Q.C. punk supergroup Running Man are launching their self-titled album in style at Raccoon Motel

Punk rock and the DIY scene are a labor of love, and when that labor and talent converge, great things can happen. In the Quad Cities, one of those great things is Running Man and their self-titled album. More specifically, it is the Nov. 16 album release party at the Raccoon Motel.

For old heads in the Q.C. like myself, Running Man is something of a super group, featuring Chad Gooch, Jamie Warren, Pat Stolley and Dennis Hockaday who have all been lifers in our little scene. Their lineage includes Meth & Goats, Lord Green, Tambourine, Mondo Drag, The Multiple Cat and more than a handful of other QC-based acts. Members of these bands all came together when Ron “Skip” Greer relocated from the Bay Area to the Q.C. area, looking for a new musical outlet. Skip was the frontman for the Winona Ryders and, for the last decade and some change, served as lead singer for Dead Kennedys. 

“We are constantly influenced by the culture around us while trying to make sense of the world. Running Man actively distills the elusive sound of Quad Cities rock and roll into a post-punk experience,” Skip said.

Their brand of punk rock has an old soul to it, channeling influences like Television, the Stooges and the Rolling Stones, with snippets of new wave, post-punk, indie and “the ever present shadow of ’70s album rock,” according to Skip and Chad, who adds that their writing process is a culmination of those sounds and, “very collaborative.”

I was at their first show at the Raccoon Motel and it felt like a family reunion, with so many familiar faces from the punk and hardcore shows I’ve been attending over the last 25 years. There is a lot to love for music fans of all ages, though, as the energy Running Man brings to the stage is infectious. Skip embodies an archetypal punk rock singer, full of movement, sneers and charisma. Jamie Warren will step forward with lead guitar bravado, and the rest of the band hangs in the pocket with the tightness of seasoned professionals. 

“The songs on the album serve as chapters to a loose and obscure aural novel about ‘beautiful losers’ in a small cluster of cities along the mighty Mississippi, while occasionally swerving into a cyberpunk movie,” Skip said.

From what I have seen at their shows, this rings true. Running Man’s music has the kind of nervous, ironic paranoia that Devo popularized with glints of Tom Verlaine’s abstract neo-surrealist lyricism.

“Novelists such as Vonnegut, Pynchon, Salinger and Bradbury work their way into the songs, even as much as, perhaps, a take on the TV series Northern Exposure with the Quad Cities as a stand-in for Cicely, Alaska,” Skip adds about their songwriting influences. 

Admittedly, these guys are friends of mine, and I have been excited about Running Man since I heard they were forming. But they have gained a solid following for their electric performances, especially at the Quad Cities’ Alternating Currents festival, where they require larger venues for their crowds of fans.

The record release show on Saturday may very well sell out, so secure those tickets in advance. Keep an eye out for their album this week, as well. Physical copies will be available at Ragged Records in Davenport and Rock Island and can be pre-ordered at 221 Press.