We live in a magical place, known both for extreme devotion and apathy, sweaty summers and icy winters, tall mountains and deep canyons, thick forests and arid deserts, rural farmland and crowded urban city life, that has been my home for 20-some years. This place is Bronco Country. This is also the name of a Grand Junction band who wants you to be proud of who you are and where you’re from.
On this particular night, the anticipation to hear the band’s four new songs only added to the excitement in the air.
It was Saturday, Jan. 26, the most recent performance, at Sabrosa and, as the opening act, Dirtylectric, was loading out and the members of Bronco Country were setting up, I felt energy accumulating in the small space between the band and the crowd. This feeling continued to grow as they began their first song with Austin Martinez on the kit banging out a tempo which body-slammed the set into high gear. Guitarist Griff Chiono laid down song after song of skillful finger work, complemented nicely by the four-string chops of the very competent Colin Keefe. I couldn’t help but start moving through the undulating mass of friends and strangers and suddenly wish I had a BallPark frank with mustard to chew on. Between songs, singer Matt Zurek inspired the crowd with heart-felt aspirations of unabashed dancing and freedom of expression. His stage presence is contagious, constantly moving and posturing. He is the quintessential “frontman,” ever-animated, somehow drawing attention to his gyrations and fluctuations like an electromagnetic force, putting on display the shamanic power of rock n’ roll while the rising temperature stands in stark contrast to the cold, wet January night just outside.
It has been a treat to witness the solid progression and stylistic evolution of this splendid connivance of musical statements. Most members have been involved in various GJ music acts for quite some time. If anyone remembers Me Catch Me Kill, you know what I’m talking about. Bronco Country are solid musicians who know how to entertain, to put on a authentic-feeling show. They want you to move, even if it’s country line-dancing, and they want you to smell what they’re cooking. They’re opening up for DreamBoat, another GJ band I’m quite fond of, this Friday. The venue will be the Mesa Theatre & Lounge, 538 Main St., downtown at 9:30 p.m., $5 advance, $7 at the door.