Indian Rodeo

Indian Rodeo bio

With an intriguing name that evokes a sense of earthiness and integrity fused with a penchant for wild adventure, Indian Rodeo is indeed the perfect moniker for country music’s most exciting new band. Blending traditional country music’s no holds barred realism with an edgy intensity, Indian Rodeo frontman Josh Newcom is earning a reputation as one of the industry’s most charismatic new talents.

The rave reviews have already begun, among them the coveted DisCovery Award in Music Row magazine. Esteemed country music critic Robert K. Oermann praised Indian Rodeo’s debut single “My Block” saying “It’s a nicely-produced, well-written and soulfully sung thumper about a borderline juvenile delinquent growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. Ear catching in the extreme. Well worth your spins.”

Indeed “My Block” is an appropriate introduction to Indian Rodeo, showcasing the act’s hardcore country heart and rebel soul. “When I was writing the whole record, I was thinking to myself, ‘I want the first single to be a song that really represents Indian Rodeo,’” says Newcom. “I remember Garth talking about when he came out with his first single, he really wanted that first song to define what he really was. Every night he’d play that song and he loved playing it. That’s how I feel about ‘My Block.’”

Country as cornbread and as truthful as the good book, “My Block” is an autobiographical slice of life that fans will easily identify with. It’s that ability to capture the humor and heart in everyday life that is drawing people to Newcom’s finely crafted songs. In a voice warm and pure, he sings of hopes and dreams, stubborn pride and hard won accomplishment.

His music rings with authenticity because he’s lived the words he’s singing. Born in St. Louis, his parents worked long hard hours at the Anheuser Busch Brewery. Looking to establish a better life for their family, they moved to a small town in rural Arkansas. “I was in so much in trouble when I was a kid,” admits Newcom. “There was too much trouble to be had there, so we moved here and I love it. We’re in Rosebud, Arkansas, just and hour and a half north of Little Rock.”

Removed from the temptations and turmoil of city life, young Newcom found himself with time on his hands, and it was then his passion for music became all-consuming. “My grandmother played guitar and my dad wrote awesome songs,” recalls Newcom. “I used to listen to those songs and think, ‘Man, how in the world did he come up with that?”

Soon he was writing his own songs and began performing in local bands. “I started recording when I was 14 with my high school jam band. We all thought we were going to be famous within a month,” he says with a laugh, “but that was my first time recording and I’ve been recording ever since.”

Newcom has paid his share of dues. He recalls playing guitar for a rock band during a trek that took them from Arkansas to New Mexico to Wyoming to Montana and back. “We pulled up to the band leader’s house on the day we had to leave to go on the road,” recalls Newcom. “He and another gentlemen were building a trailer in the yard. It was that bad. It was one of those trailers bought from Wal-Mart that had lawnmower tires on it and they were building the outside with particleboard. Matter of fact, I counted the blowouts. We had 30 blowouts on that trailer. It was probably one of the most uncomfortable situations I’d been in, but I had a good time. I learned a ton about what not to do.”

These days Newcom is a road warrior whose days in both country and rock outfits have shaped the leadership and artistry he brings to Indian Rodeo. His eclectic musical background also fuels the group’s unique sound. It’s traditional country infused with the outlaw attitude of heroes such as Waylon and Willie. On Indian Rodeo’s War Paint Records debut, Newcom asserts his philosophy on life and music in the raucous anthem “I’m Country.”

“Grand Ole Opry” is a potent ballad that pays homage to the mother church of country music. “A friend of mine plays fiddle on the Opry and he took me over there for the first time several years ago to hang out backstage,” the young artist relates with a sense of awe. “I was just blown away by the whole thing. Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs were jamming backstage and I walked up to their little circle. They asked what was going on and it was one of the coolest things that ever happened to me.”

“Radio” is a tune inspired by an unsettling meeting with a Music Row executive who told Newcom “country should be more rock.” Those words spurred him to write a defiant number that serves up his astute observations on the industry today and declares his unbridled passion for traditional country. “I wrote this song based on exactly how that conversation went down,” says Newcom. “He said, ‘You’ve got the look. You’ve got the voice, and we could get you so much work for you in that rockin’ style.”