L-R Skip and Scout
Run Jack Run are a London based band bringing a new flavour of music to the R&B scene. Brothers Skip and Scout write and record all of their own material, and you can check out more of their work at www.rjrofficial.com. They will be performing their next gig on the Travelling Stage: an East London Line train stopping in Dalston, Shoreditch and New Cross for the Sound Tracks Festival on 17th September. Here, Scout tells us about his musical influences and hopes for the future…
What inspired the band?
We’re brothers who have been making music for years; writing lyrics, composing songs, producing and recording, but finally last summer we decided to give it our all. Run Jack Run was born. We’re named after a song that Skip wrote back in the day called Run Jack Run, which we are re-working and will put online soon for everyone to hear!
How would you describe your music? Would you compare yourselves to any artists (past or present?)
Ultimately, the genre of music we make is R&B/rock. We’ve been described by DJ Excalibah (1xtra) as “Rocky Horror Show meets N.E.R.D” which we love because we are both actors by trade and we try and bring that element of showmanship to our live performances. We like artists that either tell stories with their music or are a bit different and merge genres together such as: Michael Jackson, Andre 3000, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Pharrell Williams and The Black Eyed Peas.
What are your hopes for the band?
Short term we’d love to get a good management team behind us to help us to develop our brand and reach a wider audience. Long term: we would love to be going on the worldwide tours, performing at sold-out concerts, and making albums and songs that people can connect with. That is the goal at the end of the day: to create music that becomes the soundtrack to people’s lives.
Who do you think your music appeals to?
We make music that we’d like to listen to first and foremost so I guess we’re aimed at a general demographic of music fans that like good beats, some that you can dance to and some that you can just kick back and nod your head to!
“That is the goal at the end of the day: to create music that becomes the soundtrack to people’s lives”
You have an upcoming gig on a train. Do you think performers need to change things up to stop their shows becoming stale?
Definitely, it’s the first time in history that a gig has been allowed to go ahead with TFL’s permission on board a train carriage so we’re excited about it! We’re very keen to always push the boundaries with regards to performances because yes sometimes they can get stale, especially if it’s just an audience on one end and an artist down the other. I’m finding that the more I go to gigs, the more I see the audience watching shows behind their phones or behind their cameras. They’re filming, texting, tweeting, letting everyone know where they are, but maybe not always appreciating that they are actually there. In the moment. It’s nice to ring the changes and very refreshing to know that events such as the Sound Tracks Festival (where we’ll be playing on the train carriage) do occur and offer something different.
Who, musically, do you aspire to be like?
Musically, we want to be fresh and exciting with our music in the same vein as popular artists at the minute like Kanye West. It would be incredible to have the crossover appeal of the likes of Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and even Rihanna, where their music is just enjoyed. Regardless of people’s genre preferences, if you put a song that people connect with, like the three aforementioned do/have, it’s a recipe for success.
What do you have in the pipeline at the moment?
Why should people support Run Jack Run?
We’re giving it a good shot off our own backs, we’re a little different from what’s already out there and we put on a good live show!
How would you describe the band in three words?
Kinetic, theatrical, fusion.
Below, you can watch the video for Run Jack Run’s first single, Howl
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