When outsiders (or heck, even locals) think of D.C. music, dance bands don’t exactly come to mind. There are a few acts that have added loops or synthesizers on top of jangly pop tunes or angular rock riffs, but straightforward dance bands aren’t really around. Enter Lode Runner. They care about putting on an entertaining live rock show and putting on an intricately rump-shaking dance night with equal fervor. It probably comes as no surprise that singer/multi-instrumentalist Scott Bauer helps run Velodrome, which puts a DJ and a live band in the same room. There’s a cerebral aspect to Lode Runner, as the music is very technically complex. But they take that technical complexity and try to run it in the same vein as Cut Copy, by mixing in new wave guitars with their electronic blips and steady drum beats. And on top of it all is Brock Boss’ baritone, which is of a rare quality you might expect to hear from British post-punk outfits. Bauer, multi-instrumentalist Eddie Rodela and drummer Ken Quam took some time out to talk to DCist in Adams Morgan about the intricacies of their set up and songwriting process.

Find them online at: http://www.myspace.com/loderunnerband

See them next at: The Velvet Lounge on June 27, but check their web site to see if earlier shows pop up.

I get the impression that some of you are in more than one band?

Ken: Just Brock and I. Brock and I are in Ra Ra Rasputin.

So how did you guys end up together?

Scott: Well, me, Eddie and Brock all work together.

Where do you guys work?

Scott: The Patent Office. So, me and Eddie met each other. Then, we ran into Brock on the metro. Then just started hanging out with Brock. Ken and Brock were in Ra Ra Rasputin.

Eddie: We needed a drummer.

Ken: Lode Runner did a show and they had drum machines and I think I came to a show. Because Scott and Eddie used to come to Ra Ra shows, so we were all friends. And then they were doing Lode Runner with Brock and a drum machine. And then I offered to come and play percussion over top of the drum machines. So, I just offered to do that and Scott was like, “Oh, man, that’s such a good idea! We’d love it if you came and did it.” So that was the first show we did. We played three shows in February 2008 at the Velvet Lounge. We did three Fridays. We had a drum machine and then me on percussion. And then me on drum kit and a drum machine. And then eventually we just ditched the drum machines all together and it was just me. And we’ve slowly brought all the drum machines and stuff back. And we’ve done a bunch of different evolutions of electronic drums and laptops and I think we have something where it’s reasonably put together that we like.