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Suitcase Runaway is a close nit band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band consists of their frontman Nick, bassist and guitarist Geoff, drummer Luke, and keyboardist Jared. They recently released a music video for their song "Strike a Nerve". Be sure to check that out here. The band took some time to answer some questions for us.
Everyone wants to know how bands get together, so naturally we asked them how they met and how did they decide to make music together. "We met in high school, and we decided to start making music together in 2016 when our frontman Nick began writing songs that we took an interest in. Our full four-piece line-up was assembled in February 2018, when we brought on Jared as our full-time keyboardist." We also asked how they would classify their sound. They told us that they draw inspiration from classic and modern folk and rock, making their sound fall somewhere between that. They continue to describe their music in an interesting way, "At the forefront our music are tender, heartfelt lyrics that tell stories paired with fingerstyle guitar, driving percussion, and lush textures of keys and bass." With a description like that, I can't help but be intrigued. For first time listeners, they recommend their songs "Dream Sequence" and "Marrow", explaining that the two flow into one another and tell a story. Be sure to check them out with the links at the bottom! Their song "Dream Sequence" is a newer one, so we asked what the process was like creating it."Dream Sequence” is one of our favorite recordings we’ve put together. It captures the raw musical aesthetic that we strive for as a group, and makes use of some interesting textures that we don’t always get to play with. The song was originally created at the same time as our song “Marrow,” and serves as a sort of prelude.When the full band began working on it, we wanted to experiment with some ambient textures, which our bassist Geoff has an affinity for. The synth-sounding parts in the track were actually all created with his bass guitar and some effect pedals. The drums were all assembled as separate auxiliary tracks that we threw together into a large percussive ensemble, too. We like putting together instrumentals because they can be interpreted by audiences and listeners in several unique ways. They also give listeners a chance to focus on the true depth of the music itself, without interruption from the vocals and lyrics."
Next we asked about their writing process and their inspirations. "Our frontman Nick typically works out pieces of new songs on his guitar, and eventually begins entering melodic or lyrical elements on top. Sometimes one of our other members will throw in some help in the early stages, too. When the song feels like it has some basic structure and a theme, we start to workshop it with the whole band at a rehearsal, and feed off each other’s ideas until it starts to form a complete texture. Lately we’ve been tossing around the idea of working on songs that other members started, too." Collectively the band says that they're influenced by the Beatles, mentioning that this is an obvious answer but that the Beatles really have a direct influence on their songwriting. Each person has their own inspirations of course. Nick is influenced by more folk artists like Bon Iver, The Tallest Man On Earth, and Elliot Smith. Geoff is influenced by more underground artists like BOBBY, Tera Melos, and Stolen Jars, the latter of which they played with. Jared is more drawn to modern rock like The Technicolors, Better Oblivion Community Center, and Death Cab for Cutie. Lastly, Luke brings in bands like Tame Impala, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, and classics like Led Zeppelin. Clearly the four of them bring in varying influences which make their songs and performances interesting. When asked who they would want to tour with, if they could tour with anyone, they each have their individual answers of course, but collectively they agreed on Vampire Weekend.
Speaking of their performances, we asked what their favorite songs to play live are and why. To which they said "My Friends". "Lately, we’ve really enjoyed played one of our newest songs, “My Friends.” We liked it so much that we put out a live version before we even managed to get it tracked in the studio. It captures a lot of the sunshine-y vibes that really shape our live sets. It’s also got a killer drum break in it that catches our new audience members by surprise in a fun way." Hopefully they will be able to play this song at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, which they mentioned is a venue they want to play at in their hometown. "We’ve wanted to play a show on the ballroom stage there for a while. Some of our favorite acts like Mt. Joy have come through there before they really blew up, so it’s a great place to find bands that are about to cut through to a larger scale." The band is opening up for gnash on the Ohio dates, which is a decently big name, so we asked how it feels to be playing with him. "We’re really thrilled that he’s giving us the opportunity to perform with him, and his production team has been super helpful and supportive. It’s an awesome chance for us to play to a crowd that doesn’t typically come to the kinds of shows we play regularly and play some new music to new ears; we don’t get that kind of opportunity often. Gnash has been super supportive of artists he’s worked with and featured before, so we’re really honored and grateful that we’re able to share the stage with him." Gnash puts on a great show and I'm excited with Suitcase Runaway. It's surely going to be an amazing show.
Finally we asked what can we expect from them in the future? "We’re currently finishing up writing material for our next record, which we’ve already had some recording sessions for. We’ve debuted some of our new songs live already, and we think our fans will be pretty excited to hear the finished versions and the other songs we haven’t played yet. We might also be putting out some more cover videos like ones we’ve done in the past, if we get a good opportunity. Most importantly, we plan to keep growing as a band and closing in on a truly definitive sound. We hope everyone listening right now is in for the ride." Clearly their planning great things and I cannot wait to see what all is coming out. Please be sure to check them out on their socials and check out their new song and music video "Strike a Nerve" linked below. It's been a pleasure to have this interview and I can't wait to see where they go next.
Their socials
"Strike a Nerve" Music Video