A Dirty Dozen with KATE COLEMAN from RUN KATIE RUN – April 2021

According to a recent press release: “Atlanta-based Americana-leaning quintet Run Katie Run is set to release a new EP, Running on Love, on April 16, 2021. Composed of Kate Coleman (lead vocals), Corey Coleman (guitar), Adam Pendlington (guitar, banjo), Stephen Quinn (bass), and Ian Pendlington (drums), Run Katie Run is one of the few new bands in recent memory that can rock multiple genres, flaunt resonant harmonies, and showcase a dynamic lead vocalist whose passion and power demand attention. Running on Love was produced by Kate and the band, recorded and mastered by Corey, and mixed by Ian. While Kate is quick to share credit with her bandmates, the fact is that Run Katie Run centers on her singing, writing, and presence.” We get singer Kate to discuss new music, influences, and more…

Photo credit: Jordana Dale

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I say this every time I make something new, but this is my favorite creation that I’ve been a part of so far. I really wanted the songs to sound energized and emotional and dynamic – just like we are in the flesh – and I think we conquered that. At first listen, some songs may come off as negative or snarky, but when I was writing these songs and when we were arranging/recording them, I was actually learning to be more present and set boundaries (a.k.a. learning to say “no” to situations/people that no longer serve me), so when you listen through a second time, you may hear it as, “This woman knows exactly what she wants,” as opposed to, “Whoa, that was sassy!”  Ha ha. One little nugget that only a die-hard fan might pick up on is in our title track, “Running on Love,” there’s a lyric in the second verse that’s a nod to a Kate and Corey song that we wrote and released in 2015.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment that you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I don’t really know what got me into music, but the first memory that popped in my head just now is my Dad blasting The Eagles, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and Jackson Brown throughout our house and backyard on weekends when I was growing up and hearing him sing along – always singing a harmony, never the melody. I think he taught me a deep appreciation of musicianship, meticulous arrangements, and thick, soaring harmonies. I’ve been hooked ever since. I learned a few chords on guitar, went to open mics that my Mom found around town and accompanied me to, and, in my senior year of college, I was in a band singing every weekend and quickly became addicted to playing live (I still am!).

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Absolutely. Wide Open Spaces by The Chicks (then Dixie Chicks). I’ll never forget the first time I heard them; it’s one of the most visceral memories I have. I was in 4th grade, and I couldn’t believe music could be so good. I was a fan for life, and I have bought, and worn out, every record of theirs since! Later in my life, I had very similar experiences with Heart’s Dreamboat Annie album (high school) and Jack White’s Lazaretto album (7 years ago).

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Ahhh that’s hard! I’d have to say The Chicks, Grace Potter, Darrell Scott, Dawes, and Sara Bareilles… and Jack White, Heart, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, and Brandi Carlile… Five isn’t enough!  Ha ha ha.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

You know, I would be beyond honored to do a collaboration with Theo Katzman. He would definitely be “slumming it” with me, but I feel like I would learn SO MUCH and it would be the best time ever.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

In my mind, we sound like Dawes if they had Natalie Maines as a lead singer, but I recently heard a live show we did, and we have a lot of Grateful Dead jamminess running through us too! (Grateful Dead: another hugely influential band to me, LOL.) In the early days of Kate and Corey, reviewers and fans would compare us to Sugarland, and I didn’t love that. Not because there’s anything wrong with Sugarland, only because I didn’t agree at all, ha ha!

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I love this question! Corey is the chef in the group (actually Ian, too), Adam always brings his own food and is eating throughout the day, we rarely drink during sessions or rehearsals but when we’re just hangin’ out I’d say me and Ian are the ones ready to have a beer first, and Stephen is ALWAYS the one who grabs a guitar and starts playing first.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

The last time I was starstruck was in 2019 when I saw Alton Brown at Sweet Melissa’s, an antique store/record shop on the Marietta Square. Corey and I didn’t want to bother him, but we couldn’t stop staring at him, and we were SO curious as to what records he was checking out, ha ha.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician, for me, is the live shows. I feel like everything I work on off stage is just so I can get back on stage as fast as possible. Playing a great show in front of an energized audience… there’s just nothing more satisfying. I also love the process of making something from scratch. When you’re being so open-minded/open-hearted and allowing a song – or concept – to be its own thing. Then when it’s done, you step back and listen to it and say to yourself, “WOW, I had no idea it was going to turn out like THIS!” That’s a wonderful feeling as well. I know these things are still very related to music – so I don’t know if it counts, ha ha – but if I could no longer be a musician, I would want to be a band manager or maybe be a publicist for a small label or start my own record label.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

This is showing a very vain and egotistical side of myself that I prefer to keep in the shadows, BUT I’ve always wanted an interviewer to reach out to my bandmates and ask them what it’s like to work with me, ha ha ha. However, I think I would equally want to know what they’d say and would NOT want to know what they’d say. 🙂 I hope they’d say I’m energetic, motivational, and the right balance of pushy versus encouraging. I haven’t been interviewed enough to get sick of answering any questions yet. It’s still really fun getting to explore my musical journey through an interview.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I feel like I abandoned Kate and Corey prematurely. I genuinely loved working and sharing responsibilities with Corey (my husband and lead guitarist in RKR), and I feel like we had something really special. But I was also very selfish at that time and wanted different things. I wanted to have 100% of the creative control, so I told him I needed to do my own thing. I often wonder what we would’ve been doing or where we’d be now if I had stuck it out, and I often second guess myself because I feel guilty for not sticking with Kate and Corey. As much as I regret that and miss it, I don’t think I would be the writer and musician I am today without making music on my own. And Corey – the most wonderful human on the planet – not only understood but was there for me every step of the way. He recorded my solo album Past, he’s the lead guitarist in Run Katie Run, and he’s the musical glue that keeps us all together. Also there would be no Run Katie Run if I hadn’t made my own music, and there’s no way to feel bad about this band; it’s my 3 best friends and my husband… what could be better?

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would love to see Rumours by Fleetwood Mac being made. I’ve never heard another record quite like it, and their group dynamic is very similar to Run Katie Run, so I would love to see how they interacted and created it all together. I also think watching Ken Caillat record/produce/engineer that album would be incredible to see; he was very creative with the decisions he made. Rumours is a classic album for a reason. It’s this incredibly accessible rock and roll that everyone can find a part of themselves in, and I feel like they put everything they were going through – both as individuals and as a group – on that album. That’s what all musicians should be striving to do.

BONUS QUESTION – Due to the current world situation with COVID-19 / quarantine / shelter in place, what have you discovered you miss the most from your life before the pandemic struck?

Concerts. I didn’t appreciate them nearly enough, and honestly I didn’t attend nearly enough of them. As soon as COVID is no longer a threat, I’m getting my butt to more concerts.

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