RUNNER & THE THERMODYNAMICS
April 2, 2004
Runner and the Thermodynamics. The name should tell you that they're a band to see live. That their debut album doesn't quite live up to their bracing live performances is forgivable, as it stands nicely on its own nonetheless. What it does mean is that there's a classic album still in them to look forward to.
When the band stopped by a few weeks ago to chat with College Air, on the road between gigs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, they were excited to be touring the West Coast for the first time. Fresh from a CMJ cover story, they had plenty to be excited about. But even with growing media buzz and a debut record in the can, it was obvious that their biggest thrill was greater opportunity to take it to the stage. They're not even real fussy, playing a fifteen minute set using Dillinger Escape Plan's equipment, opening for acts as diverse as Alice Cooper and Old Dirty Bastard.
Guitarist and lead singer Marc Pinansky is a natural frontman. He admitted to being zoned out from being on the road, yet was still upbeat and talkative. "We're in a good spot right now," he observed, "and we get along really well on the road. The CMJ concert (which led to the cover story) wasn't even our best. It's still coming together for us."
Roger Knight, the crazed drummer who often draws comparisons to Keith Moon, admitted that drumming is almost a form of therapy for him. "Whatever I'm going through, stuff that happens during the day, comes out on stage."
Runner is a band clearly built on classic influences, 70's rock - the Who and Big Star are often mentioned as points of comparison. Yet it's not so easy to play spot-the-reference, as they all get whipped into a unique whole. "We just think of ourselves as rock and roll, even a pop band," claimed bassist Mike Oor.
And now there's the record. While a quick listen will validate all the comparisons, from the Who and Grand Funk Railroad to Big Star and the Raspberries, it's also clear that it could not have been made in the early ‘70s. If all those influences have been thrown together, they have also been filtered through Nirvana and Mudhoney. From the churning chords which kick start album opener "So Sorry" to the untitled coda, a bouncy, lo-fi guitar/piano tune running barely a minute, the spectre of ‘90s indie-rock hovers over the proceedings.
The experimentation of that finale is a further key that there may be greater things to come. For now, this is a good, solid debut. While you wait for their future classic, catch them live...if you can!
Marc, Roger and Mike, hangin' with Harvey, the College Air mascot
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Page Last Modified on: April 30, 2004