About Us
Colby James
So it’s the summer of 1998 and I’m sitting around the house while all my friends have plans. I notice an old 70’s style applause guitar that belonged to my dad, leaning against my couch. I pick it up and start strumming.
Just the right hand playing and my left, is not quite there yet. But little did I know that I was getting all the rhythm down. So here I am all rhythm, no technique. My dad gets me some lessons at E.U. Wurlitzer, I get the basic chords down and in three weeks, I’m done! My brother in-law is hosting Karaoke Night at Judge Roy Bean on Sunday. He calls me up and says, “Bring your guitar and play for an hour or so”. So, I did! Not knowing what to expect, I get up on stage, plug in my guitar, and do my first mic check.
My first song is about four minutes long, I hit the last chord and hear people clap. I’ve been addicted ever since. Shortly after a few Sundays with Sean, Judge Roy Bean asks me to run an “Open Mic Night” on Tuesdays. I agree and run it for about five years. I’m at this one in particular Open Mic Night, this girl (Heather Church) comes up to me and says “My band just broke up tonight, and I think you sound great, would you like to play with a violinist”? In my head I’m thinking, a girl wants to jam with me?? I say, sure! At the time I was playing with my friends, Andy Tarter (Drums) and Neil Colman (Bass) and I set up a practice on the third floor of the Bean. This is the birth of Rune. I’m still doing my acoustic thing with a few friends to play along. I’ve played on some of the greatest stages and played some of the greatest dive bars on the east coast.
Heather Church
I began playing the violin when I was eight years old because I wanted to learn the haunting violin/viola solo in the song Dust in the Wind. 
We always had music playing in our house and I felt drawn to bands or songs that featured string music. My parents encouraged this interest and for that I am deeply grateful for my life has been centered on my musical pursuits ever since. I earned my undergrad and graduate degrees at UMass, Amherst and UMiami, FL. Both degrees are in music education with a focus in string pedagogy. I have been the string director in the Dartmouth, MA Public Schools for the past eight years and enjoy working with over 200 students. I adore my students and do my best to teach and motivate them so that they may learn to deeply appreciate music and perhaps someday experience the profound elation that can be felt when playing music.
Though I attain great pleasure from teaching, playing has always been my true love. I have had amazing opportunities thanks to my inspiring teachers. My favorites include studying music in England for a year and performing in a chamber music festival in Positano, Italy for a summer. One of the coolest gigs I ever played was a project called, Van Helsings Curse with Dee Snider and Mark Wood. Currently, I play in chamber orchestras and with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Around the holidays I perform with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is always a thrill. Though my training has been mainly classical, in recent years I have gravitated more towards the rock and Celtic world. Meeting Colby on that fateful night eight years ago was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Playing in this band has been liberating as it allows me to explore the world of improvisation and my own musical creations. I believe greatly in our music and I hope you enjoy it!
Eric Leffingwell
My connection to music was instantly immediate. Hearing the first cords of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles, I knew I was hooked for life. At a very early age, I found myself listening to my family’s record collection that contained a variety of music ranging from Classical to Jazz, Pop to Hard Rock and everything in between; I loved listening to it all.
How did it all begin you ask? Well, I started playing acoustic guitar at the age of 12. As a teen, I would spend hours playing at gatherings and parties with a musician friend of mine. In high school, I sang in the choir and participated in the All State Competition, receiving numerous awards. The combination of my love for music and being musically involved ultimately set me on the road to Berklee College of Music.
Entering Berklee College of Music my freshmen year, I decided to major in musical production and engineering. During this time, I also worked Normandy Sound in Warren, RI, for four years as an assistant to Tom Soares and Phil Greene. Normandy Sound recorded New England’s biggest named bands and a few national acts as well. After finishing at Berklee and my days working at Normandy Sound came to an end, I was drawn to the stage.
Living in Boston, I was in an ideal place to begin my music quest. At the age of 22, I joined a three piece hard rock band called Pieces. On any given Friday or Saturday night, Pieces would fill The Channel, a Boston rock venue that held 1000 seats. After a few years, and a few indie albums, like most things in life, Pieces split up and we all went our separate ways. I found myself in New York City, playing in and out of a few bands. Realizing city life was not for me, I packed my bags and continued on my way to Connecticut, also known as “God’s Country” and I will always refer to it as that. There, I hooked up with a bunch of guys who had a thirst for theatrics. The band was called Big Top Low and the music was driving and in your face. That combined with radical costumes and at times, a coat of latex body paint, would make for a very interesting, yet entertaining show.
After a few years of Big Top Low and living in “God’s Country,” I decided that it was time to head back to my home state Rhode Island. Upon moving home, I found myself joining a cover band called Fat Daddy for a few years, which opened the doors to discovering an amazing 6 piece band called Band of Brothers. Situated in the East Bay of RI, Band of Brothers plays some of the best classical rock songs that most bands will not try to attempt. While playing with Band of Brothers, I was presented with the opportunity to become the bass guitar player in my hometown’s favorite band Rune. Rune is an acoustic rock band that has given me the chance to play with those who also share my love of music. Playing in Rune has opened up doors that I would never have dreamed to open. I find myself happy to be a part of Rune, and only time will tell where the road takes.
Joey Squatrito
It all started back in the 5th grade, when the opportunity for music education was introduced to me. Since my father was a drummer, it was clear what instrument I was going to play. From there on I was hooked, starting off with the
Middle School Concert Band and Jazz Band, then moving onto my High School Symphonic, and Marching Band. Most of my training came from the Mount Hope High School Drumline, which sent us up and down the east coast playing all kinds of different venues and winning countless awards, and also from listening to infinite hours of my dad playing. Rune has opened up new doors for me and has helped me hone in on some important skills. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for us. Drums are my life, between building them and playing them. “Without a beat, your dead.” –Joey Squats
