94 Broncos don't pull over
OJ-obsessed punks drop a mixtape
Drummer David Pellum II's garage-punk outfit '94 Broncos has had a prolific year so far, unveiling three EPs, each one inspired by the O.J. Simpson trial's renewed cultural cachet thanks to the FX mini-series "American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson." This sudden influx of activity is the culmination of decades spent listening to Atlanta hip-hop and playing drums with his family's church.
Pellum's love affair with Atlanta's underground rap scene dates back to his childhood discovery of Tupac Shakur, who was murdered on Pellum's eighth birthday. He has recorded and produced a handful of projects since 2011, including Young Nyte's Life as a Wizard mixtape.
Despite being the grandson of Muscle Shoals Horns saxophonist and recent Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductee Harvey Thompson, Pellum's rock horizons were limited before discovering the Stooges three years ago. The raw, chaotic drumming style of the late Scott Asheton inspired Pellum to revisit a talent he developed as a 6-year-old at the Refreshing Church of God in Christ in Decatur. "Gospel music is my background as a drummer," Pellum says. "Unlike rock, everything is straightforward. You don't have your own say or free patterns or whatnot."
The group was founded a little more than two years ago after a friend introduced him to guitarist, singer, and lyricist Jack English. Bassist Zack Eggert rounds out the '94 Broncos lineup. "The first time Jack and I met each other was the first time we jammed," Pellum says. "Once we wanted to play out it was different because we didn't know how each other worked. The first year was spent figuring out how to work and how do you talk to this person?"
The band was called '94 Broncos when it debuted live in January 2015 because English happened to go home from the hospital as a newborn on June 17, 1994, the date of the infamous Bronco chase. When it was announced that "The People vs. O.J. Simpson" was debuting Feb. 2, the band worked feverishly to drop its debut in conjunction with the television show's first episode.
Titled We Don't Pull Over, the four-song EP is filled with ear-catching samples evoking the Simpson case. "Catch Me" opens with a salvo of police sirens that fades into a barrage of jangly garage-pop. "Monkey Man" moves into raw funk. Each song merges Pellum's fascination with rap production and his newfound passion for writing and performing rock 'n' roll. "I listen to a lot of mixtape rap," Pellum says. "The whole thesis of mixtape rap is to grab your attention."
Two additional EPs were recorded at Pellum's home studio and released during the mini-series' 10-week run. "If the show hadn't come on every Tuesday, we wouldn't have had deadlines," Pellum says. "In school or whatever they say it, but now I believe that deadlines are really important."
With a self-promotion mind-set molded by hip-hop and a full slate of upcoming shows, don't expect '94 Broncos to slow down anytime soon.