Introducing… Native Run
The origins of the duo that make up Native Run started in a place where many of country music’s greats got their start: church. But while Bryan Dawley and Rachel Beauregard grew up only 20 minutes apart in Northern Virginia, just west of the D.C. Area, they didn’t even meet until after their college years in a Virginia church house band.
They were both music majors with Bryan, classically trained in the bass, and Rachel, trained in vocal and theater performance, including Germanic opera. However, they realized they wanted to play music people actually wanted to listen to; the kind of music that makes people turn the radio up when it comes on.
In the beginning, all it took for Bryan to fall in love with music was his dad teaching him the first few chords of Boston’s “More Than a Feeling.” He was hooked after that, and went on to play bass in high school where he realized he wanted to be a full-time musician. “I ended up graduating with a degree in classical bass,” he shares.
Rachel got the music bug from her granddad, who taught her how to sing harmonies. He also played the fiddle and mandolin. Her mom, though, didn’t have those talents and claims her daughter got her talents from “heavenly genes.”
When they started playing together in the church house band, it wasn’t just Bryan and Rachel who knew there was something special when the music started. They eventually started playing original material at a local coffee shop which led to a tour of the East Coast. But it was a residency in New York City that got them a contact from Nashville.
While Nashville is known for its country music history, the duo never set out to be country. That’s just how their music ended up coming out. It ended up catching the attention of hit country music songwriter Luke Laird, who would eventually become their producer and publisher. They’ve picked up a lot of tips from him since then such as: never saying no to an idea, trying anything and everything, wake up early, and work hard. There was also one element that seemed to encompass it all.
“Find a routine, and stay dedicated to it,” Bryan says.
They followed all of those tips as they worked with Laird, and honed their instrument-driven sound. Of course, they drew from their influences as well.
“I’m drawn to writers like Chris Thile and Keith Urban that make their instruments sound like voices,” Bryan explains. “The melodies they create with guitar, mandolin – there’s nothing like it. It’s so emotional, so real. I want to make music like that.”
As they worked with Laird they made a stop at the Key West Songwriting Festival, where they caught the attention of Show Dog-Universal Nashville’s Cliff Audretach.
“We were there with the other BMI lads and lassies, and Cliffy from Show Dog made all the right moves!” Bryan says excitedly.
Their journey together has been full of countless hours of hard work in the studio, and on the road gaining fans one performance at a time. It’s no secret that being a duo makes it even better. Since starting to play together five years ago, they really couldn’t imagine it either way.
“It’s nice to have someone else to bounce ideas off of and share the load!” Rachel says.
Their dedication to a routine has been paying off, too. While working on their debut album, they’ve been able to jump on tours with some of country music’s best. Most recently, they toured with David Nail in the fall of 2014, and just finished Sam Hunt’s Lipstick Graffiti Tour.
“It’s been the best ever,” Rachel says. “We’ve learned so much by watching other artists, and getting to share stages with them is inspiring.”
Their debut is nearing the finish line, and it’s been a very hands-on experience for them. They wrote or co-wrote every song on the album.
“We wanted to have our hands and voices in each song for this first album record,” Bryan points out. “Because we want to make sure it’s very obviously us.”
All of this comes down to one simple note: when you hear Native Run come on the radio, you’ll turn it up.
Check out the duo’s song “Good On You” below.
