If their name sounds familiar then yes -- they confess it -- they borrowed it from the title of a Merle Haggard tune. The Running Kind has been playing their particular brand of traditional country music, as a full band, just over three years now; however, their roots go back much further. Leslie and Matt Bosson have been singing together almost as long as they've been married. (See the Band History page.) Early on, the Bossons began appearing in people's living rooms, during family gatherings, or basically for anybody that they could make sit and listen to them.
Pleased with the sound of their harmonizing, Matt started writing more original music and, at the same time, they began singing classic songs by the likes of Patsy Cline, George Jones, Buck Owens, Gram Parsons… Eventually, various musicians around town would get together in practice rooms in Hollywood or Burbank, to jam with the Bossons and to hear Leslie’s powerful voice give new weight to classics like Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough” or to hear their version of Johnny & June’s “Jackson.” Playing a mix of Matt’s acoustic country rock originals and a select list of country classics, Matt and Leslie slowly created the sound of The Running Kind.
The current band features the freight-train lead guitar of George Alexander - who's been scorching the earth with them for over two years now. And more recently they were very fortunate to add the talents of musician/producer extraordinaire Mitsuru "Neil" Fukusawa on drums and mandolin; as well as, from Ghost Town and several other LA bands, the great Frank San Filippo on upright bass. Now with a super-tight rhythm section backing the double-barreled Bosson vocals, The Running Kind have become a formidable live band.
In 2006, The Running Kind released their first record, a seven-song disk, entitled “Very Far.” The record features four Bosson originals as well as three covers, including a Delmore Brothers Depression-Era classic on which the Bossons sing a beautifully dark harmony. Shortly after their record-release show at Ronnie Mack’s Barndance, the Delmore Brothers cover, “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar,” was played by Chris Morris of “Watusi Rodeo” on Indie 103.1. Since then, The Running Kind have become a vital fixture in the Los Angeles country music scene. They’ve appeared at the Grand Ole Echo and Safari Sam’s Brunch Americana to rave revues, and “burned the barn down” in small rooms like the Cinema Bar in Culver City or Old Towne Pub in Pasadena. Last Fall, they began a monthly residency at Viva Cantina in Burbank (the same place they played their first show in 2004). On the second Wednesday of every month, The Running Kind are building a loyal following of country music fans. Some people say that it’s Leslie’s amazing voice or George’s plaintive Telecaster leads, while others refer to the rich vocal harmonies or the songwriting and arranging. However you slice it, if you love country music, then you’ll love The Running Kind—Traditional Country-Style Music for your listening pleasure.
