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  It all started in the fall of 2006. The Run Around formed in the basement of lead singer Jason Fein’s small and cramped basement. Originally a four piece consisting of Jason (Jay) Fein on guitar and vocals, Adam Sharp on lead guitar, Jason (Stretch) Enders on bass, and Matt Farias behind the drums, the band began writing their own material while also playing cover songs together. The guys started off playing basement frat party shows, small fundraisers, ISU events, and the occasional dive bar; often times playing for small crowds and their friends. Persistence began to pay off as more time went by. The band started developing a following at ISU following the release of their first EP entitled “This Town”.

  The summer of 2007 brought the inclusion of new member Jared LeCount on guitar and Jay moving full time to the microphone. The band continued to work on defining their sound throughout the summer and had a batch of new songs that would eventually make it onto their recording of the “Switchblades and Serenades” EP produced in the coming winter. In addition to playing increasingly more shows for new fans around ISU, The Run Around began to travel throughout Illinois more often to expand their growing fan base. With the band beginning to define their “sound”, the guys became exceptionally busy promoting themselves and booking shows.

  The departure of Matt Farias from TRA in the summer of 2008 due to his career was hard for the band, as they had lost an original member (though he still frequents TRA shows and will occasionally play a song with the guys). With help from Matt to find a replacement, Brent Steinberg became the new drummer for The Run Around. This came at a hectic time because the band’s reputation and following had continued to grow and more doors began to open. Brent’s first show at The Canopy Club in Champaign would be The Run Around’s biggest show they had played yet, but wouldn’t be for long. The guys also began to write more new material and began making plans to put out a full album. By December, the band finished recording their latest tracks and in the coming months would put together and release their album Fight The Day, which combined the seven newly recorded songs with the five from their previous EP. Following the release of Fight The Day, the band began to play bigger venues and bigger crowds. The guys also began to share the stage with larger acts such as Head Automatica, Lucky Boys Confusion, Inept, The Insecurities, American Taxi, expanding their popularity and establishing themselves even more as an up and coming band.

  In the spring of 09, The Run Around entered and won a contest sponsored by Briggs and Stratton to play the main stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee. The band beat out 777 bands and received more publicity than ever before. In preparation for the show, the guys did several on-air interviews, newspaper interviews, and were even featured on FOX News Milwaukee playing their single Runaway Mexico. They also got to meet John Shiely, the CEO of Briggs and Stratton and board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At Summerfest, The Run Around shared the stage with Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler. The Summerfest show was by far the biggest accomplishment to date and has begun to open even more doors for the band.

  Their accomplishments thus far are nothing short of impressive but if you asked anyone of them they'd tell you... "You haven't seen anything yet"