The Runaway Grooms release 1st album, ‘a natural progression of the Grooms’
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Whether you’ve seen them at Vail Brewing Co., Bonfire Brewing or another Vail Valley establishment, The Runaway Grooms are an up-and-coming must-see band out of Leadville performing across the valley.
On Saturday, March 7, the band released its first studio album, “Tied to the Sun.” The full LP features an intro, seven songs and an outro and clocks in just under 50 minutes.
“The album itself has this incredible progression of going from singer-songwriter folk songs to adventurous, psychedelic instrumentals,” said Adam Tobin, an original member of The Runaway Grooms, which added two new members to become a five-piece. “It’s got this crazy progression and we definitely encourage people to listen to the whole album as an art piece and as a natural progression of the Grooms and the kind of music we’re creating.”
“Tied to the Sun” is available on CD, vinyl and all of the major streaming platforms, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, etc. Visit the band’s website at http://www.therunawaygrooms.com and follow The Runaway Grooms on social media, where their local performance schedule is posted.
“Stay tuned for an album release party,” Tobin said.
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‘Trying to keep those folk roots’
The original Runaway Grooms include Tobin, Justin Bissett and Zac Cialek. The band recently added Cody Scott on keyboard and bassist-vocalist Zach Gilliam — “Zachy G.”
The album has been a work in progress for years and was recorded at Evergroove Studio in Evergreen in June of 2019. The band camped for three days while recording. Initially, they wanted to release it during the summer, but mixing and mastering took longer than expected.
“It turned into a six- or seven-month process,” Tobin said.
While the band is busy performing and coming up with new material, its members also carry day jobs. Tobin works at Hovey & Harrison in Edwards; Gilliam is a teacher at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Scott works at Shakedown in Vail; Bissett works at Pho20 in Avon; and Cialek works as an electrician and also in a local ski shop.
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“Because we got two new members who write music as well, our band practices lately have consisted of writing new, original music that’s different than our old music,” Tobin said. “It incorporates funk and some kind of Allman Brothers rock ‘n’ roll, but we’re still trying to keep those folk roots in there as well.”
With “Tied to the Sun,” The Runaway Grooms take the next step as a band and plan to tour around the state in the spring.
“This is super huge,” Tobin said of the album release. “It’s especially significant in terms of booking shows and festivals. … On a personal level, it’s even more exciting because we’ve worked so hard on these songs. These songs are finally out in their most fulfilled state. Not that it’s carbon copied, it’s really special to be able to hold it and share it.”
For the album cover, the band took a “Civil War-era” looking photo of the original members, put it in a “really old, gaudy looking golden frame” and took a picture of it hanging in an abandoned mining shack in Leadville during golden hour, when daylight has warm, soft tones right before sunset.
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The album is named for its title track, “Tied to the Sun.”
“That idea is kind of about being in love and just having a feeling for someone that’s larger than can be described,” Tobin said. “It’s kind of having an attachment as large as the sun.”
The Runaway Grooms produce music made for Colorado, and the band’s organic growth is evident in their performances.
“We realized we had material that was our own,” Tobin said.
Assistant Editor Ross Leonhart can be reached at 970-748-2984 and rleonhart@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Instagram at colorado_livin_on_the_hill.
