Not their first rodeo

According to Rodeo Boys’ label, the Lansing band’s upcoming album, “Junior,” “captures the quiet rebellion of a queer, blue-collar heart.” The rugged yet introspective alt-rock record was produced by Tom May of The Menzingers and mixed by Marc Jacob Hudson, who’s worked with Saves the Day, Sunny Day Real Estate, Against Me! and beyond. 

The busy band is on tour promoting the new album, but guitarist/vocalist Tiff Hannay, 32, had time to catch up with City Pulse about the new slab of wax. Those interested in keeping up with Rodeo Boys can follow the band, which also comprises lead guitarist Caleb Shook, bassist Taylor Doty and drummer Christian Urrabazo, at facebook.com/rodeoboysband.    

What inspired the new “All American Man” single?  
Tiff Hannay: This song is all about the complexities of queer identity and the beauty of being loved fully for who you are. We’re in a moment where queer love and joy is celebrated in modern culture, while a subset of the population is still very afraid of us. I was inspired by a poem called “The Two-Headed Calf,” by Laura Gilpin, a metaphor for gender identity and unconditional love. The poem makes me cry every time I read it.  

The new single is quite melodic and earwormy, in a Pixies kind of way. Did you approach the songwriting any differently? 
This song almost didn’t get made! I only had a shell of a song without any real meat and potatoes to it. I didn’t like what I had come up with for the chorus, so I wanted to scrap it, but our producer liked the demo I’d sent him. He thought it was worth exploring, so we spent the evening working on the song in his living room in Philadelphia and ended up teaching it to the band the next day. It took a while to grow on me because I’d never written a ballad before, but when we finally recorded it in the studio, I knew it would be a very special song.  
 
The new video for “All American Man” is well done. How did that idea come to fruition? 
I drew a lot of inspiration from the “Two-Headed Calf” poem and the rise of sapphic love in pop culture. I wanted to showcase what our band is really about. We got a bunch of our friends to come line dance with us at the Allen Neighborhood Center. Lexi Couture shot the video and absolutely nailed what we were going for.  

Do you notice any lyrical themes or threads when you listen to the full album?  
The whole record is kind of split into two categories: queer yearning and vengeance.  

The band has been busy touring over the last couple of years. Where have you been so far? 
We’ve toured all over the U.S. and Canada. I’ve lost track of how many states we’ve played, but at least more than 30. We wouldn’t be able to do it if we didn’t enjoy the road or one another's company. It’s quite hard on your body and mind to be traveling all day in a van, eating whatever you can get your hands on, and then, if you’re lucky, you get a cheap hotel that night. We often try to find friends we can stay with so we can come home with a little bit of money. It’s tough, but if you have bandmates that are positive and good at conflict resolution, it can be the most amazing little family.  

Regarding touring, I heard you’re hitting the road with Catbite, but first you’re opening shows for Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! What’s planned for that?  
The Laura Jane Grace tour will be a lot of West Coast dates. We’re stoked about that because when we toured there before, we had such long drives that we didn’t get to hang out that much. On this tour, we’ve got a bunch of days off, so we’re excited to see our friends over there.  

What are you up to when you’re not working on Rodeo Boys stuff? 
Rodeo Boys admin stuff has taken up a lot of my free time lately, as has trying to plan for this record release and touring. However, I’m hoping once the weather turns, I can get out fishing as much as possible this year. I’m also working as an arborist for DeWitt Tree Care when I’m not on tour. 

When it comes to getting the songs written, is there an ongoing process? 
My favorite way of songwriting is to work on songs alone in my attic, then once the structure, melody and lyrics are mostly there, I bring them to the band so they can write their parts and see what needs to be changed. Caleb brought two tracks to the table that we ended up using on this record, and mostly, all I did was change lyrics and add a bridge to one of them.  

You’ve played a lot of cities. How is it coming home to Lansing? What’s the good and the bad of being a Lansing-based band?  
It’s really tough in Lansing right now. We’d love to play our city more, but there isn’t a great place to do it. We need a 150-to-200-capacity room that’s set up around touring bands and regular local shows. It’s tough because we’ve been playing so many out-of-town shows, but we only play in our hometown once or twice a year. I hope there’s something in the works to keep the scene alive here. The good part of living here is that it’s so cheap to live here, which makes touring viable.  

Looking back on the early days of Rodeo Boys, how do you think the band has evolved? 
It certainly looks a lot different. I’m technically the only original member from when we formed in 2019. We’ve gone through some growing pains of figuring out what will work out for us long term. I think this last year, we’ve really hit our stride.  

Do you want to add anything else about the new LP? 
If you think “Sam’s Song” might be written about you, it is.