Dallas-born, Chicago-based Marian Runk's life-long fascination with storytelling evolved from book arts and comics to songwriting and performing. With the 2024 release of her second album, Two Wires and a Spark, Marian Runk hones her musical style, traversing classic country, Western swing, bluegrass, jazz and folk. Listeners may feel the influence of Karen Dalton and Gillian Welch as Runk delivers lyrics that examine domestic relationships and existential themes including (mis)communication, grief, anger, disappointment, loneliness, and of course, love.
While at Oberlin College in Ohio, Marian was drawn to biology, art, and creative writing, ultimately earning a degree in Biology & Studio Art. She went on to graduate school at Columbia College Chicago, where she completed a Masters in Fine Arts (printmaking and book arts), combining her talents into writing, drawing, and printing comic books.
Runk quickly fell in love with Chicago and found a creative home in the queer community. Central to that community was Chances Dances, which began as a queer dance party and expanded to include artist grants, which Marian was awarded for making comics.
Marian was working at Planned Parenthood, singing along to a Miranda Lambert song, when a coworker mentioned she had a nice voice. That was the nudge she needed. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up, so she decided to treat herself to voice lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music, to feel more confident in her singing.
Strengthening her voice was the last piece of the creative puzzle needed for Marian to start a performing career, and she began writing lyrics almost immediately after starting vocal lessons with Carol Kagy, who's still her vocal coach today. An old girlfriend let Runk borrow an acoustic guitar and taught her some basic chords, then she started taking guitar lessons at the Old Town School. She believes the school was integral for her being able to pursue this passion as an adult.
The love of songwriting Runk discovered in her thirties was born from a youth filled with poetry and creative writing and years singing along with the eighties ladies in the car with her mom as a kid. Today, she is captivated by a songwriter’s ability to turn raw emotion into music.