This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tyler Anderson is a plumber by day, and frontman of alt-country band Bronco at night.
The Salt Lake City band toured the Northwest last fall, and this year the band has performed at The Garage as well as the Jewish Community Center next to the University of Utah.
Since the band doesn't have a concert lined up in the very near future, Anderson took time out of his schedule to answer some questions posed by The Tribune.When you started the band, what kind of band did you envision?I had been playing in indie-rock and punk groups for a while, and I wanted to try something different. I wanted to write songs that told stories. I was definitely picturing an alt-country get-up. At first, it was just me and my guitar. I wasn't sure if I would be able to recruit enough folks to fill out a band. But over time, I've collected some other really talented musicians to play with me, and I guess I'm surprised they've been able to put up with me for this long. Your most recent album is "Painting Pictures of a Perfect Life." If Bronco had to paint a picture of a perfect life, what would it look like?Well, I'm not much of a painter, but picture this: Wild mustangs race across the desert while eagles soar high above snow-capped peaks. The smell of charcoal and soy drifts through the air as the members of Bronco sit around a campfire, drinking beer and eating steaks. Except Angie. She is eating a tofu dog. That's the life. What was the first concert you ever went to, and what was it like?I'm not sure exactly which one was first. But the one that sticks out is going to see my then-favorite band, Pavement, at the now-defunct Spanky's in Salt Lake City. I was in high school, not quite of legal age, but I finagled my way inside. They opened with "Summer Babe," which was my favorite song. I hung on every note Stephen Malkmus played. At one point, Bob Nastanovich tossed a cigarette into the crowd, and I caught it. It was probably the proudest moment of my teenage life. If you were Orrin Hatch, would you debate Dan Lillenquist often, or just do it once? Oh man, if only I could be Orrin Hatch for a day. That guy writes some killer tunes. As far as Dan Lillenquist is concerned, I'd get down off my high horse and bring it. I'd put some cayenne pepper in his tea bag. I wouldn't be no cardboard cut-out. That's for sure. Describe the hunger inside you — both the hunger you feel about writing/recording/performing music as well as food-related.Writing songs is what keeps me creative. After a long day at work using the right side of my brain, coming home and switching gears, trying to tell a story, is fun. When a song appears, you have to grab it and see where it leads you. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Once you write a song and get it down with the band, you want to record it. Performing the music is definitely the best part of being a musician — especially when you have a new song that none of your fans have heard, Or when you get goose bumps playing live. My food-related hunger is simple. Usually, I'm craving Red Iguana or my wife's cooking.