JONATHAN RUNDMAN NEWS ARCHIVES

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May 2005:

• Jonathan performs with Tom Freund! These two songwriters kicked off the month of May with their first joint appearance, held at the lovely Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis. It was an excellent show, and it was captured on audio!
• This month's FREE MP3 is taken from Jonathan's show with Tom. Check out the rarely-performed song "Cold, But I Don't Mind" at the audio page!
• This Spring, Jonathan has spent some time in the studio working with engineer Scott Malchow on completing some previously unreleased tunes. Recent finalized mixes include some guitar-heavy prog-influenced songs entitled "I Saw Greenland" and "There Was Nothing Downtown" and a very experimental 1995-era 4-track recording called "Soluble" featuring Jonathan on distorto-violin. Watch for their inclusion on an upcoming release.
• Goin' back to Cali. Jonathan will perform in the Golden State twice in the next couple months, as well as some Midwestern shows. Check out the tour date page for the entire schedule.
• Bad press and good press! Check out new reviews of Public Library courtesy of Epinions, Buffalo Roots, and the San Antonio Current.
• Jonathan Rundman song lyric icons have been created by Bridget in Louisiana for free download. Use 'em on your blogs, webpages, on-line journals, etc.

April 2005:

• Jonathan tours with the MONSTERS OF FOLK! Together with fellow Twin Cities songwriters Matt Patrick, Nate Houge, and Micah Taylor, Jonathan ventured into the depths of South Dakota on a 5 day tour in March. Each musician performed their original songs on the tour, all while switching around on guitar, bass, and drums, and serving as one another's backing band! A photo slideshow, tour diary, and downloadable MP3s can be found on the Monsters of Folk Webpage. The tour was so awesome, the quartet will reunite for another show in Maple Grove, MN on Friday, April 15th. See tour date page for more info.
• This month's FREE MP3 is taken from the Monsters of Folk tour! Check out the live performance of Jonathan's song "Every Town's the Same" (with lengthy introduction), recorded at the Black Sheep Coffeehouse in Sioux Falls, SD. Get it now via the audio page!
• Jonathan makes his debut as an author!
  Augsburg Fortress Publishers has just released The Lutheran Handbook, a comedy/theology manual written in the droll, retro style of the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Guide. Jonathan wrote numerous chapters of the book including "How to Sing a Hymn," and "How to Receive Communion." Order a copy from Augsburg Fortress!
• Tennesota album added to iTunes music store! Visit the store and download each song for $0.99!
• Pitch Music in California has just released Myrtle's Favorites Sampler CD featuring the finest in independent songwriters. Jonathan Rundman's song "Smart Girls" and Beki Hemingway's song "Saturday" appear, as well as 17 other fine tunes from various artists. SPECIAL DEAL: Buy $10 worth of music from Jonathan Rundman, and get a FREE Myrtle's Favorites Sampler courtesy of Salt Lady Records!
• Public Library reviewed at Music Box Online.

February 2005:

• Jonathan to embark on the MONSTERS OF FOLK tour! Together with Minnesota songwriters Matt Patrick, Nate Houge, and Micah Taylor, Jonathan is preparing for a group tour to South Dakota in March! Each artist on the tour will play his original songs with the other three musicians serving as a back-up band, requiring each performer to rotate on guitar, bass, drums, and auxiliary instruments! That's FOUR bands in one! Check the tour dates page for complete venue info, etc.
• Jonathan is featured in the February issue of Mpls/St.Paul Magazine! The article raves, “In his latest album, Public Library, Rundman is at his best...cohesive, yet adventurous and varied.”
• One of the coolest unreleased Jonathan recordings of all time is now available as a FREE MP3, downloadable on the Audio page! For those of you who are observing the season of Lent (or Black History Month, for that matter), check out Jonathan's arrangement of the African-American Spiritual "Were You There." Yet another Sound Theology out-take from the Fall of 1999, this recording was renovated and mixed in 2004.

