Written by: Jo Ann L.B. Duggins
Cover Photo by: Nick Baratta
Full Names: David Parnell (25), Price Stevens (24), Brett Sides (25), Warren Robins (23)
Functions: Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica
Currently Residing: Looking to Move ASAP! But not Leaving NYC.
Currently Listening to: Evoka 'Cries From the Castlegate Empire'
Current Release: The Arc
I like music which creates a mood. When I listen to this band I feel like I'm on open road. An open road with a past in a vintage Chevy. There is something just so sweet and simple about Runaway Dorothy. It's not music that you have to "figure out", it is what it is. When I actually met Dave, I was thinking his singing voice doesn't sound like his talking voice. It may have been the wine listening though. I very much enjoy this band because you can play it in the background and the melodies get stuck in your head, not stuck like some vapid pop song, but stuck as in, whistle worthy. The Arc is full of meadow strolling harmonies and a purity worth rocking your baby to sleep with.
Do you think hailing from the foothills of North Carolina has lent itself to your music or is this something that has evolved over time?
I would say that it's definitely a combination of the two. Growing up in the South meant I was exposed to country music at a young age. I used to sing along to my dad's country music tapes as a kid. Had I been born, in say Vermont, it would have given me a whole different basis for my writing. My writing evolved as I was exposed to other music. I fell in love with the music coming out of the UK and wanted to write like that, but no matter how hard I tried it just never seemed to sound natural to me. I fought for so long to write that way. Finally I gave in and just allowed myself to write whatever came out. I think it has the elements of both the country writing and the UK style. I would love to say I planned it that way, but I didn't. It just kind of happened.
How do you feel you are being received in the New York area as opposed to elsewhere?
We have been received great here which was actually a shock to me. We don't sound anything like any other band I have heard in NY which helps us stand out from all the others. Initially, I didn't think people in New York would be open to country music, but I think they dig us because we aren't twangy and the songs we sing relate to everyone and not just people who grew up in the South.
You're songs are extremely heartfelt, where does that sentiment come from?
Well, to be quite honest a great deal of this record was written after having my heart broken. It's just a response to that. I am not clever enough to fake that kind of sentiment. It's amazing what kind of feelings and emotions come out when someone tells you they enjoy the company of someone else over you and then continues to try to pull you along.
Do you feel "alt Country" is just a current trend thanks to bands like Wilco, Ryan Adams and the
such or do you feel this genre has some staying power? If you weren't doing this genre of music which route would you take?
That is a great question. I think it does have some staying power and has been gaining some momentum for quite sometime now. The first good record I ever bought was The Jayhawks 'Hollywood Town Hall' and it has been out for over 15 years. I love it to this day. I still remember buying it. One of the best decisions I ever made. I think everyone should own that record. As long as alt-country can remain honest and stay away from going with the current Nashville sound it should be okay.
If I weren't doing this kind of music I think would be in a band like Coldplay, U2, or Oasis.
What was the recording process like for you guys? Were there things that had to be rearranged and changed drastically or was there a general direction for the album that just flowed?
The recording process was excellent and easy for us. We wanted to keep things fresh so we didn't do a whole lot of takes on anything. We had a three take rule. That is why you can still hear 'mistakes'. If it was on take three, it was left in. It also helped that our producer (Oran Thornton) was brilliant to work with. If we ever got hung up on anything he would always say 'Let's go smoke on it' and we would head out of the studio while he would smoke and we would figure out what we were trying to do and then he would give us some advice like 'Do better, try harder' and we would go back in a just do it.
Going out I had an idea of what I wanted this record to sound like. Most of the songs did not change much at all from the original demos I had recorded. Just about all the parts remained the same. The biggest change came in "Abilene" in which we changed the intro. There were subtle changes here and there that we came up with along with Oran, a drop out in "Hard Way Home" and some new accents in "With You".
Do you write love songs so all of those scantily clad girls on your MySpace will love you? Where do those words come from?
HA! I don't know of any MySpace girls who are in love with me, but if they are.....
