Bassist and vocalist
Jeffrey Runnings has enjoyed a long-running career as a key member of indie pop veterans
For Against, who formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1984. The band was ahead of the curve in emulating the sound of British post-punk labels like 4AD and Factory on U.S. soil, and they helped pave the way for the dream pop and shoegaze sounds that heavily populated American indie rock throughout the subsequent decades.
For Against released several well-regarded (but relatively obscure) albums on Independent Project Records and Rainbow Quartz throughout the '80s and '90s, moving to Words on Music during the 2000s. In 2013, Captured Tracks released three of the group's early records as a vinyl box set. Three years later,
Runnings (shortening his first name to
Jeff) moved to Saint Marie Records for the release of his debut solo album,
Primitives & Smalls, which continued in the direction of his work with
For Against. ~ Paul Simpson