♪♪ >>From the second floor of the Orlando Public Library, welcome to Melrose in the Mix, our series of live recording sessions from here at the Melrose Center.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Jim Myers.

Today's session features Run Raquel led by vocalist and lyricist Marilyn Friedland with Michael Chong on lead guitar, Noel Kunz on bass and Dave Mugnani on drums.

Run Raquel has performed for fans on numerous Central Florida stages over the past several years.

They describe themselves as an energetic four piece unit with a mission to bring feel good music to the masses.

Before the session, we had a chance to talk to the band about how they formed, the origin of their name, the influences they each bring to the project and more.

♪♪ >>It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger.

I just cant seem to unwind.

When all is lost and you can't find your way, remember love, love is here to stay.

Oh, everybody's got that someone that makes their worries wash away.

For me it's you but not now, someday!

It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger, I just cant seem to unwind.

It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger.

I just cant seem to pass the time.

Now I was told a tale of a long lost soul who decided his life needed a longer road.

Oh, he decided not to give up being alive in the moment so being alive in the second is all we need to go!

♪♪ ♪♪ It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger, I just cant seem to unwind.

It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger, I just cant seem to pass the time.

The world is a better place just by being here today.

Don't ever let it go astray.

♪♪ It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger, I just cant seem to unwind.

It's gonna take a little longer.

It's gonna take a little time.

I know my love for you is growing stronger, I just cant seem to pass the time.

Can't seem to pass the time.

Can't seem to pass the time.

Can't seem to pass the time.

Can't seem to, can't seem to pass the time.

>>I always sang my whole life I love to sing.

And I didn't really know how to start a band.

So I started reaching out to people on Facebook actually, and was like, Hey, I'm a singer.

I'm looking for a guitarist, people to just play music with.

I started to meet like so many cool and different musicians in the Orlando music scene, and it was great to just kind of meet new people and work with them and like song write with new people all the time.

So I started doing that and realized I kind of wanted to do it for real.

So I found a group of people to do it with.

And then I formed Run Raquel.

And this line up here that you see, like this is, this is a newer lineup.

I've gone through a lot of different musicians, which has been really cool because you learn about songwriting, you learn about working with people and you form songs different ways when you work with different people.

So it's actually been a good thing that I've gone through a lot of different band members.

But at the heart and soul, it's been.

It's been me, the driving force of it.

Um, I, I love doing my own thing because no one can really tell you how to do it.

You do it your way.

And I've been a part of group projects and other things where, you know, they try to make you fit a certain mold and it was just very freeing to start Run Raquel of my own and get people that are passionate to come in and join me with it.

My middle name is Raquel.

So running to me just represents just always going forward, always getting better as a musician, getting better as a songwriter, performer better as a person.

Um, so that's kind of how the name Run Raquel started and, you know, these guys came along at different times and I'm happy that they're there with me.

>>I pick a petal for you, so I can watch it fly away.

I get you into the mood, so you take me out to date, we go from confessing to undressing spraying my Lily perfume.

And now its obsessing to progression planting seeds until they bloom.

Flower power when were together its the only thing spring can do.

Flower power when youre my nectar its the only thing to consume.

Now you want me.

And now I need you and its the season for us two.

I put purple in my roots so I can match my tending.

I lead you in my garden so we can get into settling.

I need seasonal depression to find a new obsession cause your sunshine is here to stay.

I need to put a little color on my pale stems for summer so your warmth never goes away.

Flower power when were together its the only thing spring can do.

Flower power when youre my nectar its the only thing to consume.

Now you want me.

And now I need you and its the season for us two.

♪♪ I need some flower power I need a rain shower.

I need winter to wash away I need some color on my pale stems.

I need find an occupation I need warm days to head my way.

Flower power.

♪♪ I would say we played with the different lineup.

I played Orlando Rocks at House of Blues in 2018.

Obviously the venue's massive and a lot of family members and different people from the community came out.