January 2005:

• Coast-to-coast tour dates in 2005! Visit the tour dates page and check out Jonathan's upcoming shows in LA, NY and places in between!
• 
  PUBLIC LIBRARY ranked in theTop 10 albums of 2004!
  More and more and more good press! Read these reviews courtesy of Metro Lutheran, Swiss Records (written in German!), and City Pages. Also, the St. Paul Pioneer Press ranked Public Library #15 in their best albums of 2004 list, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Jonathan's song "The Serious Kind" showed up on two separate critics' polls for Best Song of 2004!
• Yet another FREE MP3 has been posted on the Audio page! Due to the huge response to last month's ancient hymn "Of the Father's Love Begotten," we're posting another Sound Theology out-take! This time it's a 600-year-old Epiphany tune, arranged by Jonathan in homage to R.E.M.'s late-80s classic "Swan Swan H."

December 2004:

• Salt Lady Records is TEN YEARS OLD this month! That's right, it was December of 1994 when the upstart record label debuted two new albums: Seven Summers by The Chandlers (Bruce & Jonathan Rundman), and Wherever by Jonathan Rundman. Take part in the anniversary festivities by visiting the Salt Lady Records webpage, and check out old pictures of the Rundman cousins, a photo history of the label, and more!
• Last chance for Wherever! Yes, after 10 years on the market, Jonathan's 1994 album is going out of print. There are less than 10 copies remaining!
• Not two, but THREE FREE MP3s have been posted on the Audio page! This month we're looking back at Jonathan & Bruce's music then and now, with a remix of The Chandlers' "Busted Pencil Lead" and a brand new full-band recording of "Continental Divide." Plus, download a special acapella mix of an unreleased Jonathan song from 2000 entitled "December Chicago" that's perfect for these chilly Midwestern winters!
• Many of you know John Kerns thanks to his fantasic bass playing and harmony vocals in Jonathan Rundman's trio, and on select recordings (including the version of "Continental Divide" mentioned above). Kerns has a brand new webpage for his own band Kerns and The Hemispheres...surf over and check it out!

November 2004:

• Jonathan's song "Smart Girls" is featured on the CD sampler included in the Oct/Nov 2004 issue of Paste Magazine. Order it NOW from Paste! Other artists on the sampler include Buddy Miller, Ben Harper, Peter Case, and Camper Van Beethoven.
• Two free downloadable MP3s have been added to the Audio page. These special holiday tunes are only available here! Check out the rocking live performance of Jonathan's Christmas classic "Out Behind the Old Hotel" recorded in concert at Augsburg College, PLUS hear the rare Sound Theology out-take "Of the Father's Love Begotten" written in the 13th century! Happy Advent!
• New Jonathan song available! Jonathan has recorded a rocking bluegrass version of the African-American spiritual "Where You There" that appears on a new Hymns compilation CD released by Lutheran Youth Encounter. Other artists doing hymn interpretations include Beki Hemingway, Todd Miller, Lloyd Garrelts, and Lost And Found.
• Jonathan as guest musician! Composer extraordinaire Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan has released a new album called Worldmaking, featuring Jonathan Rundman on accordion, chord organ, and vocals. Paavo Rundman makes his first recorded appearance on this album as well.
• Jonathan on film! Two new independent short documentary films feature Jonathan and his music. The System of Cool, directed by Jaime Leigh Nelson, explores trends in the music business and features an interview with Jonathan, as well as live clips of Jonathan performing his songs "The Serious Kind," and "Falling Down." Threatening to Stay, directed by Amy Carlson and Jaqueline Brady addresses the struggle of homosexuality in the Lutheran Church, and features Jonathan's song "Easier" on the film's soundtrack. The debut screening of Threatening to Stay will be in DeKalb, IL on December 5th.

