It is with a bit of sadness and a lot of hopefulness for the future that we announce the departure of our bass player, Jesse Allen, from Run Boy Run. Over the past six years, he has been a friend, a great musical partner and songwriter, and become like family.  In the days ahead, Jesse will be pursuing his new solo project, Bitters McAllen, music production work, and a new computer programming position in New York (didn't you know he has an electrical engineering degree??). We wish him all the best in his future endeavors in music and can't wait to hear his new album, "Spirits Kill the Past" due out in Spring 2016 on Sky Island Records. Here are some reflections from Jesse: 

"It is with hopeful anticipation and wistful remembrance that I announce my departure from Run Boy Run. Since founding the band on Matt's front porch, blocks south of the University of Arizona campus, we have continued to evolve and grow. Our first years, culminating with our 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest win, were marked by the progressive take on old time you hear in our eponymous debut EP. Recorded from Matt and Bekah's bedroom in Mexico City and my living room in Tucson, we played our own take on traditional material. Soon, our arrangements became more and more complex, and we began to introduce our own songwriting. On the heels of two appearances on A Prairie Home Companion, our first full-length album, So Sang the Whippoorwill, pushed us to a new level. We took it on the road. Our time on the road developed us into better arrangers, better songwriters, and better musicians. By the time we entered Bear Creek Studios to record Something to Someone, Run Boy Run had taken another bold step towards something new: further from tradition, filled with our own songwriting, and open to new sounds. And now, Run Boy Run prepares to take another bold step forward creatively. I'm excited to hear this new direction unfold, even as it diverges from my own. I will continue to support my friends who have become like family, but now as a fan." 

As we make this transition, you'll hear some great bass players from the Arizona music scene join Run Boy Run at upcoming shows, including past and present bassists from Giant Sand, Calexico, and Sweet Ghosts.  -Matt, Bekah, Jen, & Grace