In The Garden was originally written as my initial thoughts on parenthood and childbirth when my daughter was born. Where do we begin and end? Lyrically, I talk about encountering a Secret Birth and then note that "You were beautiful and I was being born" leaving a lot open to interpretation.

Musically, this was the first track I worked on for

In The Garden was originally written as my initial thoughts on parenthood and childbirth when my daughter was born. Where do we begin and end? Lyrically, I talk about encountering a Secret Birth and then note that "You were beautiful and I was being born" leaving a lot open to interpretation.

Musically, this was the first track I worked on for what became the Open Hearts Open Minds album (coming soon!) during the pandemic. I had things pretty much set out and then Dan suggested I make it even bigger headed towards the end so I started adding more orchestral elements.

Enjoy!

Written and recorded in Hamilton and Toronto, Canada, during the pandemic, it captures the pent-up frustration of living in lockdown with a catchy, anthemic rock song.

Hamilton-based singer Mackenzie Kristjon co-wrote the song over Zoom with Leon Harrison. Kristjon had met Harrison through Indie Week which then led to songwriting sessions through

Written and recorded in Hamilton and Toronto, Canada, during the pandemic, it captures the pent-up frustration of living in lockdown with a catchy, anthemic rock song.

Hamilton-based singer Mackenzie Kristjon co-wrote the song over Zoom with Leon Harrison. Kristjon had met Harrison through Indie Week which then led to songwriting sessions through Leon Harrison’s Mentoring Platform ‘Bandwagon’. Over a number of sessions, the song was workshopped with the aim of strengthening its core authenticity and integrity. Approaching the writing sessions, Kristjon brought in a guitar riff that had a really classic, Stones-y strut, and he and Harrison crafted a song and lyric about defying expectations to achieve true freedom and to not live in an image foisted upon you by others. You create your own destiny!

With lines about how you’re going to “break on through to your new reality,” the song evokes Break On Through by The Doors. “We’ve updated Jim Morrison for the new millennium!” said Harrison.

Icelandic-Canadian Kristjon expressed, “Writing with Leon was a real treat. His Aussie spirit combined well with my Viking attitude!”

Kristjon recorded basic tracks at home while in lockdown. However, Kristjon and hit producer Mark Zubek (Zedd Records) both became aware that the lockdown was going to partially lift in June 2021 and they would be able to meet in person to complete final production in Toronto.

“Honestly, when I spoke to Mark, I was going to be the first artist to come in to the studio in over a year. I think he and I were almost as excited to get out and see real human beings again as to produce an epic rock song!” said Kristjon. “It was actually my first time leaving Hamilton since the lockdown had started in 2020. It was beyond exciting!”

Running Wild Running Free indeed!

OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS was recorded during the pandemic and involved collaboration with musicians across North America. While attending music conference Indie 101, singer Mackenzie Kristjon was recording the album Open Hearts Open Minds. The album already featured collaborations with Dan Konopka (OK Go) in California and Leon Harrison (The Lazys,

OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS was recorded during the pandemic and involved collaboration with musicians across North America. While attending music conference Indie 101, singer Mackenzie Kristjon was recording the album Open Hearts Open Minds. The album already featured collaborations with Dan Konopka (OK Go) in California and Leon Harrison (The Lazys, Bandwagon Workshops) from Australia, and so Kristjon thought it might be fun to make it open to anyone who wanted something to do while in lockdown, a last-minute decision while attending Indie 101, one of four online music conferences put on by Indie Week.

“I felt there might be some benefit to the universe to have all of these people singing the phrase Open Hearts Open Minds in various places while alone in lockdown, like it might bring people together in a small but positive way. And hopefully it provided a worthy distraction from the nightly COVID news report.”

For the title track Open Hearts Open Minds, Kristjon involved singers from Vancouver to Cape Breton in Canada and from San Francisco to Philadelphia in the USA. Around 40 people reached out and around half actually submitted vocals.

Lyrically, the song was originally inspired by a parental rights’ organization who were looking for an anthem. They supplied hundreds of pages of documents of the most heart-wrenching stories of parental alienation. However, Mackenzie Kristjon decided to take it in a more universal direction about rising beyond challenges and opening hearts and minds to our shared humanity in all its various struggles. On the day the lead vocals were recorded, Kristjon even crowdsourced lines for the second verse on Facebook, which came from old friend Craig Norris, singer for Guelph-based The Kramdens and morning show host for the CBC in Kitchener-Waterloo.

“I sing about having a friend in an old steeltown, which is a nod to Hamilton, where I’ve lived for the past few years, which is also why I included a Hamilton streetscape on the single cover. Although Hamilton is very quickly gentrifying, it still has working class roots and the people are very salt of the earth.”