October 2004:

• The Public Library CD release weekend was a huge success! Jonathan opened for The Silos, and also played two other concerts in Minneapolis. Check out PHOTOS of the shows.
• Another free downloadable MP3 has been posted on the Audio page! Listen to a pre-Public Library demo version of the song "Narthex."
• Great reviews for Public Library have been pouring in! Check out the on-line press coverage at OnMilwaukee.com, City Pages, Pulse, Green Man Review, Rake on Music, Power of Pop, Fufkin, and Melodic.net.
• Jonathan has scheduled a long-awaited multi-date tour of Michigan's Upper Peninsula! Check out the November tour dates.

September 2004:

• Public Library CD release show scheduled for Saturday, October 2nd at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis! Jonathan opens for The Silos!
• Another free downloadable MP3 has been posted on the Audio page! Check out this remix of the 10-year-old recording of "Old Man September."
• Jonathan on iTunes! That's right, the previously out-of-print Christmas EP Present, recorded with Beki Hemingway, is the first Salt Lady Records title available from the iTunes Music Store! It's never too early to add to your holiday music collection!

August 2004:

• Pastemusic.com features Jonathan's new CDs Public Library and Tennesota, PLUS free downloadable MP3s from each album!
• Jonathan has just returned from playing music with Echelon in Orlando, Florida. A review of their performances has been posted at Music Spectrum.
• Jonathan on DVD! Acoustic duo Lost And Found has released their first DVD, featuring a live-in-the-studio video of their song "Multiply" featuring Jonathan Rundman playing banjo! Details HERE.
• New pictures have been added to the promotional photos page. Check out Jonathan's updated shots.
• Tennesota has been reviewed on the Phantom Tollbooth webpage...4.5 stars!
• Thanks to web-wizard Pat Tomek for creating the new flash animation on the front page of this web site!

July 2004:

• Jonathan's new album Public Library is available for sale! CLICK HERE to order.
• Also available for sale, the new album Tennesota by Jonathan & Beki Hemingway! CLICK HERE to order.
• Dozens of cool photos have been posted, documenting the recording of the Public Library album. CLICK HERE to visit the updated photo page!
• Free Public Library preview! Visit the Audio page to download a previously un-heard acoustic demo of "Librarian," the new album's title track.

June 2004:

• Jonathan's Midwestern Summer tour dates are now posted!
• It's been four years since the release of Sound Theology, Jonathan's last solo album, so we're thrilled to announce that his long-awaited NEW ALBUM Public Library is complete! The songs were produced by Americana legend Walter Salas-Humara, and feature THE SILOS as Jonathan's backing band! Pre-release copies of the album will be available at all Summer tour performances!
• Jonathan appears along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, and other groups on the recording "Anticipation" by sonic-collage artist Daniel Levitin. The track appears on the album A Call For Silence, a compilation of not-quite-sound recordings released by the Sonic Arts Network. "Anticipation" is a collection of recorded count-offs (you know, when the drummer goes "1, 2, 3, 4..." before the music starts?) featuring the introductory yells from The Beatles' "Yer Blues," the famous cowbell hits from The Rolling Stones' "Honkey Tonk Women," Jonathan's voice counting-off the song "Front Row at the Fashion Show" from the album Recital, plus other interesting pre-song noise. You've never heard (or almost heard) an album like this before!

May 2004:

• Yes, one more previously un-heard Jonathan recording is available for FREE downloading in MP3 format on the Audio page, and this time it's a 1997-era Beatle-esque cover tune called "Now That You Are Gone." Music nerds take note: a complete description of Jonathan's recording of the song is posted.
• Finally, Salt Lady Records has released an updated Biography for Jonathan.
• Hopefully some performance and studio photos will be added soon to the Photos page.

