The story of The Runarounds feels like the kind of plot you’d expect from a cinematic coming-of-age story, but in this case, the rock band and the narrative are connected in real life. 

The Runarounds are making time for smaller, more personalized events for fans – including in Columbia – despite playing sold-out shows nearly every night for the past month of their tour. 

Director Jonas Pate, creator of the global streaming sensation Outer Banks, released an open call for young rock musicians and songwriters in 2020.

Five young men ultimately were chosen from about 5,o00 who sent in video auditions. Childhood best friends William Lipton and Jeremy Yun, who had been playing music together since they were 6, auditioned together.

They made the cut.

The other band members selected were drummer Zendé Murdock, singer and guitarist Axel Ellis and singer and guitarist Jesse Golliher.

They’re playing a band on the Amazon Prime streaming show, which is filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. But they also became a band in real life, touring when they can.

The show launched Sept. 1 and garnered over 144 million hours of watch time within the first week of release. The band at the same time has run up more than 150,000 followers on Instagram and is steadily climbing as the tour continues. 

The Runarounds played at New Brookland Tavern on Oct. 17. But earlier in the day, the University of South Carolina School of Music hosted the band for an acoustic session and Q&A with students, most of them music industry majors. 

USC freshman Kate Mitchell said she heard about the band through her class and wanted to go to the event because she likes live music. 

“I want to have a more intimate experience with being able to ask questions,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s a really important part of (me) learning and growing in the music industry.” 

The music school encourages students to engage in experiential learning, said Music Industry Studies program director Jeremy Polley. 

That includes performances, guest speakers, and even being a part of Greene Street Records, a label run entirely by students under faculty guidance. 

“This visit, performance, Q&A session really slotted nicely into how the program operates, which is learning by doing,” Polley said. “It’s as much students hands-on as we can get for those situations.”

A real, successful band is the perfect opportunity.

“I want them to see the people standing off to the side who put this together because those are careers in the industry as well,” Polley said.

Hayden Snyder, a freshman biochemistry and music industry double major, had just heard about the band before attending the event. 

“I’m actually in an alt-rock band myself, and I’m expecting (the event) to be really inspiring,” Snyder said. 

The Runarounds shared advice and answered questions about how they differentiate themselves from their characters, despite having similar character traits. Guitarist Jeremy Yun said they are trying to stay true to themselves and seeing how the band progresses. 

“We try to live it first so it’s authentic, (so) the music is the truest form that we have,” Yun said. 

Polley is grateful to the band for setting aside the time to speak with the students and happy with more than 160 who showed up. 

“There wasn’t an empty row,” Polley said.