Surprise, you’re booked to play Jimmy Kimmel’s show in two hours. That’s what Honda told California folk-pop band Run River North in late 2012 for a feel-good YouTube commercial. This winter the band released their album “Drinking from the Salty Pond,” which addresses the stresses of maintaining fame. The Mass Media sat down with guitarist and violinist Daniel Chae in the lead-up to a gig on The Late Show with Seth Myers on March 28, and a later visit to the Brighton Music Hall on April 8.
MM: The band is comprised of Korean-Americans born to immigrants, subject matter reflected in the lyrics of your debut—an album with Americana genre-leanings. How does Koreanness and Americanness come together in your music?
DC: A lot of the [debut’s] lyrics deal with identity and issues at home. We call ourselves American, but everyone else calls us Korean. Alex was a singer songwriter before the band and a lot of people who sing solo with an acoustic guitar are influenced by [Americana and folk]. For that first album, Alex had a batch of songs and the music was inherently folky and acoustic.  
MM: Why did Run River North change its name in 2013 from Monsters Calling Home?
DC: Looking back we can say Of Monsters and Men were humongous at the time, on the radio non-stop. For a new band to come out with Monsters Calling Home as a name would be ambitious. When we started talks with labels that issue came up immediately. Run River North felt like a good [change] that evoked imagery and was open to interpretation. 
MM: What is your musical biography?
DC: I’ve been playing violin since age 4. My parents [wanted me] to become a professional violinist, but [wanting to choose my own life], I moved on. Our church youth group needed a bass player. That’s when the influences started to kick in, like The National, Cold War Kids, Jack White, and Coldplay.
MM: What is your family biography?
DC: I like to imagine myself getting married next year and moving to Ukraine [or anywhere], and trying to pick up the language and culture, and I can’t imagine how much my parents went through. There were battles won, but also struggles in the home, like when trying to communicate and they don’t understand me. How come my friends don’t understand me? I think these are common questions for kids of immigrants. It creates a unique dynamic in the band. We try to create beautiful music and if that little flair adds [something], that’s even better.
MM: The cover art of “Drinking from the Salty Pond” is fiery, and the lyrics are darker than your debut’s—why do the artistic directions of the albums differ?
DC: To get a record deal and be on the national stage within the first year was a dream come true and that’s reflected in the album. After the firework happened we were left with each other and dreams that weren’t fulfilled. It feels like you had everyone’s attention but then it just kind of left you. You start to look for reasons why things didn’t work. That river that was running north, all that youthful energy—to eloquently put it—became a stale pond, where you’re left with your reflection. 
MM: The new alternative rock influence gives the Americana more teeth. Why does this record sound musically different than the self-titled?
DC: Alex put down the acoustic guitar and picked up an electric. That opened up new channels of sound. When we were songwriting often he would bring in lyrics and we would jam over them. Us going through what we were going through at the time lead to a grittier sound. For me, playing an aggressive sound and a loud guitar was cathartic.
MM: Can you talk about the surprise of the sudden booking on Jimmy Kimmel, and how that feature prepared you to play Seth Meyer’s show on March 28?
DC: The first time around we were literally in shock. It was such a moment of, “What the hell is going on?” With the Seth Myers thing, I’m so proud because I feel like we earned it. It’s not because some commercial, it’s about the music. When we got the email [from the Seth Myers show] we flipped out. It was the most joyful and vindicating feeling of the last two years.
MM: Now for the weird questions—if Run River North was an element from the periodic table, what would it be?
DC: Oh man. [laughs]. This is dumb because, you know, salt pond. But sodium, “NA.”
MM: If Run River North was a time of day, what would it be?
DC: I’m going to say dawn. The break of dawn—really early in the morning.
This interview has been edited for clarity and condensed.