I think we had over 200 people just there for us.

So it was great feeling that energy and be able to like walk around that huge stage.

So that was awesome.

We play this little festival in Sanford called Sanford Porch Fest, and it's we get to basically just play on people's porches.

Different than House of Blues.

So you're just you're right there on someone's porch.

They invite you in, you know, if you want to, like, have some food with them or like get a drink with them.

And then you get to just, you know, talk to the people in the community and they're right there with their chairs, just chillin on a Saturday, watching you sing and play.

So it just those moments are very memorable because you just remember, just talking to the people after and enjoying the other bands around.

So I would say those two stand out, but I've played so many shows which I'm so thankful and so lucky to have done that.

But do you guys have any of that you?

>>Boxi Park, playing at Boxi Park in Lake Nona is always my favorite, but I really enjoyed especially the last time we played there, because at the end of the show, Marilyn let me loose and I had like a three minute bass solo, which was awesome.

You know, we're usually just hiding in the back.

So it was nice to, you know, let loose a little bit.

And, you know, I was luckily, luckily, I was able to get that on a clip.

And it's a clip that my one year old daughter likes to watch over and over again, see Daddy play because she couldn't be there.

It was just way too loud.

>>That's kind of cool about us.

We'll perform like bigger shows and we also perform like smaller, tiny shows, East End Market and Winter Park.

We'll just do like a little tiny little set and neighbors will do like a stripped down, kind of like acoustic style.

So so we we like to do it all.

We like to do the big ones and the small ones.

And each are, you know, kind of unique in their own, their own way, do you guys have any other ones do you like?

>>We played Wills a little while ago, right?

Yeah.

Um, Will's pub.

That's always fun.

Great venue, cool spot.

>>For me, it was when we got to play the Orlando City official fan stage earlier last year.

That was a big venue for me, especially being new to the band.

It was just fun playing for the community and just playing for all the people there had a blast and we killed it.

It was a great set.

So yeah.

>>Hold on to me, hear me out.

Don't ya know it babe?

Don't ya know it?

Empty rooms can be so loud.

Can ya hear it?

Can ya hear it?

So Im yelling my thoughts onto this wall, they bounce right back into this song.

Tune out the world and into my soul and I build a world where I take control.

I just wanna make you proud.

I just wanna make you proud.

Everything I dos for you, you, you.

I just wanna make you proud.

Sleeping here, sleeping here alone.

Do you miss me babe?

Do you miss me?

Paris to Rome dont compare to you.

So I get up on stage and I sing your name at the top of my lungs til my heart strains then I take the next flight into your arms.

Its better than any long distance call.

I just wanna make you proud.

I just wanna make you proud.

Everything I dos for you, you.

You.

I just want to make you proud.

Every word of every line is all for you.

Its all for you.

Every line of every song.

♪♪ Every word of every line is all for you.

Its all for you.

Every line of every song.

I just wanna make you proud.

I just wanna make you proud.

Everything I dos for you, you, you.

I just wanna make you proud.

♪♪ >>Music is to me, the most pure form of expression.

You know, it transcends other languages.

It transcends generations, decades.

So being able to be a part of that, something that's been around forever, but doing it in our own way and our own style with our own look is something that's beyond anything I would have thought was possible even as a kid.

So to be a part of that kind of legacy is just something really special.

So when people listen to us, I like that they get to see people who get to do for a job, something that they really love, something that they enjoy every second of every moment of, and therefore they get to enjoy it with us.

Now, unfortunately, not every job gets to do that, so I'm just grateful that we have that.

And that's what I hope people get out of it when they do watch Run Raquel.

>>Yeah, I want to make people feel be, feel, feel good for a second of your day.

3 minutes of your day.

Turn on a Run Raquel song and you're like, I'm I'm feeling good.

Like, this is this is making my day right now.

It puts a smile on your face, crack a little smile.

Then I've done my job and I'm ha Im your funky girl, youre my funky boy.

