Elway is punk. Punk with a slight twang and gravelly yells for emphasis.
It’s punk born in the Rocky Mountains, which surround the band’s hometown of Fort Collins, Colo. And as guitarist and vocalist Tim Browne says, Elway is a more complete punk now, bringing its most recent album, the more “cohesive” Leavetaking, to Omaha this Saturday.
Tourmates Masked Intruder (Wisconsin) and singer-songwriter Sam Russo (Haverhill, England) will join Elway at Sokol Underground alongside local bands The Shidiots, Eponymous and The Ridgways.
Although famed Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway would perhaps not appreciate it — having asked the band to change its name in 2011 — the band’s second album is a balance of aggressive punk chord progressions and melodic soft moments. The song “Montreal” is the acoustic response to the brisk chord progressions of “Banned from Gun World.” And following “Montreal” on the new album is “Ariel,” which Browne says is a favorite on the road.
Named for their Chicago record label, this tour is dubbed “Red Scare Across America,” and the bands have had no trouble scaring up crowds.
“This tour has been really hot and sweaty,” Browne says. “Every show so far has been packed. The crowds have been awesome.”
The four-piece band — with Joe Henderer on bass, Garrett Carr on drums and Brian Van Proyen on guitar backing up Browne — has marked Omaha as a regular tour stop each of the last two years. The trips have been made in part, Browne says, because of an exciting intuition they sense about music culture in their neighbor to the east.
“We always look forward to Omaha,” he says. “Nebraska’s music scene is waiting for the right excuse to blow up.”
Post-Omaha, Elway can look forward to six more tour stops this summer, which means six more opportunities for Browne to acquaint himself with American cities, and more importantly, their nutritious fare.
“One of my favorite things about touring is finding really good vegan restaurants,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to going to Night Flight Pizza, they have a really good vegan pizza.”
Cam Penner is a Hear Nebraska intern. He recently interviewed the ska band Beebs and Her Money Makers in a bathroom. Reach him at camp@hearnebraska.org.