Bandits on the Run hails from Brooklyn, NY where they are known for their dynamic performance style with soaring harmonies that is genre-defying, and for the ability to make music magic happen no matter what the venue might be. The band is composed of three lead singers, Adrian Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd and Regina Strayhorn, accompanied by guitar, cello, accordion, a suitcase drum, and various toy instruments. In 2020, Bandits on the Run appeared at the ASCAP Café Stage at Sundance, when they were selected for SXSW. They booked a tour that included an appearance at the Kennedy Center, and an opening slot for Larkin Poe at Webster Hall. Then, the world shut down with the COVID-19 pandemic. The band then came to the attention of producer Ryan Hadlock (Lumineers, Vance Joy, Brandi Carlile), who would convince them to go to the West Coast to record at Bear Creek Studios.
The resulting EP, Now Is The Time, is their most daring and sophisticated work to date. Rolling Stone included “Now Is The Time” in its weekly round-up of the best new Folk music. The second single, “We Battle Giants” caught KEXP’s Kevin Cole’s attention who said, “This song is how I want to wake up every morning… Man, it’s better than a triple shot of espresso.”
Bandits on the Run’s Now Is The Time presents six tunes that range from Indie Folk to Pop-Americana, with harmonies that recall artists from earlier eras when the vocals were center stage. Their lyrics are at times whimsical and playful, but also reach deep into the mind’s eye of the realities of life, and shedding light into the gray areas that haunt us. WFUV, KCSN, KBAC and KJAC are already on Bandits, with more stations sure to follow after their appearance on the JBE Virtual SummitFest on Thursday, February 25.
