FPSF 2014 Preview: Another Run (Chats with SCR About Their Mutual Love for OURS; Oh, and Another Run, Too)

I’ve been a fanatic fan of a singer named Jimmy Gnecco for 15 years now. Gnecco is the singer of the band OURS that made its debut back in 1999 with Distorted Lullabies and has done four albums plus a Jimmy Gnecco solo album. He has the BEST VOICE ALIVE IN ROCK, and follows in the tradition of Jeff Buckley and Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant before him. No one can scream like Jimmy!

Jimmy has been a big part of my life for those 15 years, and I seem to see one or two Houstonians at all his shows, even in Austin. One of those people is Adrian Grammer, singer for the Houston band Another Run. Since Another Run is playing FPSF on Sunday, I thought what a great time to catch up with Adrian and discuss our mutual love for Jimmy Gnecco…

SCR: I found out about OURS through a review of their debut album, Distorted Lullabies, that mentioned a vocal resemblance to Jeff Buckley. I picked it up at Target, of all places, because the CD was on sale for $8 or $9. How did you find out about them?
Adrian Grammer: I discovered OURS in 2002 on the Internet. Just by fate, I suppose. They quickly became my favorite, and have stuck with me all these years. I have talked to Jimmy Gnecco a few times as well, and he is also super cool.

That was around when Precious came out. I finally saw them live up in Dallas for the tour they did when Precious came out. Before that, I was planning on seeing them, and the day they were coming to Houston was the day that [Tropical Storm] Allison hit and flooded the whole city, so they had to cancel. What was the first time you ever saw them live?
Yeah, I found Distorted Lullabies first, and had to have more! Then I found Precious right after, but I didn’t get to see them for the first time until Monday, May 21, 2007, at Warehouse Live.

It seems like I’ve been seeing you forever at shows! I’ve seen Jimmy Gnecco about 15 times over the years, either with the band or solo. How many times have you seen him?
I think I have seen them eight times. Maybe nine?

Any favorites? Mine is probably last year at Emo’s Austin, because I got to photograph it, but it’s tough to choose just one.
That one was fantastic! Jimmy sang his version of “Crying,” which was phenomenal… All of the shows have been outstanding, but another that was really cool is when Another Run had just finished a show during SXSW in Austin a couple years ago. We found out they were playing a show a couple blocks away at The Ginger Man, and it was awesome! It was billed as “Jimmy Gnecco Acoustic,” but ended up being OURS.

Wow, I missed that one! I saw them full band at Maggie Mae’s, though. Maybe it was the same year. Do you wonder all the time, like I do, why he isn’t the biggest rock star in the world? I mean, where’s the justice?

You mentioned you have had the chance to talk to Jimmy at shows? He has always been very cool to me. I had a chance to tell him how much his music had helped me get through the same thing 10 years ago that he was just going through, as his mom had just passed on from cancer. His band has also been cool. Static, his guitarist, and I had a nice time drinking one night and talking about teaching kids music. Any good stories about meeting Jimmy or the band?
The first time I saw them and talked to Jimmy was really cool. After the show, we talked about music, and he talked about his friendship with Jeff Buckley for a minute. He played some drums during that show, also, and at the time I was the drummer and singer for AR, and I talked to him about the band for a second and how he is a big inspiration, etc. Then he told me about the band Jellyfish, and how they were an influence of his, which also had a lead singer/drummer.

Very cool! So, what’s up with Another Run these days? Are you recording?
Yes! We are working on the new Just Pretend EP, as we speak — I actually finished recording the main vocal parts earlier this week. We are very excited for this new record!

Excellent! Should we expect to hear all the songs on the EP on Sunday, or will you keep to the classics?
We will be playing some songs from the upcoming record, and also some from our last album, I’ll Be There. Kind of a half-and-half blend.

I will definitely be there. I’m glad we got to talk about both our favorite singer, along with Another Run. So just for the uninitiated — how do you describe Another Run to people who ask about you? Do you just tell them to listen to the music and decide for themselves or do you have a quick description ready for anyone who asks?
“Rock Indie Soul” is my short answer. But…it is all open to interpretation, I suppose. We draw from many influences across the board: rock, indie, soul, pop, progressive, post-hardcore, jazz, funk, metal, blues, punk, alternative, etc., etc. END

(Photos [top to bottom]: Adrian Grammer (Another Run); Jimmy Gnecco (OURS); Grammer. All photos by Jason Smith.)