Take
a look at Run On on a part-by-part basis -- wanky guitarist, busy
percussionist, artsy violinist and singing bassist -- and it sounds intriguing,
but would you really want to hear the result? Not likely.
Add
personalities to the mix and things become more intriguing still, and make you
want to hear what this odd mix of talents and styles sounds like.
That
Run On "works" may be as interesting as the music the band makes.
They're a new indie rock Talking Heads, a more accessible Fish and Roses, and,
if drummer Rick Brown is to be believed, a latter day Jefferson Airplane all
rolled up into one.
Ask
Brown why it works, and he'll tell you it's little more than the relationship
of one bandmate to another.
"We
know each other really well," Brown said before a recent show in Iowa
City. "We're not really close friends -- except Sue (Garner, bassist and
vocalist) and I, who are married -- but we're close acquaintances. We play
together a lot, and we draw on each other for influence and inspiration."
The
band got it's start a few years back as Fish and Roses, a group featuring Brown
and Garner, came to an end. They enlisted guitarist Alan Licht, late of Love
Child and the Blue Humans, and multi-instrumentalist/radio personality David
Newgarden.
The
first single, EP and album are all of a piece, exploring a new sound as guitars
occasionally wail, keyboards and strings haunt and screech and vocals lilt
above. Newgarden left the band between the first album, 1995's Start Packing,
and the recording of the new release, No Way. He was replaced by violin player
Katie Gentile.
The
band's songwriting has devolved a bit from the last album to the current one.
Brown said Start Packing featured many songs written collectively, while No Way
has more songs brought to the band by individual members. It's mind-boggling to
think how something as complex as "Something Sweet" would sound as a
guitar and voice demo, but Brown said it works. The band will continue to write
both ways, he said.
"The
new record is a little more cohesive," Brown said. "We recorded it
all in the same place instead of in four different locations. The songs are a
little more conventionally structured."
The
songs slowly change over time, Brown said, but not a lot.
Some
of the songs had to change with the exit of multi-instrumentalist David
Newgarden between albums. Katie Gentile who mainly plays violin on the band's
songs, replaced Newgarden on No Way.
Many
songs seem driven by Brown's polyrhythmic drumming, and he said he does see
himself as "a pusher." But he said different people take on that role
depending on the song.
Though
many Run On songs seem improvisational in spots, both on record and in concert,
Brown said that isn’t the case. "The songs are tightly constructed. Always
have been."
Tight
structure aside, Brown admitted the multi-layered texture of the band's songs
sometimes makes it difficult to know when something is done.
"We
have to use our awareness, that to keep it simple is the best way. That's the
struggle, to say it really is done," he said.
The
members have art school backgrounds, music influenced as much by Public Image
Ltd. as anything else.
"We
all have pretty broad interests."
Those
broad interests contribute to the sound. Look at any one former project, and
the leap to Run On may seem too great. But Brown said those side projects all
add to the whole, adding something positive to the band's sound.
"It
means the music is going to be different," he said. Peach Cobbler, a band
featuring Brown and Garner, bridges the gap stylistically between the members
past bands and Run On, he added.
The
live set is determined as much by the band's mood as by technical
considerations. The Iowa City show consisted of songs that are simpler to
perform, because the opening band slot did not lend itself to a larger stage
setup.
The
band has been listening to a lot of country music while on the road, and Brown
said more often than not, it seems to be Merle Haggard on the radio.
Brown
said the band is content with Matador, though competing with Jon Spencer and
Liz Phair for attention can be a daunting task. As for a career path, Brown
said "I don't know where we're going, but I know we're going there really
slowly."