BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE
music video
The last song on Two Wires and a Spark, “Black and White Cookie,” starts with the lyric:
“My favorite shade of blue is the sky at 6:15pm on March 1.”
I hope walking with me at dusk lowers your blood pressure for a couple minutes!
Marian Runk’s life-long fascination with storytelling evolved from book arts and comics to songwriting and performing.
A dancer, birdwatcher, visual artist, political activist, writer, and musician; the breadth of her creativity is felt in every aspect of her music.
Two Wires and a Spark - out on September 13 - is filled with the powerful imagery you expect from someone with such a diverse artistic background. Often compared to Karen Dalton and Gillian Welch, Runk writes lyrics that cover an expanse of themes, including loneliness, (mis)communication, dealing with grief, living alongside addiction, and road trips through the Rust Belt.
RECENT RELEASES
“Marian Runk writes uncannily vivid lyrics. The lovely country- and folk-inflected songs on her debut album, A Few Feet From the Ground, make it easy to picture her characters: the undertaker with a bad toupee in the sparse, dusty "Crowell," for instance, and the lovelorn snow goose pining for a missing companion in the moving ballad "The Loneliest Birds."
-J.R. Nelson & Leor Galil (Gossip Wolf), Chicago Reader
“Runk’s songs, backed by a stand-up bass, were at once country, folksy and jazzy. They honestly and humorously reflected the ambiguities of being a fallible human.”
– Guy Thorvaldsen, Isthmus (Madison)
THE GREAT AMERICAN FOLK SHOW: EPISODE 25
At the top of the year, Tom Brosseau and The Great American Folk Show kindly had me back on the show share my new single “New Year.” I also talked about New Years traditions in my family, and the woods walk that inspired the song. You can listen to the podcast anywhere you get your podcasts (Episode 25), or on the Great American Folk Show website (radio Episode 129)
VIDEO PREMIERE, BROKEN & FREE (AMERICANA UK):
”an absorbing and timeless reflection on grief.”
REVIEW (RAINBOW RODEO):
”Marian Runk makes oblivion sound sweet on her mischievous folk jazz-inspired Two Wires and a Spark”
CHICAGO READER, GOSSIP WOLF
Leor Galil wrote a profile of Marian and her music, ahead of Two Wires and a Spark release party
THE GREAT AMERICAN FOLK SHOW: EPISODE 116
Listen at the top of the show to hear the premiere of “Luck” and “Making Light of the Devil” from Two Wires and a Spark. I also talk a little bit about my path to music, my intentions with songwriting, and why I think everyone should both take voice lessons and follow their gut to a creative pursuit.
RAINBOW RODEO premieres “POSSIBILITY,” the first single from Two Wires and a Spark
Photo by Gillian Fry
VIDEO PREMIERE, NATURAL DISASTER (AMERICANA UK):
”In the vein of Gillian Welch, this is timeless storytelling music from the Dallas-born, Chicago-based songwriter.”
CHICAGO CROWD SURFER #53
I talked to Chicago Crowd Surfer ahead of my album release show, in March 2019. We discussed my debut album, “A Few Feet from the Ground,” what I love about songwriting, indie comics, and the country music scene in Chicago.