Strawberry Runners is the project of songwriter, Emi Night. Originally formed in Denver, CO, the band came to life in 2013. They are now based in her current home, Philadelphia.
You might fall for the shimmering guitars and trumpet hooks wrapped around bittersweet memories of Emi’s youth in the Ohio River Valley or her plaintive vocals that hint at a country-music education. The music is so catchy, so energetic and relaxed in turn, that on first listen you could miss the narrative being told, where love and pain bloom side by side.
The richness of her music is in Emi’s tender and easy integration of the varied styles she’s called home: with a humble faith in brevity, melody compels every word; with the mystery and familiarity of a hymn, the music stays in your ear like pop, and flares up with punk-rock verve; poignant scenes are conjured with respect, compassion, and generosity. These are the kind of songs that ring true no matter how close or far they hew to the incidents that inspired them; they are pictures painted from a life too often troubled by violence and fear but also graced with an inheritance of compassion, determination, and — best of all for us — music.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]