Husband and wife team Spencer and Julie Broschard make up the whimsically named band The Running Mates. Although they also work separately, they have a very successful YouTube channel where they perform acoustic versions of pop, rock and country hits.
Over the last few years, the channel has swelled in popularity and now has 167,000 subscribers. Altogether their videos have been viewed more than 20 million times. It’s an impressive number, and a large part of it comes from the cover of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. It was a poignant song for fans of the band as it was to be their last single til 2014. The Running Mates had a lot to live up to!
Spencer and Julie met in 2008 when they were both students at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Julie studied songwriting and performance while Spencer enrolled in the songwriting and production and engineering courses. They felt drawn to each other immediately.
When they graduated, Julie headed out to Orlando, Florida, to take a job at Walt Disney World playing Ariel in The Voyage Of The Little Mermaid. After three years, though, she wanted to focus on writing and performing original music. She moved to LA, where Stephen was living, and the couple took their reunion as a chance to start collaborating. That’s when The Running Mates was born.
They certainly succeeded. The video now has over 7 million views, and the comments show that YouTube loves it. One older Pink Floyd fan wrote: “As a 67 year old, I was around to enjoy all of Pink Floyd’s music. Your rendition made my heart sing! I wish you happiness and joy and may you music continue to feed our souls.”
Happily for their fans, The Running Mates’ popularity is expanding outside of YouTube. They have recorded and released two albums called Speak The Loudest and Acoustic Covers. Both are available on Spotify, and Spotify users listen to the Running Mates channel nearly 12000 times per month.
When Covid arrived, Spencer and Julie decided it was time to start a new chapter of their lives and their music. So they moved to the hometown of country music, Nashville. In their new home, Spencer was able to make his dream of his own fully kitted out recording studio a reality. He now produces not only The Running Mates’ music but also helps other musicians arrange and record their songs. The vocal harmonies he and Julie create in their videos must surely help the work of budding musicians really pop.
Julie, on the other hand, is currently touring with country music star Sarah Darling. Working with other artists and having time apart will surely strengthen their partnership and the music The Running Mates produces. Anyone who has been in a long term relationship knows that having time apart is vital. This is even more true after the enforced lockdowns during the pandemic. Let’s wait and see what wonderful music they produce when the tour is over. Watch this space!
If you would like to watch and listen to more from this talented duo, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or you can follow them on Facebook or Instagram. You can also visit their official website for more information on the duo.