Run Katie Run is a roots rock band that is a combination of Kate’s addiction to Dolly Parton, The Chicks, and Grace Potter, with a healthy smattering of Corey’s Eric Clapton-inspired guitar solos, Adam’s Shakey Graves-influenced picking, Stephen’s love for Vulfpeck-inspired bass lines, and Ian’s energized, Avett Brothers-like drumming.
From 2011-2016, Kate Coleman and Corey Coleman played bluesy Americana music under the name Kate and Corey. They released two albums, several singles, and toured all over the Southeast, including a performance at the Ryman Auditorium as finalists in the 2012 Country Showdown with Jewel as the host.
In 2018, Kate released a solo album entitled PAST. Corey produced, engineered, and played guitar, on the album, and her good friends Adam Pendlington, Ian Pendlington, and Stephen Quinn (a.k.a. Highbeams) excitedly agreed to be the backing band on the album.
After PAST was released, the five friends decided they wanted to continue making music together, so they formed Run Katie Run.
“After you’ve been a musician for a while, you realize the most important part of making music is to do it with people you love, respect, and who have the same motivations as you,” says Kate Coleman. “I love this band because we are friends first and a band second. We love getting together, we love making music, and we all want to keep getting better – as people and musicians.
Today Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the band’s new single “15 Minutes,” which will be officially released on Friday, January 22nd (PRE-SAVE). Inspired by Kate’s urge to create and get better without the constraints of having to market one’s self while staying competitive, the song finds the band tapping into the unbridled passion of just making music together. With its playful mixture of folk, pop and Americana, the song captures what this group of musicians does best. Though the song is catchy as hell, it seems to be a statement against pursuing fame, completely with colorful percussion and intricate guitar work, with Kate’s vocals front and center throughout. We even get some spicy guitar interplay that adds a layer of intensity to the song before the soulful finale.
Listen to the song and read our interview with Kate below…
What inspired you to write this song? Is there a specific impetus or story behind it that you can share?
Corey (my husband and RKR’s lead guitarist) and I were recording an EP for another Atlanta-based group at our home studio. They were strangely proud about “how quickly they recorded” their music, and it seemed to me like they were rushing through it, almost like making the music was an inconvenience. From my point of view, it looked like they cared more about chasing fame than making music, and that’s when the line, “Take my 15 minutes of fame; it ain’t much to give but I’d gladly give it away,” sprung into my head. Corey and I were driving back from a corporate event we had played in Florida when I wrote the rest of the song, so naturally, the song’s setting ended up taking place in a car rather than a recording studio, ha ha ha. However, I think that’s very fitting; I can’t think of a single road trip that I’ve taken where the conversation didn’t end up being extremely meaningful.
You write great lyrics, and the music and lyrics seem so perfectly intertwined. Talk us through the writing process for this song in particular, as well as the recording process for the song.
First of all, thank you; that’s incredibly kind. I started by free-writing around the concept of “take my 15 minutes of fame” and ended up dissecting it in as many different ways as I could; “it’s only 900 seconds you’ll be on that stage” is one of the lines I got from doing that. Later, when I was in the shower, the melody hit me like a ton of bricks. I jumped out of the shower as fast as possible, grabbed my guitar, and sang it onto my cell phone so I wouldn’t lose it. I’ve never thought of myself as a great lyricist but I try really hard to capture the emotion I’m experiencing through the arrangement, the feel, and the melody, so that almost becomes more crucial than the lyrics. I remember when the guys came to demo this song, I told them, “All of us are clocks. Try to come up with the most percussive part you can; I want it to sound like a ticking clock.” They nailed it, in my opinion.
“15 Minutes” is very catchy. How did you come to find the sound for this song?
Again, THANK YOU! That means so much to me. Believe it or not, I was actually really inspired by the song “I Want to Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston! I had been listening to it on my workout playlist, and what I’m listening to always finds a way into what I write. “15 Minutes” hardly resembles that song, but I remember distinctly trying to channel my inner Whitney… which is probably why there are two modulations in this song. 😛
This is the first single from your forthcoming EP. How does this song fit into the overall vibe and themes on the record?
Hmmm, that’s a great question. I think the running theme with everything I make is, “I’m trying my best and I’m trying my best to feel good about it.” I’m learning how to feel safe to say things to people that are hard to get out, and I’m learning how to feel confident about being assertive with what I want/need from the relationships I find myself in. I’m trying to continue to dream big and aim high despite my aging doubts. I’m trying to stay in touch with the innocent kid who’s still alive at my core so I can spread as much joy as possible. To steal and modify a quote from Dolly Parton, I’m trying to “find out who I am and do it on purpose.” I think this EP captures the highs and the lows associated with that never-ending process, and “15 Minutes” is a perfect jumping off point.
How has the pandemic affected your music — both how you approach it and what it means to you?
The amount of self-doubt in myself, my abilities, and in music as a career that I’ve put on the shoulders of this pandemic is incredibly unhealthy. I try to show myself mercy because I know I’m not alone with feeling completely flattened by the pandemic — and if you’re one of those people, JUST HANG ON A LITTLE LONGER! But you know what? Despite the bitterness I was feeling towards music, I also never needed music more than I did this year — not only as a writer, but as a listener, too. I’m pretty sure I bought more music this year than I have any other year in the last decade. I believe I wrote the title track of this EP, “Running On Love,” as a small reminder to myself that love and patience is the answer right now and always. Love for yourself, love for your neighbors, and love for anyone and everyone who needs it — no matter what they believe in or stand for. I mean, the world is on fire! If there was ever a time to muster up the strength and love in your heart, it’s right now. The best medicine for me is love, patience, and music, so I’ve been clinging to that and it’s been getting me through.
Who do you consider to be your biggest influences as far as musical genres and individual artists — both overall and for this particular song — and why and how have they influenced you?
For this particular song, I think Dawes was my biggest influence. I love Dawes because their music is a fantastic blend of highlighting the lyrics, highlighting the band without overplaying, and having a catchy melody you can walk away with in your head. Plus, I love their harmonies and back-up vocals; I definitely asked myself “W.W.D.D. (what would Dawes do)?” when we were coming up with our back-up vocals.
Overall though, I’m also inspired by the assertiveness of The Chicks, the rock-and-roll confidence of Grace Potter, the vocal ability and vulnerability of Brandi Carlile, the authentic inventiveness of Jack White, and the good-hearted nature of Dolly Parton. And I’m sure the next album will be another batch of influences.
How does it feel to be releasing the first single from your EP?
Terrifying, ha ha, but also AMAZING! You never feel done with a song, and maybe it’s because you never are. It will always change, grow, and modify, both in performance and in meaning. But it’s time for this song to not only be mine and Run Katie Run’s. I want others to make it their anthem now… that would make me happier than anything.
Photo credit: Jordana Dale