I am really selfish when it comes to songwriting. I don't write songs for anyone but me. I know it sounds bad, but I am the one that needs the song. I have to write. I don't really have a choice. Even if I didn't ever play these songs for anyone I would still have to write them and get them out. Otherwise I would probably just go crazy. With that being said though, I love to share my songs. I love when someone gets something out of them that I did not even intend. For instance I got an email a few months back about "Takes a Lot of Love" asking if it was about a soldier going to Iraq. It actually isn't, but if that is what it means to that person so be it.
The words come from somewhere beyond me. I would never consider myself a great lyricist, and I don't ever labor over lyrics. If they don't just fall I out, I know they are either bad or just forced. The key for me is just to be honest. That way if someone hates what I write, I can feel okay knowing that at least I said what I meant to say. I really am not good at being clever. So I write as if I were just talking.
What's your favorite song off the album and which one were you iffy about putting on it?
My favorite song is "Volatile". I think it's the best song I have ever written. But I think Price would say "Caulfield "is better. The song is basically me pleading with a friend to not destroy herself.
We actually tracked another song that did not make the record. It's a great song, but it just didn't fit with the other tracks. All the tracks on the record are very personal and written from my perspective. "Blue Kentucky Rain" which is the track we left off is about a farmer living in Kentucky pleading for rain. I am sure we will release it on a future recording. I love the song, but it just didn't fit. In fact we may add it as an iTunes exclusive track.
Who is Dorothy?
My Mom's name is Dorothy. It would be nice of me to say that I named the band after her, but that would be a lie. I actually got the name from a child. I used to teach guitar lessons to when I lived in NC. I would ask all my students to help me come up with a good band name. Of course all the names they came up with were terrible. But one day, after a lesson that I taught to a brother and sister, their mom came to pick them up and asked if the girl had told me what she was gonna call her band when she grew up. She hadn't because she was so shy. But she coyly said she was gonna call her band Run Away Dorothy. I thought....hmmm, no you aren't.
What's so great about Jimmy's Diner? What's the greatest thing about the South and why was a
move to NY necessary?
Jimmy's is awesome. I love that place. I eat there all the time. The best thing about it is the super friendly staff, but even if they were assholes I would still eat there because the food is excellent. It's right in WIlliamsburg, but they aren't all hipstered out. Blair who works there, her husband actually refers to me as her boyfriend. I recommend the Mac and Cheese and French Fries.
The greatest thing about the South is wide open space and being able to mindlessly drive and listen to your music. Those are two things I really miss by being in NC. Whenever I start to get stir crazy I have no way of just getting away from everything and everyone. It's how songs like "Caulfield" are written.
I had to move to NY. Had I not I would probably never have found my own voice in songwriting. I would have made a completely different record. I moved here by myself and that forced me out of my comfort zone. I recommend anyone who decides to move here to do so with a friend. You really need someone to lean on who is going through the same things you are. I didn't have that and as a result I had to go it all alone. But that is exactly why this record came out the way it did.
What do you enjoy about playing most? Is there anyone you really want to play with and if so who?
I really love performing. You wouldn't know it by how I am act just minutes before we go on, but I love connecting with people I would generally never meet. I am pretty guarded guy and if you don't know me really well you aren't going to know what is going on with me. Playing music is the best way that I connect with people. It allows me the opportunity to say things I would normally never tell anyone. It is as though my brain will allow me to tell you a secret as long as I hide it behind a D chord.
If I could share a stage with anyone it would be Noel Gallagher from Oasis. I learned how to write songs by ripping him off.
If you could name your own holiday what would you celebrate and call it?
It would be called Maynard Day. My alter ego when I drink too much is named FR Maynard. Don't ask what it stands for. I will never tell. On FR Maynard Day the world would celebrate a day of doing stupid shit when you are too drunk to know what you are doing. For instance, you would celebrate the fact that once you got soooo drunk that you went home with that questionable someone. Waking up the next day and wondering how the hell you got there and questioning if you actually did anything you will regret. The day would be filled with stories of such instances. It would end by giving sacrifices of cheap beer and whiskey and giving thanks you have lived to drink again and do more stupid shit.
For more information on Runaway Dorothy and their sweet music, visit their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/runawaydorothy) or you can visit thier WEBSITE (http://www.runawaydorothy.com/main.html).
