For my year-end editorial extravaganza I will try to do the unthinkable-- impart you readers with valuable and worthwhile information untainted by corporate greed:). Fuck the year-end list, this one’s for you, Chicago.
The Runnies’, Mary McKane, is also keyboardist/vocalist of Chicago’s soon to be mega-successful 60’s revivalists, Outer Minds. I mean it, if these guys don’t do something soon to claim their rightful throne as the undisputed champions of Chicago rock then I will quit writing and playing music. Shit, I will probably stop listening to music altogether. That is how convinced I am of Outer Minds’ supremacy. I’m just the messenger, people, and you can quote me on this.
I spoke to Mary by phone yesterday. In congruence with DedChicago tradition, this interview will not be transcribed for reasons entirely within my control (I made a stupid mistake trying to record it). I also nearly botched the whole thing by forgetting I was in a different time zone but I eventually got a hold of her while she was on the way to Runnies rehearsal in Chicago’s East Garfield Park…
The Runnies recently released an entire album for free on the Internet. It’s soulful, bluesy and danceable. It’s got all the characteristics of any of the best Rolling Stones albums and Mary’s vocals sound gritty and intense. Very professional, I would not have any other voice singing these songs. The Runnies fill in every space available with provocative solos. Never sounding awkward or meandering, every note has a purpose even if its reason is simply being there. In short, this album is another one of a chain of excellent releases from Chicago artists in 2011.
You Can’t Win was recorded from August 2010 through November 2010. The mixing was completed in March 2011. Recorded by John Crawford, drummer for Paul Carrie and the Small Scaries, on reel-to-reel tape, the album comes off with a natural and unforced fullness and dynamic texture (not a whole lot of obnoxious computer reverb, thank god). On the decision to release the album as a free download, McKane says that it was more based on a need for immediacy than anything else. They had the final product ready to go and saw no reason to hold it back from the public any longer. Having grown up in the age of P2P file sharing, I’ve got to say, they made the right choice. I am proud of them for being so forward thinking and progressive in the ever so rapidly changing music industry. This is a band that’s in the game for all the right reasons. They have gobs of talent, drive, experience and a selflessness that only a band who truly cares and believes in themselves and what they are doing could display so authentically. Right on, Runnies. I believe in you too.
Mary has been performing in Chicago bands for years now and besides fronting the Runnies and co-fronting Outer Minds, she also plays with Lover!. I first saw her play about three years ago at the Hideout opening for Thee Hardy Mums. Her growth as a musician has been tremendous and she seems, still, to have a lot more left in her. Looking at her now and how far she’s come, I get a feeling that things in Chicago are growing so quickly. There are big things out there on the horizon and Mary and others like her are the ones showing us all the way. Better pay attention.
With 2011 drawing to a close, I am officially voting Mary McKane “most likely to succeed” in our imaginary Chicago basement-scenester yearbook. Here’s to a girl with a bright future. It’s only fitting that, with her salute to us in the free release of the gem, You Can’t Win, we salute her back by listening to it. Go see The Runnies tonight and Outer Minds tomorrow at the Empty Bottle for a guaranteed-to-blow-your-head-space NYE experience. Cheers and a Happy New Year!
Click HERE to download The Runnies You Can't Win
The Runnies’, Mary McKane, is also keyboardist/vocalist of Chicago’s soon to be mega-successful 60’s revivalists, Outer Minds. I mean it, if these guys don’t do something soon to claim their rightful throne as the undisputed champions of Chicago rock then I will quit writing and playing music. Shit, I will probably stop listening to music altogether. That is how convinced I am of Outer Minds’ supremacy. I’m just the messenger, people, and you can quote me on this.
I spoke to Mary by phone yesterday. In congruence with DedChicago tradition, this interview will not be transcribed for reasons entirely within my control (I made a stupid mistake trying to record it). I also nearly botched the whole thing by forgetting I was in a different time zone but I eventually got a hold of her while she was on the way to Runnies rehearsal in Chicago’s East Garfield Park…
The Runnies recently released an entire album for free on the Internet. It’s soulful, bluesy and danceable. It’s got all the characteristics of any of the best Rolling Stones albums and Mary’s vocals sound gritty and intense. Very professional, I would not have any other voice singing these songs. The Runnies fill in every space available with provocative solos. Never sounding awkward or meandering, every note has a purpose even if its reason is simply being there. In short, this album is another one of a chain of excellent releases from Chicago artists in 2011.
You Can’t Win was recorded from August 2010 through November 2010. The mixing was completed in March 2011. Recorded by John Crawford, drummer for Paul Carrie and the Small Scaries, on reel-to-reel tape, the album comes off with a natural and unforced fullness and dynamic texture (not a whole lot of obnoxious computer reverb, thank god). On the decision to release the album as a free download, McKane says that it was more based on a need for immediacy than anything else. They had the final product ready to go and saw no reason to hold it back from the public any longer. Having grown up in the age of P2P file sharing, I’ve got to say, they made the right choice. I am proud of them for being so forward thinking and progressive in the ever so rapidly changing music industry. This is a band that’s in the game for all the right reasons. They have gobs of talent, drive, experience and a selflessness that only a band who truly cares and believes in themselves and what they are doing could display so authentically. Right on, Runnies. I believe in you too.
Mary has been performing in Chicago bands for years now and besides fronting the Runnies and co-fronting Outer Minds, she also plays with Lover!. I first saw her play about three years ago at the Hideout opening for Thee Hardy Mums. Her growth as a musician has been tremendous and she seems, still, to have a lot more left in her. Looking at her now and how far she’s come, I get a feeling that things in Chicago are growing so quickly. There are big things out there on the horizon and Mary and others like her are the ones showing us all the way. Better pay attention.
With 2011 drawing to a close, I am officially voting Mary McKane “most likely to succeed” in our imaginary Chicago basement-scenester yearbook. Here’s to a girl with a bright future. It’s only fitting that, with her salute to us in the free release of the gem, You Can’t Win, we salute her back by listening to it. Go see The Runnies tonight and Outer Minds tomorrow at the Empty Bottle for a guaranteed-to-blow-your-head-space NYE experience. Cheers and a Happy New Year!
Click HERE to download The Runnies You Can't Win
