Rodeo Boys
It seems fitting that the end of a Rodeo Boys set at FEST 21 was my introduction to the band's blue collar punk sound. Earlier this year they released the powerful Junior, a complete album that covers a range of emotions and moods over 14 songs. But what unites each track is the indisputable heart and authenticity -- something I saw firsthand in their live show.
Now a familiar fan instead of a first-time gawker, I reached out to the band to hear what they have in store for FEST 23.
Scene Point Blank: What's the first thing you think of when I say the word "Fest"?
Tiff Hannay: Friends!
Scene Point Blank: What was your favorite or most memorable experience at FEST 22?
Tiff Hannay: Last year we sold out the Civic Media Center and had a line down the block for our whole set! A bunch of our friends couldn’t get in to see us but it was really rad that we had so many people who wanted to see us.
Scene Point Blank: How many Fests have you played now? Have you attended more than that?
Tiff Hannay: This year will be our third consecutive year playing! We never made it down before 2023.
Scene Point Blank: I was surprised to see it's only two years between albums, as Junior feels really polished -- almost like one of those "5 years in the making" records. What was your general focus or mood going into your second album? (Apologies if I'm incorrect about it being your second album.)
Tiff Hannay: We actually have a secret first album that is no longer on the web. There’s 500 or so CDs floating around out there somewhere, but it’s not available anywhere else anymore.
Junior is significantly more polished for multiple reasons.
We actually did most of the recording for Home Movies (2023) in 2021 and had to sit on it until the label had room in their schedule to release in 2023. We didn’t have studio money, so we did most of it in my attic or in a bedroom closet and I sang through a homemade pop filter made out of pantyhose wrapped around a coat hanger. We didn’t really know what we were doing and it shows. We also hadn’t toured all that much at that point so we weren’t nearly the performers we are now.
Junior was the first time we worked with a producer (Tom May) and the first time we ever even heard of doing pre-production. It made a world of difference.
Scene Point Blank: I think Junior captures a mood that teeters between discomfort and empowerment. Your songs are about gender identity, relationships and politics all in one without preaching to the choir. Does that happen organically for you or do you aim for a specific tone and really fine tune your songs?
Tiff Hannay: All natural baby! I wish I had the ability to decide to write with certain tones. Whatever comes out is what you get. I still try to “fine tune” but it’s usually just trying to make it suck less.
Scene Point Blank: To build on that, Everything on Junior feels really intentional to me, balancing themes but also musical styles. What was the story you wanted to tell on this album and how did the sequencing shape it? Was there a song you kept moving around until you found the perfect spot?
Tiff Hannay: We played with sequencing a few times but it didn’t change much. I’m a little old fashioned in the way I like to make records. I like full records that tell a story or at least feel cohesive of a certain timeframe. It sounds intentional to us, because it’s all from a snapshot of the band in this current time with a solidified line-up, and the turn around time between recording and releasing was pretty quick so we still feel very attached to it.
Scene Point Blank: When you decide a song will be released to the public, is your focus on the live experience or the studio experience?
Tiff Hannay: Always live. We are a live band through and through, but we try to capture the live performance in the recorded track the best that we can.
Scene Point Blank: Lansing is a reasonable drive from many other big cities, but it's also big enough to have its own identity. What stands out to you about the local scene?
Tiff Hannay: Unfortunately, there isn’t much of music scene in Lansing right now. Post-COVID hardships and a lack of young bands coming up has hurt the scene in a big way, but I’m hoping as new venues start to open, we’ll see a resurgence. In the meantime, there’s still a great annual DIY festival that we help put together called Stoopfest!
Scene Point Blank: Can you share any special plans you have for FEST 23 as a band this year?
Tiff Hannay: We’ve got the whole weekend to spend there this year, so we’re gonna try to see as many bands as possible!
Scene Point Blank: What bands/artists are you the most excited about this year?
Tiff Hannay: Mikey Erg, Weakened Friends, Jeff Rosenstock, AJJ, Pool Kids, Oceanator, Camp Trash, Dreaded Laramie
Scene Point Blank: Who is one "under-the-radar" artist people should check out?
Tiff Hannay: Flying Raccoon Suit! We just toured with them, and they are so good!
Scene Point Blank: What's your favorite non Fest-sponsored thing to do in Gainesville (food/destination/etc)?
Tiff Hannay: Karma Cream coffee shop!
Scene Point Blank: Anything you want to add?
Tiff Hannay: We love Fest and we feel so grateful that they’ve welcomed us back every year.
Rodeo Boys is Tiff Hannay - they/them - vocals, guitar
Caleb Shook -he/him - guitar, vocals
Taylor Doty - he/him - bass
Christian Urrabazo - he/him - drums
