Formed in late 2005 by exiles from various rock bands, Brent Amaker and the Rodeo hail from Seattle, Washington where it’s not always cool to be a cowboy. Dressed in black from head-to-toe, the Rodeo are influenced by original country music classics like Johnny Cash along with art rock and New Wave artists like Devo and glam rock innovators like David Bowie. Their vibe, their sound, their whole deal, sounds like something that could be blaring from an old jukebox in the background of the latest Quentin Tarantino film.

The Rodeo have gained a reputation for their raucous, whiskey-infused live concerts and non-stop touring which provide the basis for a comic book as well as numerous blogs, videos, and tweets generated by the band and has gained them a cult following in the form of the B.A.R Brigade, who come to shows emulating the Rodeo’s distinct style. Their first tour to Reno, Nevada was done entirely on motorcycles and which inspired a fan favorite called “Reno” that is still part of their live set.

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo have received national exposure on the Showtime series “Californication” where their song “You Call Me the Devil” was selected for inclusion on the Season Two soundtrack. They have been featured in Alarm Magazine, Magnet Magazine, My Old Kentucky Blog, and Pop Matters, as well as publications across the US. They have completed several North American and European tours and have made appearances at music festivals around the world including Popkomm Festival in Berlin, the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, SXSW in Austin, and Bumbershoot in Seattle. They also performed in the indie slasher film “Punch” directed by Jay Cynik who directed the Rodeo’s video for “I’m the Man Who Writes the Country Hits” and authored the Rodeo’s first comic book.

‘Please Stand By’ was released by Seattle based indie-label Spark & Shine Records in 2010 as a limited edition vinyl package along with a “For Adults Only” graphic comic book written by grindcore filmmaker Jay Cynik and illustrated by Simon Young that is based on their tour exploits. It will be released in Europe in the spring of 2011 and will be supported by a European tour later this year.

“Amaker is nothing less than a superhero in black, leading his charges through a succession of hell bent for leather high-octane country anthems designed to put a beer in your hand and a burr in your saddle” MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG

“Brent Amaker and the Rodeo sound like they were born in the desert of a Sergio Leone spaghetti Western” MAGNET MAGAZINE

“Call it a throwback to a time when Johnny Cash ruled the airwaves and Ennio Morricone made soundtracks for movies, but Brent Amaker and the Rodeo’s ‘it’s beer swillin’, foot tappin’, shit kickin’ country and western’ music–straight from Seattle–is the antithesis of every wanna be hipster band turning up the reverb.” – OC WEEKLY

“…it was still fun to walk in on these black-clad Seattlites turning a Kraftwerk calculator-pop number into a speed-hoedown; their originals, too, thankfully came off more old-school cowpunk than snoozy alt-country.” – ROLLING STONE

Personnel
Brent Amaker-Vocals/Guitar
Tiny Dancer-Lead Guitar
Sugar McGuinn-Bass
Ben Strehle-Rythm Guitar, back-up vocals
Bryan Crawford-Drums, back-up vocals

Contact:

Management/Booking: Leigh Bezezekoff

Publicity: George Corona

Leigh Bezezekoff
co-founder/artist management

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