Bandits on the Run — an indie-folk-pop-Americana trio based in Brooklyn, N.Y. — formed rather serendipitously. Cellist Sydney Shepherd walked up to guitarist Adrian Enscoe while he was busking in the subway. A conversation about music led to an all-night adventure filled with conversations about anything and everything, the kind you only ever see in romantic comedies. Soon after, Shepherd introduced Enscoe to multi-instrumentalist Regina Strayhorn, her college friend, here leading to the trio’s spontaneous decision to start a band.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Bandits on the Run talked about their musical journey, special projects and upcoming live performances.
“Starting the band really came out of an immediate need to just play … It was about not needing permission to do something,” Strayhorn said.
Their initial “concerts” were impromptu performances on the subway, embodying the spirit of freedom and autonomy in music creation. They transitioned from playing on subway platforms to playing at traditional venues, yet they retained the raw and unfiltered energy of their origins.
Their songwriting is a collaborative effort, with each member contributing and adapting ideas. Typically, one member brings a song’s “skeleton,” which the others then help develop and refine. They embrace a flexible approach, allowing individual creativity to flourish within the group dynamic by giving each other the benefit of the doubt.
Enscoe added, “An idea that is more fully formed is always better than an idea that is just an idea.”
Bandits’ artistry extends beyond their music to their visual presentations. Their YouTube channel is a testament to their eclectic style and creative freedom.
“One video is not really going to tell you what our vibe is because they are all so different,” Shepherd said.
The band produces and directs a majority of their videos. Their favorites include: “You Have Changed,” “We Battle Giants” and “Radio.” They have also worked on a short musical, “The Band at the End of the World,” and a short film called “Love in the Underground.”
The band is involved in an ambitious project: adapting the novel “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” into a stage musical alongside Christopher Sears, a frequent collaborator, and Peter Hedges, the writer of the book and screenplay.
“As the person who wrote this in his early 20s and now he’s in his early 60s, he is so open to being (like) ‘Let’s change this, let’s make this better, let’s make it 2024,’” Shepherd said.
The Bandits are also developing a musical set in Yukon, A.K. and will be completing a residency in Alaska during August to work on it.
They are now embarking on a summer tour, with multiple shows performing alongside John Gallagher Jr. — Enscoe’s castmate in the upcoming Broadway production of “Swept Away.” They recently performed at The Ark on July 24. Enscoe recalled immediately creatively bonding with Gallagher when they first began working on “Swept Away.”
“One of the first things we talked about was writing, recording and touring. And we realized we had this connection outside of the theatrical space,” Enscoe said.
When asked about Gallagher joining the tour, Adrian and Sydney stated that “It just was a natural fit … we’re both at that intersection of theatricality and music.”
Live performances are central to Bandits on the Run’s identity. Shepherd believes that Bandits on the Run is the type of band that shines in a live setting. Enscoe shared a story of spending a night in Mannheim, Germany where the band started playing at a train station and a group of 50 people circled around them to listen. After the police asked them to stop playing, a man came up to them and declared “I have 10,000 CDs and you sound like none of them. What kind of music is this?”
“That was a moment that I felt like what we were doing was singular, unique and that there’s a reason to do it,” Enscoe said.
Being part of Bandits on the Run has profoundly influenced each member both personally and professionally. Even though two of the members are married to each other, they each consider each other best friends.
“We’ve learned so much about ourselves as artists and how we want to meet the world,” Shepherd said.
“It’s really beautiful to share your life with a group of people that you’re so close-knit with and that you have a shared endeavor,” Enscoe added.
Strayhorn continued, “Being in a band has taught me a lot about what happens when you trust people and allow yourself to have an experience that maybe you didn’t think you would.”
Daily Arts Contributor Jovanna Gallegos can be reached at jovanna@umich.edu.
The post From subway serenades to stage success: An interview with Bandits on the Run appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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