PropertyOfZack had the pleasure of interviewing Jon Berry of Runner Runner just a week or so ago. Jon and I discussed the band’s new release date and new material that will be appearing on their debut record as well as upcoming tours with both Ke$ha and A Rocket To The Moon. Read up and enjoy!

For the record, could you state your name and role in Runner Runner?
Hey, this is Jon Berry from Runner Runner. I play bass.

I listened to the finished version of the album sometime in June, and I thought at that point a late September release was far away. It was then revealed that the album would be coming out in mid-October and now do we even have a clear date for the release?
I know, we’ve had so many different releases and we keep pushing it back. The records going to be coming out late February, possibly early March. We’ve been working on the album a lot still, so what you have is not our record anymore [Laughs]. We had to cancel some shows to go back into the studio and record it. We’re working on getting the album mixed up the way that we want it to sound. We’ve been taking our time with the record, basically because we’re stoked on our music and we want to see how we want it to be. It’s coming out early next year.

Was the label the main push to redo some of the tracks, or did you guys decide you weren’t happy with everything?
We’re really happy with our label and we feel that we’re a good fit to the team. I think the label wanted us to maybe try out some of our other songs that we had written on our own. Our record got leaked online, so it was a great excuse for us to be like, “Our music’s out there, and we’re not totally stoked with all of the songs that we have on there. Lets just change it up and do it how we want it.” So we went back and recorded some new songs and I’m so happy with how they turned out. We’re going to change up some songs on the record that you have, swap some out, and we’re just making it as perfect as can be.

Was there worry with the fact that the record leaked in August and there was no set release date in mind?
At first, a little bit, but then I realized that that’s a part of music. Eventually it all gets leaked and people can download music, movies, anything legally nowadays. Honestly, it’s made us want to step up our game even more for when the real album came out. I want to say I’m fine with it. I just know that when we have our final record we’re going to be really happy with it and I know people are going to buy it, even if they have the old one. I feel like the one that leaked is more like a teaser for what’s to come.

Can you talk about any of the changes you guys have made with the new songs or how the songwriting was different from the initial phases of the record?
There’s this one song that we recorded called “Running Away From Myself” and it’s more serious. It’s more of an introspective song; it’s about being confused with life and what you’re doing with who you are. It’s a really cool song. I feel like it’s really relatable to people. It’s got kind of a darker feel. A lot of the songs have a darker feel, but still keep that drive that Runner Runner has. We also have some songs that are more fun, like this song called “Heart Attack.” It’s about being in a relationship with someone who just pretty much beats your soul. The girl was like a heart attack [Laugh]. The stresses of being in a relationship possibly with someone who isn’t too healthy for you. There’s a lot of cool content on these newer songs. I feel like that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to widen the content of our record, and that’s what we did.

Do you guys see the release as a fresh start to 2011 that should hopefully set you up for a big year?
Yeah, I’m really excited for 2011. We’re booking tours right now. Our record’s going to come out. We’re really happy with how it’s turning out. we can’t wait to get a better mix on the songs on our first attempt. We’re going to get some of them remixed just to make them sound more fresh and I’m really excited.

Shifting a bit, Runner Runner is currently on tour with Forever The Sickest Kids and I See Stars. How’s that been to this point?
It’s been awesome. I love Forever The Sickest Kids, they’re friends of ours, they put on a great show, they’re awesome. All the kids who have come out to the shows have been great. We’ve made friends with I See Stars, they’re cool. It’s been a lot of fun. Tonight we’re in Memphis, TN. It’s going to be great.

Late, late summer you guys did a tour with Secondhand. Is this kind of a nice change to be more in your own genre?
Yeah, it’s cool. We had fun touring with Secondhand Serenade. I feel like we’re more with our peers, musically, on this tour, which is also very nice. We love playing with all types of artists and groups.

No more dates are set for the rest of the year, but when should we look out for an announcement on New Year dates?
We just confirmed a tour; we’re doing a full US tour, for almost two months long in March and April with A Rocket To The Moon. It’s going to be awesome. And we have some shows we’re doing with Ke$ha in February; about a week of shows on the west coast. We’re booking a lot more stuff as of right now.
POZ: Those should be some pretty crazy tours.
Jon: Yeah, it’s going to be really cool. I’m excited about it.

Is the main goal next year, for after the record drops, to stay out consistently throughout the whole year?
Yeah, our label’s going to keep us busy and we’re going to keep ourselves busy. We love making music and we love touring and meeting our fans. We love showing people Runner Runner, so we’re definitely going to be touring constantly next year.

Depending on how the record goes over, is an overseas venture something you’d like to attempt?
Definitely, we’d love to. I hope we go back to Japan. We went there about a year and a half ago. Hopefully when our record comes out we’ll hit up Japan again because we love playing Japan. We love our Japanese fans. They make us feel welcomes. Hopefully we can do Europe, Australia; I want to do it all. I love touring overseas, it’s great.

Obviously it has been such long time since the writing for the record has started, so is it safe to say that there’s a lot of newer material that isn’t even going to make the record that’s still worthy of a release?
Yeah, there is. We’re a band that writes and records music all the time on our own. We’re actually recording songs right now on our bus everyday. They’re catalogues upon catalogues of Runner Runner songs that we have written and recorded. We’ve got music for years [Laughs].
POZ: Would you guys be open to the idea of a smaller release like another EP in 2011?
Jon: Yeah, possibly. I feel like the music industry’s changing as far as releasing music. We’re going to put out our LP end of February/March and then who knows. Then we might release songs on a gradual basis after that. You’re always going to be hearing new music from us.

Is there anything else that we should be on the lookout for?
We’re going to be doing a lot of touring next year when our record comes out. We’re going to be announcing dates, probably soon, so just keep your ear out for us. Hit us up online and on Facebook. When we’re not playing shows, we’ll be online giving you the latest.