Journalists, reviewers, radio programmers, etc., please visit Jonathan Rundman's brand new on-line PRESS KIT for downloadable press materials, print-quality photos, and other important media information.
Here's what journalists are saying:
“Musically confident and emotionally vulnerable. His lyrics are refreshing and pleasantly unusual.”
BILLBOARD
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"bright, catchy indie-pop" NEW YORK TIMES |
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TOP 12 DIY PICK "Don't be surprised if Jonathan Rundman's fan base is made up of brainiac girls with glasses and pocket protectors. They're just responding to the love the shows them in Public Library's opener, "Smart Girls." Rundman goes on to laud the female intelligentsia while acoustic guitar, bass and drums keep a rollicking roots-rock beat. Throughout the album, Rundman's lyrics paint vivid pictures...utilizing clever phrasing and fresh rhymes." PERFORMING SONGWRITER |
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"Minneapolis resident Jonathan Rundman crafts incendiary pop records in the vein of fellow Midwestern songwriter Freedy Johnston. His newest record Public Library features The Silos as his backing band and weds clever, intelligent songwriting to delectable guitar hooks." PASTE MAGAZINE |
TOP TEN OF THE YEAR
"...ridiculously infectious melodies and farm-fresh tenor vocals. Backed by members of the Silos (and produced by Silos frontman Walter Salas-Humara), Rundman manages to make blissful folk-pop out of the most mundane of matters, including library work. But he's at his best when he lets his darker impulses mingle with those chipper melodies on songs such as 'The Serious Kind' and 'Park River Bridge.' My favorite track is the immigrant anti-love song 'Second Language,' which captures a relationship that has hit the skids with one perfect line: 'We were sweeter when we sent mail.'"
CITY PAGES
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Jonathan wrote a week-long tour diary that was printed in the March 2006 issue of RIFT MAGAZINE. |
“Rundman has been releasing indie-rock mini-masterpieces for several years now…his songs are like a collection of postcards sent out by your guitar playing college pal who worships Marshall Crenshaw, Ween, and/or Elvis Costello”
ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS
“Rundman is an inspired power-pop dynamo”
PERFORMING SONGWRITER
“Bright, Midwestern-flavored folk pop that weaves a wary songwriter’s vision of suburban America. His songs sport the same clever lyrical turns that were the hallmark of ‘80s new wave folk legends Timbuk 3 – both share the same sense of irony about everyday life. Rundman stirs memories of ‘80s simple-pleasure acoustic-driven pop bands like the dBs, the Del Fuegos, or the Windbreakers, and if you get these references, you shouldn’t miss this guy.”
OMAHA READER
"Sometimes the truth has to be told. Texas does not have a lock on first-class troubadours. Rundman, from Minneapolis, is a case in point. A sharp, clever writer who isn't afraid to get out on the tightrope and pen literate songs that deal with subjects others eschew — such as "Smart Girls," "Librarian" and "Cuban Missile Crisis." Rundman made his mark in his neighborhood with lo-fi discs. Now he's on the road with "Public Library," produced by the Silos' Walter Salas-Humara. Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along with "Librarian." Readers around the world should thank Rundman."
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS
“suggests a scholarly Alex Chilton meets Loudon Wainwright vibe”
MAXIMUM INK, Wisconsin
“On the road for most of the year and releasing a prodigious output of albums, Jonathan Rundman is a one-man cottage industry although he shouldn’t have to be. His accessible and crafty pop-rock has a spiritual bent, tailor-made for fans of Elvis Costello and Marshall Crenshaw.”’
CHICAGO DAILY HERALD
“Angst-filled, garage-rock that Winona Ryder would swoon over”
SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADER
“Exploring charged-up power pop, alternative country, classical and sacred music structures, new wave, and other experimental instrumentation within an acoustic rock framework, Rundman has garnered much acclaim, and for good reason.”
SILICON VALLEY METRO
“Singer/songwriter Rundman adopts a rootsy flavor for his melodic pop material. A gritty melodicist in the tradition of Paul Westerberg, his songs occasionally recall artists like Green On Red and Giant Sand as well.”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
"Rundman is a wise man. He starts off this disc with 'Smart Girls,' singing the praises of the female with wit, wisdom and wearing of glasses. Along the lines of Jimmy Soul’s 'If You Wanna Be Happy,' and the Temptation’s 'Beauty’s Only Skin Deep,' it sings the praises of a truer love. There is a 'library' feel to this CD — even when Rundman is rocking, his hushed vocals recognize the power of doing things in a subdued manner. The production is also understated, but it shines. The viola and cello on 'Second Language' is extraordinary. All of this (and fine songwriting) make this disc worth the effort to find."
TOLEDO CITY PAPER
“Scrappy musicianship and clever songwriting”
PASTE MAGAZINE
“In the studio Rundman shows that he owns a good ear for hearing what sounds work. He can add a wistful violin to a song, while the next track has all the guitar churning and pop-punk charm of The Magnolias. Throw in a banjo lead, or a spare trombone or accordion and it all adds up to an audible testimony of Rundman’s sense of pop songs.”
