Running From Dharma

Easily one of the best albums of 2002. Dharma's music swirls and transcends, lifting the listener up, making them feel like they are a part of something bigger than just themselves. A smooth blend of post-hardcore indie rock that will easily please fans of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Hot Water Music, and Sparta. Do yourself a favor and own this. - Amazon Customer Review

Landing somewhere between indie rock and radio-friendly modern rock, Running From Dharma, from Harrisburg, PA, has re-released their 2002 C.I. Records album, If We Don’t Speak Before the End of the World. It might seem angry and it might seem like a conceptual statement against complacency, but the beauty of this record is that among all the haunting melodies and driving rock rhythms there are some really cool songs. There are elements here from the 1980s punk/new wave movement, with some grunge and loud garage rock thrown in. The result for Running From Dharma is a sound unique to them that flat out kicks ass.

“Our Song” starts out with a pulsating bass line and slick guitar voicing, and kicks into a full band punch led by the vocals of Carl Wagner. “Sandbox” has a distinctively emo sound, making it perfect for college rock radio. “For Once to Follow Through” reminds me of the early raw melodic punk of Husker Du or the Replacements. “Drive Not Driving” is guitar- and scream-driven ala Third Eye Blind, and “After the Fall” is straight out of early modern rock -- does anyone remember the band Wire Train? “The Morning Story” and “Invisible” are more of the same, just great songs with smart arrangements.

In some ways, Running From Dharma resembles another Harrisburg band called Fuel that has had much success over the last few years. There’s almost a trademark sound associated with central PA, and while it’s evident here there’s more of a melting pot of influences going on that you can’t always pinpoint. But messages and comparisons aside, the best thing about Running From Dharma is that they are a great band with the songs to match.
- Mike Farley (Bullz-Eye.com)

Just a few years ago, Running From Dharma seemed to have it all – an ever-growing fan base, a label, consistent stateside and international touring, a split CD and Japanese tour with Sense Field – things were good, maybe too good. In 2004, when the band returned from touring, everything started to fall apart. “After the Japan tour, it became like the dark age here,” says Carl Wagner, singer and founding member. “We toured nonstop for like a year, almost two, and [then] we all just sort of got sucked into all this other stuff.”

After retuning from touring, the bassist for the band left, Wagner got married, Josiah Ferris, founding member and guitarist, became a father, and there was a not-so-happy falling out with the band’s record label. “It just kind of happens,” Wagner says. “You don’t get to play rock star all of the time.”
While the band fell out of the public eye and seemingly fell off the face of the earth, Wagner actually kept himself quite busy. He came off the tour with more than 20 new songs rattling around in his head. He also started trying to get his hands on every kind of instrument he could.

The band has now been recording new material for more than a year. The band lineup has changed a few times over the past year or so, but the core members of the band and “whoever else showed up” have kept things moving along. Some of the new demos from the soon-to-be-released EP have been posted on the band’s website and MySpace page. But I wouldn’t expect them to sound the same when the EP is released.

Aside from Wagner’s endless experimentation with new instruments like accordions, synthesizers and concert bells, the band has also acquired members with something new to add. At the time of this writing, the band lineup consists of Wagner (vocals), Joe Ortega (drums), Ferris (guitars), Brad Grissinger (bass), Ryan Gutshaw (keys) and Mollie Swartz (keys and violin). About adding Gutshaw and Swartz, Wagner says, “It’s kind of like a complete other direction than where we were before.”

At first listen, much of the new material sounds distinctively different. The new songs, even without the keyboard and violin work added, seem more polished, more – dare I say – grown up. What’s more, the songs are all distinctly different from one another, yet tied together enough to still sound like Running From Dharma. “Our biggest thing with all our songs is that we don’t want to be pigeonholed into any of the little sub genres,” says Wagner. “I’m trying to be broad enough that, and I’ll even throw Nickelback in there, but that people who listen to them can listen to us, or some of the ‘indier-than-thou’ kids can listen to us, or someone who’s into like Cold War Kids can listen to us, or Arcade Fire.”

Wagner is the primary songwriter in the group. Lately, his approach has been to incorporate all the types of music he loves into his songs. It is an attempt to do something a little different – to keep people from trying to box the band into a specific genre. Wagner’s approach is also a reaction to music in general. “I’m just sick of the whole [scene]. Music just sucks right now,” says Wagner. “How many Fall Out Boys are out there right now? How many Interpols are there out there right now? But some major label would rather spend their money on that, instead of a band like us that’s fucking trying to have a fucking revolution from our little garage here.”

For now, the band is really excited about getting the new material out there. The first step has been to finally start venturing into playing gigs again. Playing locally has been something of a rebirth for Running From Dharma. But perhaps rebirth is the wrong word. Just taking a peek at the band’s MySpace page shows that the band’s following hasn’t really gone anywhere. The second step is to get the new songs and the EP out there. The band hopes to release the seven-song EP sometime early this spring.

In the course of 10 years, Running From Dharma has had plenty of ups and downs. This month, the band celebrates its 10th anniversary. They’ve got new songs, a new outlook and they’ve begun to book gigs throughout the area again. It seems that things have come full circle and the band is in a position where the future is bright and possibilities are once again endless. “We are all in a position where we are kind of like, ‘Look, we went that far; can we fucking go further? Let’s see where else we can take it.’”
- Vito Grippi for Fly Magazine