and instantly loved them. I wanted to write music for them right away. It ended up being one of the easiest collaborations I’ve ever experienced! His lyrics really inspired me, and the whole process felt very natural. Up until that point, I wasn’t even sure how I’d be as a collaborator – I’d never really done it before! But this just flowed.
AH: How did it come together? What was the writing process like?
JG: It actually happened completely out of the blue. I don’t think I had seen Al in over a decade when he reached out. He texted me the lyrics, and I made the demo really quickly at home, probably in a couple of days, if that, kind of writing it as I went along. It was one of the fastest songs I’ve ever written. I sent him back the demo with what felt like some solid pre-production already in place, and then Al brought Mike Butler into the process to finish it up.
AH: What do you hope listeners take away from hearing this song?
JG: I honestly didn’t have any expectations when I wrote it. It was my first time putting music to someone else’s lyrics, so I was mainly responding to the imagery and the poetry in Al’s writing.
I related to the idea of chasing ambition, but the Western flavor of the song actually surprised me. That sound just sort of emerged as I was writing. I also didn’t expect the demo to get the reaction it did online. Sometimes, it feels like good art has to come from struggle, so the fact that this song came together so easily made that response even more surprising.
I think what people connect with is the overall vibe of it, which really came from the collaboration. I’m honestly still not sure exactly why people respond to it the way they do, but I’m so glad they are.
AH: Who did you work with in the studio, and what was the session like? How was the vibe, and how did the song come together?
JG: One of the cool things about this track is that most of it was created long distance. It really started with everyone working from their own homes.
Eventually, Mike and Al met up in the studio, and later I flew down to meet with Mike, mostly to work through final mix notes. I wasn’t there with a full band recording. We actually kept my original demo vocals because they had the right feel. Recording them at home allowed me to take my time and be a perfectionist about it without worrying about studio rental time.
We like to call it a little bit of “shabby chic” production. Some pieces came from home recordings, and some instrumentation was added later in the studio. Even though the studio time itself was pretty limited, the whole experience felt really joyful.
AH: We understand this is part of a forthcoming album. How does this song fit into that collection?
JG: This song was really the instigator for the whole album! When we shared the demo, the response was so strong that it encouraged us to keep going. Al started sending more lyrics, and we kept building from there. Not every song ended up having that same Western flavor, but the spirit of the collaboration kept the project moving forward. Even the album title, Western Heart, actually comes from a lyric in “Always on the Run.”
AH: What kind of themes run through the songs?
JG: A lot of the songs contain desert and West Coast imagery. Al was doing a lot of hiking and writing at the time, so nature shows up in the lyrics quite a bit. There are also themes about ambition, the exhaustion that can come with it, and being more and more aware of time passing as you get older. We both had kids during this period of writing, so that sense of being tired but inspired definitely shows up too. Driving is another recurring theme, which I can relate to after spending so much of the past decade or more on the road!
AH: How has the creative process in general and your songwriting specifically changed as you’ve grown as an artist?
JG: It’s changed enormously. Earlier in my career, I really only wrote when I felt deeply inspired, and the songs were very autobiographical. I was basically writing journal entries that turned into songs. It was a way to process things emotionally.
That meant writing was pretty sporadic; I’d only write when something big happened in my life, like a breakup. During the pandemic, everything shifted. I started collaborating more with artists like Alfred Howard, with Merideth Kaye Clark in Siren Songs, and with Jesse Ruben. I also started writing for musical theatre, which meant working with deadlines.
Having deadlines really changed my relationship with songwriting. Patreon also played a big role during that time, because I was writing regularly to share new material with my patrons each month – more deadlines. Over the last six years, that consistency has helped me grow so much as a songwriter. I honestly feel like a different artist than I was before the pandemic.
AH: Do you find inspiration in different or unique places? What kinds of things typically inspire you to write songs?
Now I can be inspired by almost anything! I think of songwriting now more as a skill that taps into emotion, but also relies on imagination.
One example is a song I wrote for Siren Songs called “July.” It wasn’t autobiographical at all. I simply gave myself the assignment of writing a song that somehow involved the month of July, and the story just emerged from there. I ended up loving it, and people really connect with it even though it’s not about my life.
I had a similar experience when writing a song about April. I was sitting in my car at a Jiffy Lube while it was being serviced, with drills and mechanics all around me, and I started imagining the month of April as a person. I began thinking about what metaphors that might inspire and what that time of year represents. It’s funny that a song idea could come together in such a chaotic place, but that’s kind of how it works now. Inspiration can show up anywhere.
AH: You’ve collaborated over the years in the studio, live performances, and co-writing. What does working with other artists mean to you?
JG: Before working with Al, I wasn’t sure I’d be any good at collaborating. My songs were usually very personal, so I didn’t feel much pull toward co-writing.
Working with him changed that. Our collaboration feels incredibly easy. He sends me lyrics and trusts me to follow whatever direction they inspire. Sometimes I tweak a line, sometimes I don’t change anything at all.
I also love the point where other musicians start adding their ideas to a track. That’s when the music really expands beyond what I could have imagined on my own. For example, working with Dave Eggar and hearing him add strings to something I’ve written is always thrilling. When an artist you admire brings their artistry to your work, it adds a whole new dimension.
AH: Please tell us what else we can expect from you in 2026. Will you be touring?
JG: There will definitely be more singles coming out this year, along with the full album, Western Heart. I’m also hoping to announce tour dates soon and get back out on the road!
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Jenn Grinels.
Keep and eye out for Western Heart, and find “Always On the Run” out now. More details are available on her website: https://www.jenngrinels.com
The album was produced and mixed by Mike Buttler, with Jenn Grinels on vocals and acoustic guitar; Mike Butler on guitars, lap steel and percussion; Jason Littlefield on bass; and Jake Najor on drums.