Two veterans of the local music scene release their first single as a duo.

Rarely do we see love found in music almost reminiscent of Avril Lavigne’s ballad “Sk8er Boi.” Kristen Rose Gradwohl had a musical friendship with Talmon Owens for eight years before they came together and eventually married last September.

About a year ago, the two formed the singer/songwriter duo Magenta Spreen, showcasing Gradwohl’s softly piercing timbre which is wrapped with meticulous melodies by Owens.

The pair had been singing and performing music independently for over 15 years before forming Magenta Spreen. Coming from a punk background, Owens began performing around Big Sur in 2010 while Gradwohl was already a five-year veteran.

Gradwohl performed lead vocals with Monterey-based band Valley Soul. She and Owens first met in 2016, when he opened for the group. While the exact start of their romantic relationship is a little ambiguous – occurring sometime in the last two years – a connection was definitely present.

“We learned each others’ songs right off the bat when we started dating,” says Owens, but Gradwohl confesses, “I learned all of [his] songs in my car in 2016.”

When the couple started writing music, Owens had noticed a plaque identifying a native green plant surrounding a purple center while walking through a Big Sur resort’s garden. The plant was identified as magenta spreen, prompting him to take note as a potential band name. Uncannily, it was one of Gradwohl’s dear friends who had made the identifier.

The couple feel like they always have their biggest fan on stage. For Owens, the best thing about singing with his partner is the sense of comfort. That allows Gradwohl to not only really listen to Owens’ music but also to have an connection to the ethereal sounds, as well.

“I feel like I’m pulling from other realms, [but] it really is of this world,” Gradwohl says. “Music comes to me in dreams and whispers of nature.”

The duo’s first co-written single, titled “Days Gone By,” is a perfect example. The song came to Gradwohl while sitting under a tree. She shared with Owens. Later, in the new year she went to visit the same tree after writing the song to discover it had fallen.

“It was like the tree had given me a bit of its last song or something. It was really delicate and sweet – the way its energy was with me when I sat beneath it.”