'Most Famous Band You Never Heard Of': Burren To Host Fox Run 5

SOMERVILLE, MA — The Fox Run Five, a band based out of Fox Run Studio in Sudbury, will be bringing reverence, relevance, and resonance to The Burren Irish pub in Davis Square at their 7 p.m. show on Tuesday, August 3.

In a musical collaboration they describe as "the unlikeliest of brotherhoods," Neale Eckstein, Jagoda, Matt Nakoa, Tom Prasada-Rao, and Eric Schwartz are playing the rare live show to celebrate the release of their debut album "Strange Times," a timely collection of songs that came together over five years of writing music in Eckstein's basement recording studio.

"We didn't come together to be a band, we weren't even looking to get gigs," said Jagoda. "This was a writing group, it's therapy for all of us."

That's exactly what sets them apart from many other bands, they said, in addition to their deep respect for one another and longtime friendship.

"Unlike many bands, we all actually like each other pretty well," said Eckstein.

The band began as a group of four that met through the folk music community, later adding Nakoa through a mutual connection at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The five now pride themselves on their generational, experiential, and instrumental differences and their ability to share the spotlight and songwriting credit.

"There is not a primary songwriter," said Jagoda. "There are five songwriters in this group, and you can't come up with the kind of variety that we have on the record if it's all going to be coming from one person."

"Strange Times" is an album tied together with the theme "2020" and everything that shook the world during one of the most tumultuous years most of us can recall, including the title song that was written virtually during a time when the band couldn't rehearse in person.

"I love the fact that the song is not like a lot of songs," said Nakoa. "A lot of songs will say 'here's the problem' and then by the end of the song offer some sort of insight or solution to that problem. I love the fact that "Strange Times" just says 'strange times' and leaves you there, which is exactly where we were as a world."

"There's a line in it, 'I don't want to die alone,'" said Schwartz. "You don't get much more honest than that, and I think we captured a feeling that a lot of people were feeling and a lot still are."

The album also has ties to the Black Lives Matter movement with the song "$20 Bill," written by Prasada-Rao in reference to the murder of George Floyd. Since its release via YouTube last summer, over 175 musicians across the country have recorded their own versions of the song.

"It wasn't meant to be this anthem or this big thing, it was just kind of a lament," said Prasada-Rao. "It was the way I felt."

"I think the reason George Floyd hit us so hard is that so many of us have been in situations like that, you know, situations beyond our control," he continued.

Along with reflecting the band's collective social consciousness, "Strange Times" delves into the artist-approved topic of love, with songs like "Reba My Dear," written based on The Beatles' White Album track "Martha My Dear," that takes Jagoda's personal romance story and turns it into a relatable, tear-jerking ballad.

"That's the cool thing about the writing process with these guys, anything can set us off," said Nakoa.

The Burren will be the band's second-ever live show, following their debut performance at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on July 31. The evening is part of the pub's Backroom Series, with food, drinks, and "Strange Times" CDs for sale.

"It will be a successful evening because we will enjoy playing these songs to a live audience, and that's really all we care about," said Eckstein.

"People who like music will like this," said Jagoda."If you like sound, come to The Burren."

"If you like beer, come to The Burren," added Nakoa.

Tickets to see The Fox Run Five at The Burren are available here. For more information, contact the pub at 617-776-6896.