With Alternative Press calling them a “Band to Watch,” more than 8-million total plays on their MySpace page, and a record deal with David Letterman’s new label C.E. Music, the Southern California-based pop/rockers RUNNER RUNNER, will hit the road with Second Serenade and White Tie Affair on a major U.S. tour that begins June 17 in Utah (itinerary below). The band, currently playing dates with Amber Pacific and Cartel, is previewing material from its upcoming, self-titled debut album that is due out late September (EMI/Capitol Records/C.E. Music/MRV Records).
“We’re all pumped about the tour with Secondhand Serenade,” said Runner Runner’s vocalist, Ryan Ogren. “We’re going to go out there every night and play seven or eight of our new songs, have a complete blast doing it, and hope the audience will have a blast as well. We can’t wait.”
Whether on CD or live in concert, Runner Runner’s music is guitar driven, high-energy pop/rock, with good songwriting and gigantic hooks setting it apart. “So Obvious,” the first single from the album, will go to radio on June 15, but also hits the jackpot with placement on the “NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 34” CD, set for a June 15 release date. The “NOW” multi-artist compilations have sold more than 100 million copies since 1998, and feature tracks from the “hottest of the hot.” “NOW! Vol. 34” will be no different, as it boasts tracks by multi-Platinum artists Ke$ha, Rihanna, Usher, Ludacris, and The Black Eyed Peas, as examples. “NOW! Vol 34” will also forecast hot emerging artists’s tracks with its “NOW What’s Next New Music Preview,” Runner Runner’s “So Obvious,” being one of them.
Runner Runner – Ryan Ogren/vocals, Nick Bailey/guitar, Peter Munters/guitar, Jon Berry/bass, James Ulrich/drums – recently shot a music video for “So Obvious” at the house where the iconic film “Boogie Nights” was filmed. Directed by Travis Kopach (3OH!3, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, and AFI), the video has the five band members arriving at a party only to find everyone on their cell phones or texting. According to Munters, “It’s about Runner Runner reclaiming the life of a party that has been commandeered by technology.”
Prior to forming in 2008, the members of Runner Runner had been in a variety of other bands – bassist Berry was a founding member of the SoCal pop-punk band Rufio, and Ogren had been the vocalist/guitarist for the New Jersey-based Don’t Look Down. Munters, Bailey, and Ulrich were all members of the Orange County, CA-based by way of northern Virginia skate-punk band Over It. After numerous tours together as three separate entities, the five musicians gravitated towards each other and formed Runner Runner.
Runner Runner has performed more than 175 shows on bills with such prominent left-of-center acts as Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Gym Class Heroes, Angels & Airwaves, The Higher, The Audition, and the White Tie Affair. They’re also veterans of the festival circuit, appearing in 2009 on the Vans Warped Tour, Bamboozle and Tokyo’s Punkspring Festival, as well as the Night of Lights Festival and the L.A. Ink Fest during the previous year.
With more dates to be announced, the Runner Runner with Secondhand Serenade tour dates are as follows:
JULY
17 Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, UT
18 Marquis Theatre, Denver, CO
21 The Loft, Dallas, TX
23 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
24 Scout Bar, San Antonio, TX
25 Brester Street Ice House, Corpus Christi, TX
27 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
28 The Social, Orlando, FL
29 The State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL
AUGUST
4 Recher Theatre, Towson, MD
5 Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA
7 Royale, Boston, MA
8 Higher Ground, S. Burlington, VT
10 Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
11 Altar Bar, Pittsburgh, PA
12 Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI
13 The Loft, Lansing, MI
Currently on the road with Amber Pacific and with Cartel:
JUNE
13 The Conservatory, Oklahoma City, OK***
15 Saddleridge, Pittsburgh, PA***
16 The Studio @ Webster Hall, New York, NY (w/ Deas Vail, O Brother)
17 Hangar 84, Vineland, NJ***
21 Tallahassee, FL @ Big Daddy’s***
22 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum***
23 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits (w/ Robot Love)
24 Orlando, FL @ Back Booth***
* with Amber Pacific
** with Cartel
*** headline dates