We can get together babe, storm through all the weather, yeah.

Its our funky world, technicolor swirl.

I know Ill be alright with you side.

When the day calls, and the clock strikes dawn.

Dance with away me, embrace me with your charms.

We dont need a night club to hold somebody.

I can hear your heart when you ‘re next to me.

Im youre funky girl, youre my funky boy.

And we can get together babe, storm through any weather yeah.

Its our funky world, technicolor swirl, you know Ill be alright with you by my side.

When the night comes and you're in my arms.

Dance away with me, embrace me with your charms.

we dont need a dance floor to hold somebody.

I can hear your heart when youre next to me.

Im youre funky girl, youre my funky boy.

And we can get together babe, storm through any weather yeah.

Its our funky world, technicolor swirl, you know Ill be alright with you by my side.

♪♪ Going out, youll miss it dancing in the kitchen.

Pucker up and kiss it.

I will be your misses, you will be my mister.

run and tell your sister.

Going out youll miss it, dancing in the kitchen.

Im your funky girl, youre my funky boy.

We can get together babe.

Storm through all the weather, yeah.

Its our funky world technicolor swirl.

I know Ill be alright with you side.

Going out, youll miss it dancing in the kitchen.

Disco balls and dishes.

I will be your misses , you will be my mister.

Run and tell your sister.

Going out you'll miss it, dancing in the kitchen.

I'm your funky girl, you're my funky boy.

We can get together babe, storm through any weather.

It's our funky world, a technicolor swirl.

You know I'll be alright with you by my side.

Alright.

♪♪ Yeah.

We're going to record a song soon that has a spring and summer feel to it, so hopefully it'll be one of those that you can, like turn on and go to the pool with your friends and, you know, hang out and enjoy outside, it reminds me of just like being outside and enjoying the Florida heat.

It already kind of started again today.

But but yeah, we're going to release a song this spring slash summer.

Our song, Monster, is probably one of my favorites that I've written.

It is about fighting through those demons that tell you you can't do things in life and kind of overcoming it.

So every time I perform it, it's kind of one of those out of body experiences that I get and I get to share that passion of being like, yeah, like regardless of what's going on in your life and kind of what I want to bring to my music is just like, regardless of things that you're going through in your life, like you have the power to like get through it and you have the power to to just make it make the best of the situation.

So that one definitely stands out.

It's called Monster.

♪♪ I can feel your beady eyes on me.

Green-eyed monster lurking in my dreams.

What do you want from me?

Why ya gotta come after me?

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

Youre just a monster, monster called jealousy.

♪♪ You have holded on to me so long.

Bit my tongue, afraid to sing this song.

Why do you want from me?

What ya gonna do when I break free?

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster called jealousy.

Feels like jealousy.

Stealing all my peace.

My worst enemy.

Stay away from me.

Feels like jealousy.

Stealing all my peace.

My worst enemy.

Stay away from me.

♪♪ You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

You're just a monster, monster.

monster called jealousy.

Oh, stay away from me.

Stay away from me.

Stay away from me.

Thank you guys so much.

We're Run Raquel.

Thank you.

It's really awesome that this that Orlando has something like this that we can share our music with everyone.

>>Being a new father changes things a lot.

So when you get to play at a studio where there's recording, that recording lasts beyond you.

That's something that your family, your kids can see.

So that's why that becomes so important and that means when we're on that stage, we give it our all.

Like we're not playing just for cameras, but we are playing for all those people watching us.

>>We do.

And that's what I really like about playing with this group in particular, because we do we we put 100% effort in every time, even if it's one of those gigs, you know, or you're trying to make it through, there's still putting in all the effort and I appreciate that about them and it's a lot of fun to make music with them.

♪♪ >>Thanks for joining us for this episode of Melrose in the Mix featuring Run Raquel.

We'll see you again soon for another live recording session here in the Melrose Center at the Orlando Public Library.

♪♪