Back to Sounds
Cover Photo by: Nick Baratta
Full Names: David Parnell (25), Price Stevens (24), Brett Sides (25), Warren Robins (23)
Functions: Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica
Currently Residing: Looking to Move ASAP! But not Leaving NYC.
Currently Listening to: Evoka 'Cries From the Castlegate Empire'
Current Release: The Arc
I like music which creates a mood. When I listen to this band I feel like I'm on open road. An open road with a past in a vintage Chevy. There is something just so sweet and simple about Runaway Dorothy. It's not music that you have to "figure out", it is what it is. When I actually met Dave, I was thinking his singing voice doesn't sound like his talking voice. It may have been the wine listening though. I very much enjoy this band because you can play it in the background and the melodies get stuck in your head, not stuck like some vapid pop song, but stuck as in, whistle worthy. The Arc is full of meadow strolling harmonies and a purity worth rocking your baby to sleep with.
Do you think hailing from the foothills of North Carolina has lent itself to your music or is this something that has evolved over time?I would say that it's definitely a combination of the two. Growing up in the South meant I was exposed to country music at a young age. I used to sing along to my dad's country music tapes as a kid. Had I been born, in say Vermont, it would have given me a whole different basis for my writing. My writing evolved as I was exposed to other music. I fell in love with the music coming out of the UK and wanted to write like that, but no matter how hard I tried it just never seemed to sound natural to me. I fought for so long to write that way. Finally I gave in and just allowed myself to write whatever came out. I think it has the elements of both the country writing and the UK style. I would love to say I planned it that way, but I didn't. It just kind of happened.
How do you feel you are being received in the New York area as opposed to elsewhere?
We have been received great here which was actually a shock to me. We don't sound anything like any other band I have heard in NY which helps us stand out from all the others. Initially, I didn't think people in New York would be open to country music, but I think they dig us because we aren't twangy and the songs we sing relate to everyone and not just people who grew up in the South.
You're songs are extremely heartfelt, where does that sentiment come from?
Well, to be quite honest a great deal of this record was written after having my heart broken. It's just a response to that. I am not clever enough to fake that kind of sentiment. It's amazing what kind of feelings and emotions come out when someone tells you they enjoy the company of someone else over you and then continues to try to pull you along.
Do you feel "alt Country" is just a current trend thanks to bands like Wilco, Ryan Adams and the
such or do you feel this genre has some staying power? If you weren't doing this genre of music which route would you take?That is a great question. I think it does have some staying power and has been gaining some momentum for quite sometime now. The first good record I ever bought was The Jayhawks 'Hollywood Town Hall' and it has been out for over 15 years. I love it to this day. I still remember buying it. One of the best decisions I ever made. I think everyone should own that record. As long as alt-country can remain honest and stay away from going with the current Nashville sound it should be okay.
If I weren't doing this kind of music I think would be in a band like Coldplay, U2, or Oasis.
What was the recording process like for you guys? Were there things that had to be rearranged and changed drastically or was there a general direction for the album that just flowed?
The recording process was excellent and easy for us. We wanted to keep things fresh so we didn't do a whole lot of takes on anything. We had a three take rule. That is why you can still hear 'mistakes'. If it was on take three, it was left in. It also helped that our producer (Oran Thornton) was brilliant to work with. If we ever got hung up on anything he would always say 'Let's go smoke on it' and we would head out of the studio while he would smoke and we would figure out what we were trying to do and then he would give us some advice like 'Do better, try harder' and we would go back in a just do it.
Going out I had an idea of what I wanted this record to sound like. Most of the songs did not change much at all from the original demos I had recorded. Just about all the parts remained the same. The biggest change came in "Abilene" in which we changed the intro. There were subtle changes here and there that we came up with along with Oran, a drop out in "Hard Way Home" and some new accents in "With You".
Do you write love songs so all of those scantily clad girls on your MySpace will love you? Where do those words come from?HA! I don't know of any MySpace girls who are in love with me, but if they are.....
