The Runabouts came from Havre de Grace, Maryland, about 40 miles northeast of Baltimore. The two sides of their single have very different sounds. “Way of Life” is fast-paced with horn arrangements. I’m partial to the slow, moody flip, “All Is All”.
The Runabouts formed in 1966 and expanded into an octet by the time they broke up in 1968.
Members included:
Jim Skrivanek – guitar
Joe Pascuzzi – guitar
Dennis Trimble – keyboards
Don Laye
Lew Rothlisberger
Mike Lynch
Ed Kelly
Tom Vincenti
The Baltimore Sun gave a short history of the group when the Runabouts had a reunion on May 19, 2012:
The Runabouts was originally formed by Havre de Grace area high school students as a five-piece guitar, bass and drum combo in 1966. The Runabouts played local teen dances at venues such as Teen Town at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fiddler’s Green at the old Bainbridge Naval Training Center.
After a couple of lineup changes and the addition of horn, sax and keyboard players, the eight-piece version of the Runabouts was active in 1967 and 1968 playing local dances and events and even cutting one 45 rpm record: “Way of Life,” written by guitarist Jim Skrivanek, backed by “All in All,” written by guitarist Joe Pascuzzi and keyboardist Dennis Trimble, on the independent CEI label out of Ohio.
With graduation, military service and work commitments taking members to far flung locations, the band split up after two years but then got back together for a successful reunion concert in Havre de Grace in 2006.
Robert T. Brown came from Fremont, Ohio, where he had a recording studio, releasing records on his Courier label. From 1966 to 1968 he was in the Army, stationed in Aberdeen. He continued to record bands, changing the name of the label to CEI Records.
Released on CEI Records CE127, the code RI2521 indicates Recordings, Incorporated in Baltimore pressed the single, published through Bro-Nik. Nashville Matrix did the plating.
The Runabouts had a website that is long defunct, but parts of it are available on the Wayback Machine, where I found the photo at top.
Info on CEI Records from Buckeye Beat.
Agreed, “All Is All” is the awesome side here, one of the best moody garage cuts from Md. and probly my fave Md. garage song that has horns. i been collecting Md. garage stuff for 25-ish years and never heard this record til a couple months ago. It must be pretty scarce (?)