EMQ’s With Running From Shadows
EMQ’s With Running From Shadows
Hi Everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with American Hard Rock/ Grunge/ Punk/ Indie duo, Running From Shadows. Huge thanks to their Vocalist/ Guitarist Darren White.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Darren White. I sing and play guitar for Running From Shadows. I’m from Olla, Louisiana.
The band really started out as a solo project. I’ve always wanted to write and record music, and it kind of took me a long time to get anything together. I had a bunch of unfinished songs for years and could never find band members. It wasn’t until I was in college that I finished my first song. From there, it just kind of clicked, and I started writing a ton of material. That’s all I would do—just write songs.
Eventually, I had some songs I wanted to release as an EP. I kept waiting until I had a full band, but after waiting so long, I got fed up and decided to just do it all myself. I wrote and recorded everything on our self-titled EP except for the drums, which were done on the computer. A lot of the history of Running From Shadows is me getting tired of waiting on someone to help me, so I just get to the point where I do it all myself. Right now, we aren’t really a full band yet, but we have a couple of people we are talking to about joining.
How did you come up with your band name?
I saw a shadow figure standing in my doorway when I was a kid. It even followed me to my neighbor’s house. It was the weirdest thing. I’ve always been obsessed with creepy stuff and anything spiritual. I don’t dabble in anything; I mainly just research that kind of stuff.
It took me forever to come up with a name for the band. I can’t remember how I came up with it, but I just remember really liking how Running From Shadows sounded. It’s kind of cool to incorporate something creepy-sounding into a band name.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I’m from Olla, Louisiana, in the US. Where I live, there’s not much of a Rock and Metal scene. We have a few bands, but there aren’t many live shows happening. Country music is the main genre that people listen to here. Honestly, it feels like there’s not much of a scene here for anything at all. You either go to a bar on the weekend or sit at home. There’s nothing else to really do around here.
What is your latest release?
Right now, we are finishing up the recording of our debut album, “Negative Nancy”. Our latest release is our single ‘Alone’, which we released back in September. I might release another single or just wait for the album to be finished.
We’ve released a couple of songs that will be on the album, but they’ve been mixed by different producers. Then we got a drummer to record for the album after we released the first two singles. I don’t know—I just want to wait until the releases are more consistent. We even got a different artist working on the album cover than the one we used for the single.
So we’ll see what happens. I’ve been working on this album for like two years or longer. I’m so ready to finish it!
Who have been your greatest influences?
Mainly 2000s and 1990s rock—Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Smile Empty Soul, Staind, Three Days Grace, and Nirvana. In the past couple of years, I’ve tried to branch out a little in my music taste, so I’ve been listening to Punk and Indie Hard Rock a lot.
What first got you into music?
When I was a kid, all we really listened to was country music. Then, all of a sudden, my dad started listening to rock. I remember hearing ‘Pain’ by Three Days Grace, and it literally changed my life.
Most kids would go outside and play with their friends, but all I did, all day and night, was sit on YouTube and watch music videos. I was obsessed. I knew when I heard that Three Days Grace song that I wanted to be a musician when I grew up.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Shaun Morgan or Benjamin Burnley! That would be a dream come true! If you If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Vans Warped Tour. I hear it’s just now coming back. I feel like that would be such a cool experience! And then when you’re done, you can watch the other bands playing and hang out with people.
Also, I can never afford to go to shows, so being able to get in and be there for free would definitely be worth more than any potential money we could make from it.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Some of the TikToks that people add our songs to. Some are super weird, and I freaking love it. I love memes, so if anyone wants to tag us in your memes, I would be completely okay with it!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Keep going! Even if the only person that believes in you is yourself and even when you don’t have faith in yourself. Just keep at it, keep enduring.
Life sucks, but it sucks so much more when you’re not a part of something that fulfills you. It’s better to suffer doing what you love than vice versa. Life has a lot of moments that are worth getting through all the bullshit to get to.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Kurt Cobain. I know it’s cliché, but that would be another person I would want to collab with—or at least pick his mind.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Besides making the music, I would say meeting people. I love meeting people with the same music tastes and just getting to talk to them about things we are passionate about.
Trying to get this album done has opened up the door to talking to a lot of artists as well, especially while trying to get the album cover done. Also, another one of my favorite things is the thought that my music could be helping people or impacting their lives. For me, music had such a huge effect on my life. I would love for my music to be a part of something that special for someone else.
I hate how no one really takes you seriously when you’re starting out or trying to get your music out there. People around me think that I’m lazy and don’t want to work. I have a hard time going back to school because I want to do this for a living—I want to focus all my time and energy on it.
I feel like I come off as a bit of a loser. I don’t think people around me realize how much work and time it takes to get this stuff together. You can put so much time and heart into it, only for it to get drowned out in a sea of noise on the internet. It makes you feel like you have nothing to show for all the time you spent.
I feel like I spend every waking moment getting this album and band together, yet I’m still being overlooked and thought of as a loser. I’m just worried I’m living in a fantasy and that I’ll never see a payoff for all that I’ve put into this.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I wish you couldn’t see how many followers and likes a band gets on any platform. I wish the music was just there and that’s it. The best thing about music before social media was that, for the most part, you would just put in the CD, cassette, or vinyl and let the music speak for itself. Now, without really realizing it, a band is judged based on the number of followers they have. It’s easier than ever to make music, but now you have to compete against millions of artists, and if people see that you have only 100 followers, they kinda write you off. I like social media, but it’s just another thing an artist has to learn to do to get noticed and validated in the public eye. It’s become just another hurdle that the modern artist has to take on.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“The Things We Think We’re Missing” by Balance and Composure. The songwriting, the production, the vibe—just everything about that record is phenomenal. I was blown away when I sat down and listened to the whole album for the first time. It just feels so different from the music I’ve listened to for so long. It has a lot of elements going for it, and each song has its own identity.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
VINYL!!! I’m also so excited that I finally have my music available on vinyl for the first time ever! Something about it makes it feel so much more real. I definitely think physical media is the best. I don’t know, it just feels like more of an experience—searching, finding, and finally getting to play it. It’s much more of an experience to me than downloading, but I do love the convenience of downloads, and you’re able to reach a lot more people.
Also, I plan on getting cassettes done too!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Sadly, we haven’t been able to play shows because we’ve had such a hard time finding a drummer. We are currently working with Ty, the former drummer of Smile Empty Soul. He’s way across the country from us and has to send us the tracks online. Right now, we have a couple of people interested in performing with us, so hopefully, that will be a problem of the past. If we do play shows, we’re gonna have to travel because there aren’t a lot of places around here.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Probably graphic design. I love designing cover art and stuff like that. I also have fun working on websites. I just like to make things.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Shaun Morgan, Benjamin Burnley, Aaron Lewis, Adam Gontier, and Kurt Cobain. All of these singers have greatly influenced me.
What’s next for the band?
We’re finishing up the recording for our album Negative Nancy. We are also trying to plan out a small tour to support the album, but we’ll see what happens.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/RunningFromShadows
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5uqor5ftFAKebvltffCI36
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/running-from-shadows/1501808288
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runningfromshadowsband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningfromshadowsband
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@runningfromshadows
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss.
It’s a biscuit with the sole intent of deceiving you into believing that it is a cake. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It is a biscuit and should be treated as such!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I’ve never had a Jaffa cake before…
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