Durham, NC · indie americana · queer country

Meltdown Rodeo

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Durham supergroup of Loamlands, The Muslims, and Setting/Megafaun alumni — rowdy, poignant Americana rock in the queerest of ways, scene family on one stage.

Meltdown Rodeo draws its members from other bands in the Durham scene: singer Kym Register, also of Loamlands, Dunums and Midtown Dickens; Sinclair Palmer, also of The Muslims, Dunums and DINO; Joe Westerlund, also of Setting and Megafaun; and Matt Phillips of The Back Pocket.

The band's sound sits in the Americana and country-rock range, pulling from the South's folk traditions while pushing toward the more urgent, crunchy rock associated with some of the region's protest-minded songwriters. The songs read as narrative-heavy, with a queer perspective running through them.

Lyrically, the band addresses North Carolina directly, taking on the Durham DIY scene and the area's long history with LGBT communities and police violence. The songs confront bigotry and the intolerance faced by anyone who does not fit a rigid gender binary.

With four songwriters coming from four separate bands, Meltdown Rodeo works as a collaborative project rather than one built around a single frontperson. Writing and lead vocals move across the group instead of settling on one voice.

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indie americanaqueer country