BRONCHO

The night started with a group called BRONCHO from Tulsa that played raw, aggressive, and wonderfully effective old-school punk. I had come to the Oklahoma Showcase at yet another cheesy Sixth Street bar called Friends to see the next act, but this faster-louder no-B.S. quartet was a pleasant surprise, with the sort of take-no-prisoners delivery that this critic wishes the much more-hyped Smith Westerns unleashed.
- WBEZ CHICAGO

Sometimes it's ironic how things unfold. Even before I'd written my column last week or openly expressed my jones for some good punk music, my phone started ringing.

Apparently the dead of winter is a good time for punk bands to shake off the cold and rock out. Not only is last week's spotlight act, The Decomposed, brushing off the dust, but one of my personal favorites, First Lady Assassins has exited the studio with an EP's worth of new material that I'm sure I'll get to discuss in the near future. Perhaps more interesting, however, is a call I got from Ryan Lindsey's camp.

For those who aren't familiar with Ryan Lindsey, he's recently emerged as something akin to Oklahoma's indie rock golden boy. He's got an innate and uncanny sense of melody and songwriting that rarely misses the mark. Whether working with indie/art rockers Starlight Mints, (whose last album was in my opinion, the band's best and most focused), or focusing on immaculate pop hooks and songwriting with his own material, Lindsey's been on a serious roll during the past couple of years.

For the most part, however, I've always known Lindsey for his innate pop sensibilities. I found it rather intriguing then to hear that his latest project, Broncho, is a punk band. Yes, you (and I) heard that right: a punk band.

This isn't just any throw off punk act either, mind you; it's a trio that matches up Lindsey with Johnathan Ford and Nathan Price, allowing the three a new outlet to shake off the pop and rock out.

Lindsey was as gracious and humble about his latest endeavor as always, almost playing down this latest project. Despite his humility, however, Lindsey's joy and excitement with this latest project shined. It seems that Broncho is something of a serendipitous project.

You see, following the success of Lindsey's work on the soundtrack for American Teen, he was called on to write songs for another, undisclosed movie project. It just so happened, however, that the movie called for a handful of punk songs.

When asked about the writing process and if it was any different or if he had to change his mindset when writing, Lindsey said that it wasn't really the case. In fact, he revealed that he actually had a few songs that he was working on for his next solo album that didn't quite fit.

Once he was called on for this project, though, he saw that the tunes made more sense stripped back and turned up in this format. And although some people might feel like this is a departure that could distract from Lindsey's solo work, that's not the case--if anything, he said that it helped him focus and streamline his latest solo album.

When discussing Broncho, however, he said that after the songs were written and recorded, it only felt natural to take them out and play them live--that's when the band really came to life. Once the decision was made, bassist Johnathan Ford made a couple of calls, and the band quietly (or perhaps, raucously) made its official debut at Crystal Pistol just a few weeks ago on Jan. 17.

Before jumping out in public, however, Lindsey called a few friends over for an impromptu house party the night before to iron out the wrinkles and see what the response might be.

Lindsey said that the friends that came over didn't know what to expect.

In fact, only a limited few had even heard any of the new tracks, so it was kind of a case of experimenting on friends--and while nearly all were surprised, they also responded enthusiastically.
In turn, the response at the Crystal Pistol show was remarkably similar--perhaps a few blank stares and awestruck glances at first, but by the time the band had powered through a quick set, the audience was fully involved.

Getting the band formed to get to the set wasn't too much of a hassle either.

"Ryan called and said 'I'm forming a punk band, and I'd love you to play bass,'" said Jonathan Ford about getting involved in the project. "He's a great friend, so it was a no-brainer. Plus, he sent me the songs, and I thought they were awesome."

We also discussed the expectations that come with Lindsey's work and even Ford said, "Honestly, this was kind of a curveball for me, too. This isn't the first thing I was expecting, but the thing is--the more I listen and play it, the more it makes sense to me. No matter what it is: Pop or quirky indie-rock or punk, Ryan just writes great songs."

At the end of the day, that's what it's all about anyway, right? As Ford said, it doesn't matter if it's punk, indie rock or pop (or any other style, for that matter)--a good song is a good song. Sometimes it's OK to strip things back, turn up the volume and let it ride. In fact, sometimes it just makes it more fun.

And fun is what Broncho is really about at this point. While he agreed that the audience was kind of taken by surprise at both the house party and Crystal Pistol debut, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Perhaps most importantly, however, he said, "This is the most fun I've had on stage for 13 years. It took me back to my younger days and I'm having a blast."

If you haven't heard Broncho yet, you can get a very brief preview via the pair of cuts the band has posted online at HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/bronchoband"; myspace.com/bronchoband, or you can just head out this weekend and take it all in with no preconceived notions. Broncho will be helping fill out the bill for the Independent Cause show at Eclipse Saturday night, Feb. 6. The show is a launch party for Tulsa's latest music blog, Independent Cause, which can be found at HYPERLINK "http://music.tulsaproject.com"; music.tulsaproject.com and all proceeds from the show will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The show starts at 8pm with a line-up that includes La Panther Happens, Faiwna Forte', Broncho, GHOSTS and The Televised. In addition, select local artists have donated their work to be sold with those proceeds going to the designated charity as well.

If you're looking for something fresh and unexpected, check it out this weekend--not only will Broncho blindside you with a quick barrage of energetic punk tunes, but you'll also be able to catch Forte's new material (she was just wrapping up recording last week) and get up-to-date with another recent Soundcheck artist, The Televised. Cover is only $5, so I'll see you at the show.
- URBAN TULSA WEEKLY