April 2004:

• Another previously un-heard Jonathan recording is now available for FREE downloading in MP3 format on the Audio page. Enjoy this rocking full-band performance of "The Prophetstown Tornado" recorded LIVE at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, featuring Jonathan singing through a telephone receiver.
• Jonathan has been in the studio playing Wurlitzer, organ, and singing harmony on the new solo album by Lloyd Garrelts. The CD will be available later this month, and features the song "Same Square Mile," the first song co-written by Lloyd and Jonathan! For more information visit the homepage of Lloyd's band Echelon.
• Jonathan's complete Discography has been updated. How many of these CDs have you heard?
• While purging the internet of old unused webpages Jonathan's on-line journals from 2000-2002 were salvaged. The music picks are especially interesting. Current journals are posted on the Message Board.

March 2004:

• Previously un-heard Jonathan recordings are now available for FREE downloading in MP3 format on the Audio page. Check out the anti-Clapton anthem "Sick of Eric Blues" and a new remix of "One Night in the Month of May" by Jonathan's basementy grunge/prog/lo-fi trio The Muckrakers.
• Jonathan Rundman and Beki Hemingway have been booked to play at Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, IL this coming July! Check out the details at the Tour Dates page.
• After taking a few months off for the birth of Paavo, Jonathan looks forward to Spring and Summer performances in the Pacific Northwest, Chicagoland, and Florida. Visit the Booking page to schedule a show in your town.

February 2004:

• Sound Theology songs are analyzed by Pastor Ben Squires every Monday in the season of Lent. Check out Ben's comments and leave some of your own by visiting his Monday Devotions Blog.

January 2004:

• Jonathan becomes a FATHER! On January 2nd Dawn & Jonathan Rundman celebrated the birth of their first child, a son! His name is Paavo Sten Rundman. PAAVO is the Finnish form of Paul, and STEN is Dawn's family name from Sweden.
• Jonathan's debut album REISSUED on CD! In late-1992 Jonathan released on cassette his first album 28 Days in the Yellow Room, a rollicking 10-song 4-track capsule of his formative musical years. Now Salt Lady Records has released the album on CD, completely remastered and with FOURTEEN NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD BONUS TRACKS from Jonathan's earliest days as a musician. The new release is called Eleven Years and 28 Days in the Yellow Room. Click here to learn more and click here to order a copy of the album.

December 2003:

• Jonathan completes the remixes for the CD reissue of his debut album 28 Days in the Yellow Room to be available next month!
• The PRESS section for this webpage is updated!
• The tracking is completed for Jonathan's new album! Producer Walter Salas-Humara records the final tracks for the album in New York City, featuring special guests Mary Lee Kortes on vocals, Mary Rowell scoring and playing a string quartet, and lead guitarist Jason Victor of Steve Wynn's band.

November 2003:

• Salt Lady Records is pround to announce the launch of jonathanrundman.com, Jonathan's new website, built by Pat Tomek.
• Jonathan has completed the recording of his newest album, and producer Walter Salas-Humara is working on the final mixes of the songs in New York City. The CD is scheduled for release in Spring/Summer of 2004. Check out the RECORDING SESSION DIARY, featuring photos and details of the album's creation!

October 2003:

• Two of Jonathan’s songs are featured on college compilation CD Free As Grace. Other artists on the album include Beki Hemingway, Todd Miller, Nate Houge, and Lost And Found.

September 2003:

• Jonathan and Dawn Rundman are becoming parents!
  Yes, that's right, in January of 2004 the Rundmans are expecting baby #1! Jonathan has decided to be a stay-at-home-Dad once the kid arrives, so this Fall’s schedule of recording and touring will be extra exciting. These are Jonathan’s last few months as a traveling musician, so he has scheduled one more long-term solo road trip in a rental car…. Jonathan tours in MN, WI, MI, IN, OH, PA, NJ, CT, NH, VT, NY, and spends a week recording new music in New York City!

August 2003:

• Jonathan begins recording new album in Madison, WI, with The Silos.
• Jonathan co-produces and engineers the album True North by cousin Bruce Rundman. The 12-song CD features “Nancy Drew,” “Liberty Island,” and “Quiet Sound,” co-written by Jonathan, and Jonathan can be heard playing bass guitar, Hammond organ, and singing harmony vocals throughout the album.