Middle Distance Runner was an American indie rock band from Washington, D.C.
Middle Distance Runner was founded in 1998, but the band didn't play a live show until 2005, shortly before the release of their debut album.Middle Distance Runner, 'Naturally'. NPR, November 27, 2006. The group was an early success on Internet music websites, and credited Amie Street and MySpace with improving their visibility early in their careers.Middle Distance Runner. Billboard, May 25, 2009. Exposure on blogs, including USA Today's Pop Candy, also raised their profile.Unbuckled Preview: Middle Distance Runner . DCist, September 13, 2006. By 2007, the group had received notice in national publications such as Spin and The Washington Post.Review of Middle Distance Runner EP. Broward Palm Beach New Times, December 6, 2007. The group's founding bassist, Tony Acampora, left the group in the mid-2000s, and by 2007 had been replaced by Ian Glinka, a former member of the group Black Tie Revue.D.C.'s Middle Distance Runner performs at Garfield Artworks. Pittsburgh City Paper, October 4, 2007. Both their debut album, 2006's Plane in Flames, and a 2007 self-titled EP were released independently.Review of Middle Distance Runner EP, Scene Point Blank, November 8, 2007. They signed with the label Engine Room Recordings for the release of 2009's The Sun & Earth.Review, PopMattersReview, QRO Magazine That same year, the group played at NASA's Goddard Visitor Center with space imagery accompaniment.Featured Image, NASA, April 6, 2009. In 2010, CNN reported that the group was "selling out shows around the country".Middle Distance Runner takes success personally. CNN, March 17, 2010.
Little was heard from the group in the early 2010s, though they performed in 2013 in the DC area.Middle Distance Runner. The Deli Magazine, September 24, 2013.
Members Erik Dean – drums Tony Acampora – bass Ian Glinka – bass Jay Smith – guitar Allan Chappelear – guitar Stephen Kilroy – vocals
Discography Plane in Flames (Self-released, 2006) Middle Distance Runner EP (Self-released, 2007) The Sun & Earth (Engine Room Recordings, 2009) Secret Things (Self-released, 2015)
References