Kris Gruen

Artist Information

Biography

Born in New York City, Kris Gruen is a Vermont-based singer-songwriter. Building off of the lush, whisper-folk of his 2006 debut album Lullaby School (Mother West), Gruen’s sophomore release Part of It All adds innovative, eclectic, and electrified new approaches to the songs and production.

Often compared to Andrew Bird, The Arcade Fire, and The Decembrists, Part of It All, with the help of Mother West producers/engineers Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields, AM, The Black Kids), JJ Beck and Rob Stevens, takes Gruen’s songs and stories to an adventurous and fresh musical place.

Kris is no stranger to the world of music. His father, the famed rock photographer Bob Gruen, has long been synonymous with immortalizing countless musical icons on film, but Kris has chosen to pursue a path more similar to the lives of those of his father’s subjects.

Recording in both New York City and Los Angeles enabled Gruen to collaborate and record with great musicians and friends, including drummer Butch Norton (The Eels, Lucinda Williams, Rufus Wainright), bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Dixie Chicks), Nashville’s Jason Goforth on lapsteel, and drummer Nick Brown from New York City’s The Dig.

Since the release of Lullaby School, Gruen has toured the US, sharing the stage with Sean Lennon, The Avett Brothers, Bishop Allen, Jesse Malin, Nicole Atkins, Anais Mitchell, The Bowmans and more. Kris is currently playing shows around the northeast, will be performing at this years CMJ Music Marathon, and heading off on a west coast tour starting Nov 1, going from Portland to San Diego.

Instrumentation

Kris Gruen - Vocals, Guitars, Mandlin, Banjo
Brian Clark - Guiatrs, Backing vocal
Jason Beck - Keys, Accordian, Percussion
Charles Newman - Pump Organ, Synth, Glockenspeil
Jason Goforth - Lap Steel, Harmonica, Omnichord
Brian Prokop - Drums, Percussion

Discography

Lullaby School, Mother West Records, 2006
Part Of It All, Mother West Records, 2010

Links

• MySpace
• Kris Gruen's Website
• Mother West Records

Audio

• Part Of It All
  Listen  
• Euphoria
  Listen  
• Red Doors
  Listen  
• Memoir
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Collected Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  “KRIS GRUEN's Lullaby School has a delicate Americana- influenced sound that is somber and haunting....“KRIS GRUEN's Lullaby School has a delicate Americana- influenced sound that is somber and haunting.”
  –ASCAP, Playback
  
  
  
  “An ethereal mix of acoustic guitar and sparkling backup production as an undercurrent to poetic lyrics that reach far beyond average songwriting. Kris Gruen's inventive approach to songwriting will stretch the limits for an audience hungry for new vistas.”
  -Acoustic Live In NYC
  
  
  
  “Kris Gruen is no mere imitator. He possesses a sound all his own. Lullaby School is a sweet and tender crop of songs.”
  -Rachel Sanders, Exclaim! Canada'a Music Authority
  
  
  
  “The soft, soothing, gentle tunes on Lullaby School lay a solid foundation for what is sure to be a lengthy musical career.”
  –Babysue
  
  
  
  “Gruen successfully transports his listeners to where he wants them to travel. There's a charming song cycle to be heard here. “
  –Jeremy Goldmeier, Playbackstl
  
  
  
  “Oooooooooh this is utterly lovely: Beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, and all the jingles in the right places. There is the sense of theatre that artists such as Sufjan Stevens achieve, and Gruen's music certainly stands alongside such artists comfortably. Lullaby School is truly a thing of beauty.”
  -Sian Claire Owen, Americana-UK.com
  
  
  
  “Lullaby School has an aching, emotional resonance and complex, invigorating songs. The new folk sound has reached our valleys rendering the fatigued sounds of the past irrelevant.”
  -Brian Murphy, 7 Days
  
  
  
  -Rated one of VT's top 10 records of 2006 by Burlington Free Press and 7 Days
  
  -Showcasing artist at SXSW and CMJ music festivals, 2006

• Cd Review [+ Show ]
  

  “An ethereal mix of acoustic guitar and sparkling backup production as an undercurrent to poetic ...“An ethereal mix of acoustic
  guitar and sparkling backup
  production as an undercurrent
  to poetic lyrics that reach far
  beyond average songwriting.
  Kris Gruen’s inventive approach to songwriting will stretch the limits for an audience hungry for new vistas.”

• Cd Review [+ Show ]
  

  “Oooooooooh this is utterly lovely: Beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, and all the jingles in th...“Oooooooooh this is utterly
  lovely: Beautiful melodies, lush
  harmonies, and all the jingles
  in the right places. There is the
  sense of theatre that artists such as Sufjan Stevens achieve, and Gruen’s music certainly stands alongside such artists comfortably. Lullaby School is truly a thing of beauty.”

• Cd Review [+ Show ]
  

  “Lullaby School has an aching, emotional resonance and complex, invigorating songs. The new folk so...“Lullaby School has an aching,
  emotional resonance and complex, invigorating songs. The new folk sound has reached our valleys rendering the fatigued sounds of the past irrelevant.”

Setlist

I can do two hours of music. My shorter set lists are
7 - 8 songs, or 10 - 11 songs. My longer sets are about twenty songs.

Basic Requirements

Calendar