Local band blends jam, rock style in live, high-energy shows
Silly wabbit? Bunny habit? Oh, it’s Runny Babbit.
For the past few weeks, the men of Columbia’s freshly formed indie jam outfit Runny Babbit have been rocking the house at the unofficially titled Rolling Stone Bar on Rosewood Drive. Their high-energy sets encompass a cornucopia of musical flavors; one minute they’re wailing like the long-lost second half of the Allman Brothers, the next they’re paying quick tribute to alternative rock gods Radiohead, all sandwiched between jam sessions. You don’t always know what pulsating sounds are going to come next, and, truthfully, you may not want to.
Though they initially banded together under the humorous Southern Cousins title, front man Joe Mayhew says it didn’t take long before the constant inbreeding jokes led them on a search for a new name. Oddly enough, they scrapped the old title from one taken straight from drummer Richard Threatt’s favorite childhood book, “Runny Babbit” by Shel Silverstein. The “spoonerism-style” alias was catchy, so it stuck.
Mayhew and Threatt met several years prior, bonding over a mutual admiration of music in their freshman hall. But it took a house move in August and an empty spare room to convince the pair to pick up their instruments.
“We scraped all our cash together and bought a drum set to throw in there,” Mayhew said. “Richard and I started playing just the two of us, with him on drums and me playing guitar and singing. It was all just for our own enjoyment.”
Fast-forward to late September, when Mayhew ran into old friend Daniel Wood on the Horseshoe. Knowing Wood had a talent for bass guitar, Mayhew invited him to the makeshift music room for an afternoon jam. The trio, along with Wood’s childhood friend (and second guitarist) Paul Nederostek, soon found the organically crafted tunes rising from the session were going to fuse into much more than a single jam.
“Reading other musicians can be a difficult thing when improvising live music, but we all seemed to understand the motion,” Mayhew explained. “After we finished that night we decided we’d liked what we heard and thought others would as well.”
After a few live house shows and guidance from The Mobros’ Kelly Morris, keyboardist Mason Youngblood joined the Runny Babbit lineup this semester. The band has since guest-spotted on WUSC radio and has nailed down a regular Friday night spot at the Rolling Stone Bar thanks to their dynamic first showing. Mayhew says the band has been having a “blast” at the Stone, keeping constant movement and endless intensity staples of each set. And after positive vibes from a number of new fans, it appears Runny Babbit must be doing something right. And they’re thankful for all the love they’ve been getting.
“The experience has been great thus far,” he said. “People that hear us tend to give great feedback about our energy and wish us much luck. It’s great to be in a band with some of your closest friends, and I think people that see us can tell how much fun we’re having playing music together and that sticks with them the most.”
Naming talented artists like Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Alt-J’s Thom Green and Elton John as a few of their most recognizable influences, songwriters Mayhew and Nederostek often tackle each track with the force of another high-profile pair of partners in crime.
“Paul and I share a deep love for the Beatles,” Mayhew said. “We write songs together a lot like Paul McCartney and John Lennon did. Right now we are in the writing process and will be recording after spring break.”
When it comes to long-term goals for the band, Mayhew said they’re hoping to set up roots in Columbia before branching out to other festivals and venues around the state. From there, he’s not sure what will happen. One thing he does hope? The band never grows tired of the passion for tunes that brought them together.
“We’ll just have to see how far our love of music will take us,” he says. “Because when you stop loving your craft, then it isn’t genuine anymore.”
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