I am really selfish when it comes to songwriting. I don't write songs for anyone but me. I know it sounds bad, but I am the one that needs the song. I have to write. I don't really have a choice. Even if I didn't ever play these songs for anyone I would still have to write them and get them out. Otherwise I would probably just go crazy. With that being said though, I love to share my songs. I love when someone gets something out of them that I did not even intend. For instance I got an email a few months back about "Takes a Lot of Love" asking if it was about a soldier going to Iraq. It actually isn't, but if that is what it means to that person so be it.
The words come from somewhere beyond me. I would never consider myself a great lyricist, and I don't ever labor over lyrics. If they don't just fall I out, I know they are either bad or just forced. The key for me is just to be honest. That way if someone hates what I write, I can feel okay knowing that at least I said what I meant to say. I really am not good at being clever. So I write as if I were just talking.
What's your favorite song off the album and which one were you iffy about putting on it?
My favorite song is "Volatile". I think it's the best song I have ever written. But I think Price would say "Caulfield "is better. The song is basically me pleading with a friend to not destroy herself.
We actually tracked another song that did not make the record. It's a great song, but it just didn't fit with the other tracks. All the tracks on the record are very personal and written from my perspective. "Blue Kentucky Rain" which is the track we left off is about a farmer living in Kentucky pleading for rain. I am sure we will release it on a future recording. I love the song, but it just didn't fit. In fact we may add it as an iTunes exclusive track.
Who is Dorothy?
My Mom's name is Dorothy. It would be nice of me to say that I named the band after her, but that would be a lie. I actually got the name from a child. I used to teach guitar lessons to when I lived in NC. I would ask all my students to help me come up with a good band name. Of course all the names they came up with were terrible. But one day, after a lesson that I taught to a brother and sister, their mom came to pick them up and asked if the girl had told me what she was gonna call her band when she grew up. She hadn't because she was so shy. But she coyly said she was gonna call her band Run Away Dorothy. I thought....hmmm, no you aren't.
What's so great about Jimmy's Diner? What's the greatest thing about the South and why was a
move to NY necessary?Jimmy's is awesome. I love that place. I eat there all the time. The best thing about it is the super friendly staff, but even if they were assholes I would still eat there because the food is excellent. It's right in WIlliamsburg, but they aren't all hipstered out. Blair who works there, her husband actually refers to me as her boyfriend. I recommend the Mac and Cheese and French Fries.
The greatest thing about the South is wide open space and being able to mindlessly drive and listen to your music. Those are two things I really miss by being in NC. Whenever I start to get stir crazy I have no way of just getting away from everything and everyone. It's how songs like "Caulfield" are written.
I had to move to NY. Had I not I would probably never have found my own voice in songwriting. I would have made a completely different record. I moved here by myself and that forced me out of my comfort zone. I recommend anyone who decides to move here to do so with a friend. You really need someone to lean on who is going through the same things you are. I didn't have that and as a result I had to go it all alone. But that is exactly why this record came out the way it did.
What do you enjoy about playing most? Is there anyone you really want to play with and if so who?
I really love performing. You wouldn't know it by how I am act just minutes before we go on, but I love connecting with people I would generally never meet. I am pretty guarded guy and if you don't know me really well you aren't going to know what is going on with me. Playing music is the best way that I connect with people. It allows me the opportunity to say things I would normally never tell anyone. It is as though my brain will allow me to tell you a secret as long as I hide it behind a D chord.If I could share a stage with anyone it would be Noel Gallagher from Oasis. I learned how to write songs by ripping him off.
If you could name your own holiday what would you celebrate and call it?
It would be called Maynard Day. My alter ego when I drink too much is named FR Maynard. Don't ask what it stands for. I will never tell. On FR Maynard Day the world would celebrate a day of doing stupid shit when you are too drunk to know what you are doing. For instance, you would celebrate the fact that once you got soooo drunk that you went home with that questionable someone. Waking up the next day and wondering how the hell you got there and questioning if you actually did anything you will regret. The day would be filled with stories of such instances. It would end by giving sacrifices of cheap beer and whiskey and giving thanks you have lived to drink again and do more stupid shit.
For more information on Runaway Dorothy and their sweet music, visit their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/runawaydorothy) or you can visit thier WEBSITE (http://www.runawaydorothy.com/main.html).
Back to Sounds