HIGH PLAINS READER, Fargo
“With traces of Paul Westerberg, Freedy Johnston, and David Lowery, rocker Jonathan Rundman shows impressive musical ambition and confidence”
CENTERSTAGE CHICAGO
“Rundman’s version of personal heartland rock is a welcome return to the simple essence of rock and roll. His voice has a touch of Alex Chilton boyishness, and his songwriting is original and consistently interesting. Watch out for this guy.”
EUGENE, OREGON WEEKLY
“Jonathan Rundman is the Midwest’s virtuoso of melodic, heartfelt rock and roll”
MILWAUKEE’S SHEPHERD EXPRESS
“Do we really need another singer/songwriter who rambles on about life, love, politics, and the pursuit of happiness? When he is as melodically crafty and lyrically sharp as Jonathan Rundman, the answer is an enthusiastic ‘yes!’”
THE ROCKET, Seattle
“An engaging mix of power pop and twang. Melodic, catchy, and entertaining.”
CHART, Canada
“Rundman fits squarely into the Midwestern school of power-pop songwriting alongside Robert Pollard, Jim Ellison, and Paul Westerberg. Catchy, slightly quirky, and completely unselfconscious.”
THE DAYTON VOICE
“Jonathan Rundman is that rare breed of singer/songwriter we thought had all but disappeared in the onslaught of pre-fabricated pop, grunge, and electronica. Rundman recalls the verve and energy of Paul Westerberg and Alex Chilton at their prime. Basically good old fashioned American roots rock laced with sweet power pop.”
BIG-O, Singapore
ON-LINE PRESS COVERAGE
Career Profile by Matt Fink at the All Music Guide
“a uniquely eclectic variant of Midwest rock.”
Press Coverage for the Public Library album
Feature article from Paste Magazine
Review from City Pages
"Public Library is a record for anyone who hasn't given up on the idea that good songs, electric/acoustic guitars, and a great drummer are the key to all sorts of epiphanies."
Interview with OnMilwaukee.com
"follows in a grand tradition of American heartland rockers"
Review from the San Antonio Current
"You have to love a musician who starts his record with a heartfelt and convincing endorsement of 'Smart Girls'"
Review from Buffalo Roots
"With a voice that frequently sounds like John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, Rundman scores high"
Review from Fufkin
"great stuff...the best Rundman disc to date"
Concert preview from Pulse
"a slick and classy slice of Midwestern rock"
Review from Greenman Review
"Rundman's recording should make plenty of Top 10 lists this year."
Review from Power of Pop in Singapore.
"File next to Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Steve Forbert, Bruce Springsteen for easy reference. Grade: A"
Review from Epinions
"Rundman sings with the awed sincerity of the country boy visiting the big city for the first time"
Review from The Phantom Tollbooth.
"Rundman’s most radio friendly project to date"
Review from Rake On Music
"Rundman makes rock & roll for adults and the kids who want to understand them better."
Interview in the Youth Encounter Newsletter
Press Coverage for the Tennesota album
Multiple reviews from The Phantom Tollbooth
"an Americana-tinged album that may feature some of the best work by either artist"
Review from Rake On Music
"recalls Emmylou Harris and Graham Parsons' sharing of a mic."
Press Coverage for the Sound Theology album
Review by Matt Fink at the All Music Guide
“nothing short of brilliant. (Four and a half stars!)”
Review by Mark Allan Powell from Christian Century
"wry Garrison Keillor-ish observations"
Interview in the Youth Encounter newsletter.
Interview by Bobby Tanzilo at OnMilwaukee.com
“one of the most passionate records from a Midwest indie in some time”
Profile at DayStar Rising theology e-zine
“challenging and thought-evoking”
Listed at Staublog
"It's as insane an idea as you'll ever hear: a 52-song double CD with each ditty dedicated to a week of the Lutheran liturgical calendar. But Rundman pulls it off with lo-fi charm and ample wit, with songs such as "Workin' My Committee" paying tribute to church volunteers (and Martin Luther) over a groove befitting Crazy Horse-era Neil Young. Someday, someone needs to write a story about the underground Lutheran rock scene, of which the Minneapolis-based Rundman is a bona fide star. Because it rocks. In a loveably nerdy kinda way."
Profile from The Lutheran Magazine
Lists of the Best Albums of 2000 from Illinois Entertainer
Press Coverage for the Field Recordings album
Review from The Phantom Tollbooth
Review from Midwest Beat
"a songwriter that can play guitar as good as he writes"
Review by Matt Fink at the All Music Guide
Press Coverage for the Recital album
Review by Bradley Torreano at the All Music Guide
“unique and catchy”
Interview by Tim McMahan of The Omaha Reader and Lazy Eye
“bright, Midwestern-flavored folk pop”
Review from The Phantom Tollbooth
“inventive”
Press Coverage for the Wherever album
Review by Bradley Torreano at the All Music Guide
“highly recommended”
Review by Shaun Belcher of the English 'zine Flyin' Shoes
“a marvelous lost classic”
Press Coverage for the 28 Days album
Review by Matt Fink at the All Music Guide
Additional Press Coverage
Review of Pierce Pettis / Jonathan Rundman concert from The Phantom Tollbooth
Review of Bruce & Jonathan Rundman concert in the Michigan Tech University paper
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