Two Runner outpaces everyone at the 2024 Fairwell Festival
BEAUTIFUL sounds from a couple of small town artists finding thier way across the music trail of america!
Article by Music Fan Magazine Writer: Justine Brown
Photos by: Jim Brown
TwoRunner go the distance at the 2024 Fairwell Festival-
The two talk about the challenges of taking a huge stage as a small duo, roughing it in 14-degree weather and old instruments and the ghosts that inhabit them.
The first thing to know about duo Two Runner is that the name is not a reference to any type of athletic endeavor. Ok, we took some liberties with the headline, but the name is actually a nod to a partially broken-down Toyota 4 Runner (you’ll have to ask them to get the full story).
Singer-songwriters Paige Anderson and Emilie Rose confess that, while people often assume they are avid runners, they are far more comfortable strumming their instruments on stage than trudging down dusty trails in spandex. And that’s a good thing, because playing their unique brand of Folk/Americana/Bluegrass is something they both excel at.
I first discovered Two Runner when I checked out a Fairwell Festival playlist on Spotify. I was immediately impressed by their unique folksy sound, great fiddle work and amazing harmonies.
As they took the stage early Friday, their joy was palpable. They opened with the haunting "Red Sunrise," followed by the instrumental "Shaking Down the Acorns," which showcased Emilie Rose's old-time fiddle skills. The set also included touching ballads like "It's Nothing" and "Modern Cowboy" (the title track of their 2023 self-produced album). They also covered my personal favorite, "Wild Dream," and Utah Phillips' tear-jerking "Rock Salt and Nails" (which you might recognize from Tyler Childers' rendition). The duo closed their hour-long set with "Burn it Down," an anthem to some of the challenges of living in a gossipy small town.
Paige handles the majority of the songwriting and plays guitar and banjo, while Emilie plays fiddle. Though these two have only been playing together for a few years their musical connection is evident in their striking harmonies. After meeting by chance (see interview below for the full story on that) Paige and Emilie got their first big break when they won a songwriting contest sponsored by Gems on VHS. That honor changed their trajectory as a band, and set them on the road to wider notoriety, eventually ending them at the Fairwell Festival to play in front of thousands of music fans.
MFM had the chance to sit down with Paige and Emilie for a few minutes at the Fairwell Festival. Here’s what went down:
MFM: Two Runner’s founding was very serendipitous. Though you both grew up at the same time in the same small town (population ~3,000), you didn’t meet until you were adults. How did you finally connect?
Emilie: We met purely by coincidence. I had just moved back from Boston where I was studying at the College of Music. I moved back because of COVID. I only had two more months left of school and had to finish online even though that totally doesn't work for music. Someone said there's this gal that plays banjo in town. You should meet. I’ll admit I was a little jaded and hesitant at first. But clearly it worked out well.
Paige: I grew up in a family bluegrass band and we were pretty well known in our county. And then my family band ended and I was in a sibling band called The Fearless Kin. Then that ended because everybody wanted to go do different things. I was kind of on my own and wishing I had someone to play music with. It’s wild that we met at the age that we did. We should have met way before.
Soon after we met I had a gig booked at the Center for the Arts, which is one of the bigger venues in town. I asked Emilie to come do it with me and she agreed. That was our first gig, and because it was during COVID, we played to cardboard cutouts as our audience. The only actual human in the audience was my mom. But we were grateful to play anywhere.
MFM: You’ve developed a bit of a following in Oregon, so the Fairwell Festival fits well with that. But it’s a big venue. As a duo, is it difficult to play on such a big stage?
Emilie: The biggest show we've ever played was when we opened for Sierra Ferrell in Asheville, North Carolina. It was about 5,000 people. But this is for sure the biggest stage we have ever played. It's a really interesting experience walking up there as a duo. Usually, people have bass or drums or something holding the rhythm down. The two of us have to be really dynamic with one another and figure out the flow and the flow with the crowd as well.
MFM: You’ve definitely gotten some traction over the last year and gone from playing tiny venues to playing some big shows, like Fairwell Festival. What’s that transformation been like?
Paige: Not much has changed other than how comfy we are. Our car changed. We have a van now. I sold the 4 Runner for the van. But it’s still fun. There were only a few times where it was really unfun when we were really roughing it, trying to camp. We used to sleep in a rooftop tent and one time it was really windy and we said, “never again.” We slept in 14 degrees in Wyoming.
MFM: Paige, you mentioned on stage that your banjo is from 1902?
Paige: Yes. I started on a Morgan Monroe, which I taught myself. Then I saved up money in the family band and bought that banjo for $700, which is what I could afford at the time. I would just sit there in the room playing it and that's what I learned on and what I had for a long time. Then when we started touring, I said, “I need a better banjo.” The one I’m playing now was actually a birthday gift.
Emilie: My main fiddle is from 1912. It’s very cool to play old instruments that could have been siblings. They have the older sibling, younger sibling difference, and when we play it feels like they're talking to each other. The way my fiddle play it’s like it has a spirit to it and you can feel the ghosts. All the ghosts.
MFM: As a fairly young, up-and-coming duo, what do you want people to know about you?
Emilie: We’re just regular people. We want people to keep seeing music and we want it to continue being accessible to people. No matter if you're at the Fairwell Festival or if you're at the free event in the park, like we played yesterday. We want to do all of it.
Paige: It's been a beautiful road so far. I'm very grateful to be out here with my best friend.
Two Runner heads off on an east coast tour with Jesse Daniel in September. Look for a new single August 13th on Gar Hole Records. Check them out. You won’t be disappointed!