Pedal to the Metal with Runner and Bobby
By Grant Hiskes
From Left to Right: Mick Smith (Drums), Parker Bailey (Vocals, Guitar), Lula Burke (Bass) - Photo Courtesy of Avery Adzima (IG: @averyadzima) Runner and Bobby
The Chrysler Pacifica has been acquired. While the move to the minivan usually comes more than just a couple of years after college, the vehicle does the trick for Runner and Bobby frontman Parker Bailey, bassist Lula Burke, and drummer Mick Smith. The three met at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Mick and Lula on the first day of freshman year even. The day one friends formed a band called The Cuties, who Parker credits with propelling the live music scene back to life in Granville following the pandemic. Parker, having already released a solo album, a couple of EPs, and several singles under “Runner and Bobby”, saw a perfect opportunity to expand the project with Mick and Lula, and the band’s current form took shape.
The group has been putting the pedal to the metal since. Runner and Bobby has now played over 40 live shows, my first time seeing them live being at The Cubby Bear in Chicago. The band has all moved to Chicago to be together since, a sign of their commitment to taking Runner and Bobby to the next level.
The band put some serious mileage on the Pacifica in a June tour that took them across the Midwest from Minneapolis to Nashville and shows at historic venues like Schuba’s Tavern and The Blue Room and featured new keyboardist Alex Johnson. Alex’s new bandmates applaud him for his wicked talents and ability to learn songs quickly for the tour. Enhancements like these are part of that broader feeling amongst the band that they are taking the next step. “I feel like we are getting more intentional with our look and what we are doing on stage”, says drummer Mick Smith, pointing out Lula’s careful creation of the band’s merchandise and Parker’s role as frontman engaging the audience.
Parker also feels the band is more focused in regards to their music and sound, honing in on their identity as a band within the range of sounds they have covered before. The band collectively acknowledges their appreciation and influence of shoegaze bands like Slowdive and the Cocteau Twins on their music. Listeners and audience members have also remarked to the band and their manager how their sound is reminiscent of The Strokes. “I’m in Love with Your Face” is a song that sticks out for me as one that blends some shoegaze elements with the alternative rock kick of The Strokes. Other influences for the band really span across genres. Parker enjoys the dreaminess of a Mazzy Star track but can get into the shreds of Black Sabbath at the same time. Lula does not care as much for Black Sabbath but is inspired by other rock outfits like The Shivas out of Portland, “They have a lot of very rhythmic baselines that add in all the right ways but don’t need to do too much”.
Adding in “all the right ways” without doing too much is a craft Parker is seeking to master with the pedal kits. Parker has limited himself to five pedals for shows now in line with that changing approach of the band, “My philosophy on pedals is: Use as few as possible, and then, when you want to bring it, really bring it”. His bandmates and manager would say you would be hard pressed to find anyone as knowledgeable about the pedals as him. Parker has long had a keen interest in pedal kits, which are a key component of the band’s sound. The pedals give Runner and Bobby’s music a distinct, warped, almost atmospheric sound that builds on the dissonant guitar textures pioneered by band favorite My Bloody Valentine.
From Left to Right: Alex Johnson (Keyboard), Mick Smith (Drums), Parker Bailey (Vocals, Guitar), Lula Burke (Bass) - Photo Courtesy of Avery Adzima (IG: @averyadzima) Runner and Bobby
The aforementioned pedal experimentation is part of Runner and Bobby’s aim to create music that is intended for the live performance. Of course, Parker does not mind getting to lean into his solo in “Cali’s Song” or Lula into “Wray”, though the band truly feels that their role as musicians is to serve the audience. “If they are here for Fall or Her, I am going to play the HELL out of Fall for Her”, says Mick. Stemming from the days emerging from COVID when The Cuties were able to establish a sense of community through the music, Lula finds so much joy in fostering that same sense of togetherness in the fans and audience at their shows today.
The band is adamant on keeping the listener in mind with their recorded versions as well, just take a look at “Sex Wax II”. “Sex Wax II” is the rerecorded version of “Sex Wax”. The track was a hit, but Runner and Bobby felt the production quality of the song could be enhanced. Revamping “Sex Wax”, the band optimized the track’s form for live, incorporating a lot of Lula’s ideas for bass lines.
Additional singles will be released the rest of the summer into fall ahead of this winter’s album release. While the band will certainly be continuing to keep the audience at the forefront with this new music, expect a different sound from Runner and Bobby, a reflection of the identity it has discovered for themselves across the June tour. “I would not say it’s a punk album, but it’s a punk move”, says Mick. The album should have some more kick and come from a different vantage point than the past.
“I feel like our music has always been kind of nostalgic”, says Lula, “but I am at a point now where everything feels exciting. So, I feel like I want to make something for right now … and the present. Nostalgia is a great feeling, but I don’t want to hang onto something I wasn’t around for”.
“The idea of Runner and Bobby has changed”, says Parker.
Come and get a feel for Runner and Bobby’s morphing identity ahead of the album release this Friday, July 11th in Chicago at The Burlington in Logan Square.
