It began innocently enough. As the passion project of a dad looking to write a few songs that would remind his kids about the importance of keeping hope alive at a time when the world was becoming increasingly isolated, anxious, intolerant, and downright impossible to explain.

Then, thanks to a reconnection with a long lost, guitar-playing friend and the stewardship of one of Minneapolis’ most sought-after producers, things ran wonderfully amok. And Seeking Permission, a compilation of spirit lifting songs featuring some of the Twin Cities’ and Nashville’s most prolific singers, songwriters, musicians, composers, producers, and engineers came to be.

The project’s name is a nod to how its core collaborators Brian Kroening, Tom Fugleberg, and Matt Kirkwold think of each song. As a permission slip, written to the heart. To get past your fears, to keep on going, to make the very most of each day, and – above all else – hang on to hope and to one another. If even for four soul-stirring, reflective minutes at a time.

For the full backstory, watch the vid. For a reminder of just how good the world can still feel, get the tunes, support the project, and share the love.