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Runaway Dorothy
Americana
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Americana quartet Runaway Dorothy counts Roseanne Cash, Adam Duritz, Rob Thomas, and Ryan Adams as fans. The band has also been fortunate to have an engaged fan base to support its latest album, The Wait. Runaway Dorothy’s sensibility is both rustic and refined, mining folk, country, and alt-country with a songs-first restraint as to leave ample space for the group’s captivating storyteller lyrics, mesmerizingly melancholy vocals, and achingly beautiful harmonies. The band has performed at SXSW (Runaway Dorothy played 11 shows in the 5 days they were in Austin), The Outlaw Roadshow during the CMJ music festival, and headlined the Red Room in Boston. They’ve been featured on Fox News, the popular video blog The Rock Office, and garnered accolades from PGH Music Mag.
The Brooklyn-based four-piece’s origins date back to when band founder Dave Parnell was plucked from singer-songwriter obscurity to be the guitarist of a promising rock band playing big shows and showcasing for major labels. “I was hesitant at first, I wanted to do my own music, but this opportunity allowed me to just focus on being a musician,” he explains. As industry pressures sapped the South Carolina band’s morale, Dave kept on writing for himself. However, when the band was summoned to New York City for label a showcase, Dave had a career-shifting moment.
“I ran into Ryan Adams randomly on the street,” Dave recalls. “We hung out all day, and I got the chance to play him some tunes. I played him the band’s music and my own solo stuff. When he heard my tunes, he said: ‘This is the stuff you should be pursuing.’” And when the band finally splintered, that’s exactly what he did: Dave moved to Brooklyn with a handful of songs; recorded the Runaway Dorothy debut, The Arc, in Springfield, Missouri; and then assembled a band.
The Wait marks the debut of the firm lineup of Dave Parnell (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Dave’s younger brother Brett “Bert” Parnell (electric guitar), Warren “Jiffy” Robbins (bass), and Evan Mitchell (drums). The band plays with dynamic sensitivity: the players patiently let each song’s meticulous arrangement unfold in the center spotlight, and then contribute motifs to enhance the mood. The band developed its sympathetic chemistry through grinding it out playing live on NYC subway platforms. “It was like boot camp for becoming a cohesive group,” Dave explains. “Can we sound good as a unit when it’s so loud down there?” |
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