Kate Coleman may be front and center in Run Katie Run, but the band’s new album, Cowboy Boots with Fishnet Tights, which came out out April 28th, deeply reflects the community surrounding her. Its 13 Americana/roots-rock tracks cover the good, the sad, the inspired, and the tired — and everything in between — about relationships of all kinds. A few of the songs, in fact, are true stories starring Kate’s family members.
Like the band’s 2021 EP, Running on Love, Run Katie Run’s new album was an all-hands-on-deck affair. As the band recorded throughout 2022, the five friends who first met at an open mic night in Georgia arranged and produced the album together, with Corey as their engineer and Ian as their mixer. Kate says she could see their trust in each other — and their friendships — grow as the months went by. “We are a different band now. We know our roles, we know what we bring to the table, and that feels really good. There’s no awkwardness anymore when it comes to throwing out ideas,” Kate reflects. “Music has only brought the five of us closer as friends and musicians, which feels like a dream come true.”
The Colemans’ duo Kate and Corey and Quinn and the Pendlingtons’ band Highbeams became Run Katie Run after Kate asked the guys to back her as she recorded her 2018 album, Past. As she booked shows to promote the record, she suggested that instead of her going it alone, they become a full- blown band.
“It’s not lost on me how grateful I have to be for this group,” Kate says. “You hear such tragic stories about bands not working out because they just can’t interpersonally get it together, and I am so unbelievably grateful for these guys. We are friends first and a band second, and I think that’s why it keeps staying good because that’s more important than anything.”
Today Glide is premiering the video for the standout track “The Art of Being Miserable,” a fiddle-driven country tune that bounces along with sly playfulness while also rocking and rolling. Kate Coleman’s vocals lead the charge for this big-hearted country tune that will easily resonate with you. What makes this different than the average country tune is the way her band leans into a big club sound.
Watch the video and read our chat with with Kate Coleman, lead singer of Run Katie Run, and Stephen Quinn, bassist of Run Katie Run below…
What is this song about and what inspired you to write it?
Stephen Quinn: This song was a fantasy about somebody trying to change themselves with somebody else’s influence. It is sung from the point of view of an optimist who would really like to be more of a contrarian and follows a really flawed line of logic where they think that the quickest way to seem cool is to be sad.
What made you want to turn this into a Run Katie Run song, since it was originally recorded by Stephen’s band, Highbeams?
Kate Coleman: Stephen was the one who suggested having the band learn and record the song. I eagerly jumped at the opportunity to put my voice and style onto it, ha ha.
Stephen Quinn: In the first couple of years of RKR, we were all looking for a few more songs to help fill time during sets, and I thought, out of the songs I had written for Highbeams, this one felt most translatable for Run Katie Run. After pitching the idea to Kate, she took the song and tweaked it to make it feel more like her perspective, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out!
The video is fun, waiting to see what the puzzle will reveal. Whose idea was the video clip? Who filmed it and edited it?
Kate Coleman: I had the idea to make a video of us putting together a puzzle. Highbeams made a really great video for their song “I Do” where it was sped up, and I loved it, so that’s where that inspiration came from. The whole concept/idea was born out of the lyrics though: ”As soon as you figure out how our pieces fit…” and, “there’s no way to make this puzzle right.” Stephen is the one who filmed, edited, and made all the aesthetic decisions though, and I absolutely love how he made it look!
How long did it take all of you to put the puzzle together in real time?
Kate Coleman: It was only a 60-piece puzzle, so we actually had to force ourselves to slow down in order for it to look right once it was sped up, ha ha ha.
Stephen Quinn: The actual assembly took about 10 minutes, all told. Kate also got a much bigger puzzle along with the smaller one that we used, but that could’ve taken much longer given all of the white space around the edges.
What do you hope listeners take away from hearing this song?
Kate Coleman: First of all, I hope listeners appreciate how clever Stephen’s writing is. I love his take on a saying or cliche we all know so well: “misery loves company.” When I was playing around with this song to get ready to record, it made me think of when Corey and I first started dating, and how I was more focused on the ways we were not right for each other in an effort to ignore the fact that he made me feel like no one ever had before; I was looking for reasons to not fall for him. I hope this song encourages people to lean into the reasons why someone is right for them instead of focusing on what could go wrong, especially if, deep down, you know they could be your missing puzzle piece.
Stephen Quinn: At the risk of this being a cop-out, I’m of the mentality that if a song makes someone feel any way at all, or connects with any aspect of the listener’s life, then that is the real meaning of the song. There is no right or wrong meaning you can take from it. Music is personal to everybody, so I really just want it to mean something personal to whoever hears it.
You are known for your live performances. Where can fans catch you on the road this summer? Will you be back in Dollywood this fall?
Kate Coleman: We will be back at Dollywood!!!! We will be there October 16-22 for their Harvest Festival. Live shows are what this band lives for. We will be in Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, Indianapolis, IN, Waxhaw, NC, Hiawassee, GA, all over metro Atlanta, and many spots in TN, so be sure to check out our tour on our website to find out when we’re close by! https://www.runkatierun.com/shows
