It’s never too late they say… after decades finally HITnRUN saw their debut album released on CD by Pride & Joy Music a few years ago. Including songs recorded in 1991/1994 – with a very good production – these tapes have been remastered for their self-titled release “HitnRun“.
Since then original guitarist Jareth Grealish and lead vocalist Eric Montoya reunited and re-founded the band, with the addition of talented musicians such as talented keyboardist Eric Ragno, Greg Smith (Tyketto, Ted Nugent) on bass, and drums, engineering and production by Kevin Soffera (Seether, Greg Howe, Howe II)
But wait: HITnRUN not only re-formed, but are releasing new material 2022 in the form of the EP “Give Me The Music“, a killer collection of songs inspired by the late ’80s / early 90s melodic hard rock akin 21 GUNS, HURRICANE, NIGHT RANGER, etc. Awesome stuff if you ask.
HitnRun, a Scranton, Pennsylvania based five-piece, was formed in 1991 and seems they stormed the music scene of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey bringing their brand of original commercial hard rock to the masses.
HitnRun opened for national recording acts Dirty Looks, Tyketto, and Widowmaker (featuring Dee Snider of Twisted Sister). The group released a self-managed mini-album in 1993 but sadly arrived too late into the US scene, at the time dominated by the grunge scene.
Fortunately Pride & Joy Music contacted the band and they unlocked the vaults, putting the finishing touches on their lifelong recordings, which ended into the self-titled “HitnRun”.
Drummer Beckett Grealish says, “Back in 1991, we were told that there was no way we could play original rock in the Scranton PA area and draw a crowd, but we proved the naysayers wrong.” With hard rocking, hook-laden songs and electrifying live performances, HitnRun quickly developed a large and dedicated following in a music scene typically dominated by cover bands.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work and patience to get to this point, but we’re really proud of this record and can’t wait for rock fans to hear it,” says HitnRun guitarist Jareth Grealish. “This album really captures our sound from the early ’90s: bluesy, melodic, soulful and rocking,” he continues.
And indeed this is a great collection of pure late ’80s / early 90s US melodic hard rock in the vein of Hurricane, Roxy Blue, Great White, Y&T, etc. ‘Shot Of Love’ is a killer tune driven by a great riffs, Eric Montoya’s slightly raspy vocals and a catchy chorus. There’s more quality in the groovy ‘Piece Of The Action’, the Rough Cutt-like ‘King Of The Fools’, or the catchy arena ready ‘Got The Fire’.
‘Forever’ is the ballad (very good) still rocking with a strong riff and featuring nice harmony vocals, then ‘Take It To The Limit’ rocks again in great form. The highly harmonized ‘She’s So Wild’ is plenty of groove, ‘Love Gone Bad’ has a midtempo / bluesy feel in the Whitesnake mold, and ‘Wild And Crazy Days’ adds lots of swagger to the solid riff / chorus.
Listening HitnRun’s quality, you know this band should have been huge. This is not just another ‘forgotten band / album rescued from the vaults’. Not at all, these guys are terrific. This is prime US Hard Rock of the greatest quality, with a really good production / mix for a self-managed band.
Regarding the new EP, we only see a bright future for this band, very professional on all aspects having not only written some terrific new songs but performed / recorded all of ’em with the highest quality.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 - Give Me the Music
02 - Feel It
03 - All I Want
04 - Down to the River
05 - Bad, Bad Luck
HiTnRuN – Give Me the Music 2022 EP
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