By JIMMY LAWTON

HEUVELTON – A Nashville band with a love of the North Country will hold their latest album release party at Pickens Hall.

Runaway Home will celebrate the release of their second album “There’s a Paradise” at Pickens Hall April 16 on part of a North Country tour that includes stops in Ogdensburg, Gouverneur, Heuvelton and Hammond.

Guitarist Mark Elliot said this is the band’s third trip to the North Country, but it won’t be their last.

“This place has definitely had and influence on us,” Elliott said.

He said the band was first introduced to the North Country through Adirondack musician Roy Hurd, who hails from Redford. Hurd and Elliot met while Hurd was in Nashville. He said he helped Hurd produce and album and later ventured to the Adirondack area.

“From there we sort of connected with people and migrated into (St. Lawrence County),” he said.

Elliot said his band mate Gary Culley actually wrote a song featured on the second album while playing Heuvelton Historical Association President David Kingsley’s Martin guitar while he was relaxing in Kingsley’s back yard.

Elliot described the band’s music as “panoramic Americana,” and while it has influences of bluegrass, mountain, country and folk, he said there is more to the band than just music.

Elliot said the band’s stop in Gouverneur is a benefit to fight against cancer. In Heuvelton, the band’s fiddle player Malinda Fields will be stopping in at the school and writing some songs with students. Fields said she will be working with students to show how grammar plays a role in song writing and is planning a “mad lib” style lesson for the students.

“I think it will be a lot of fun,” she said.

Meanwhile Elliot and Culley have also signed up to play basketball in a two-on-two tournament in Kingsley’s legendary barn court.

Elliot joked that he is hopeful he won’t be playing against players from the girl’s team that recently took the state championship.

Elliot said the band likes to take pieces of the places they visit with them.

“That’s one of the things that we do. We like to get out and play everywhere, but we also want to connect with the people and the communities,” he said.

Fields says she is also looking forward to playing with some local musicians. She said every area has its own style of fiddle and she is excited to pick up the North Country’s local flavor.

For many the band may already be familiar. Twice Runaway Home has played at Pickens Hall. They were also featured on a live broadcast of North Country Public Radio’s “String Fever.”

Those interested in seeing the band can catch them April 15 in Gouverneur at 7 p.m. at Mullins Family Restaurant, in Heuvelton April 16 at 7 p.m. at Pickens Hall or in Hammond at Bella Brooke Vineyards April 17.

The band will also be in Ogdensburg on April 15 where they will be featured on 95.3 FM The Wolf at 8 a.m. and 102.9 FM Q country at 10 a.m.

To connect with the Runaway Home visit their website www.runawayhomemusic.com or find them on Facebook.