Somewhere at the crossroads between rock music and soccer sits Branden Steineckert.
The Rancid drummer has long been a distinct part of the fabric of the punk rock scene and more recently has become an integral staple in the crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium as a season ticket holder with Real Salt Lake. But his allegiance to his native Utah’s Major League Soccer club runs deeper than just rooting on the team from the stands. After penning the club’s anthemic song that rings through the air at kickoff and after each goal, he has propelled himself into RSL lore – despite fancying himself as someone who typically steers clear of the limelight.
Now, with the launch of his new radio show 801PUNX on Utah’s X96, Steineckert will combine three of his greatest loves – punk music, soccer and the scenic landscapes in Salt Lake City and the State of Utah.
From his humble upbringing in Provo, to his breakthrough with The Used to his largescale success with Rancid, Steineckert has long prided himself on staying true to his roots in the punk scene. That, he says, will be quite evident in the show, which debuts Sunday night at 8:01 p.m. MT and will be podcast later on RSL.com.
“To me, there’s this punk rock ethos. Punk has always been about doing whatever you want. That’s always been what I lived by. In high school … life was really dark for me at that time in my home life and personal life. I struggled with depression and suicidal tendencies and it was punk rock that truly saved me,” he said from his home just before recording the first episode with Real Salt Lake midfielder and captain Kyle Beckerman. “That also wasn’t limited to just ‘punk rock.’ It was bands like Rage Against the Machine and Nirvana and all these heavy and angst-filled bands that I could relate to. To me, punk rock became this safe place … where I could be whatever I wanted.”
The show was birthed out of labors of love for Steineckert, but also Real Salt Lake Chief Business Officer Andy Carroll.
An avid mogul skier and music fan himself, Carroll often found himself rocketing down the slopes with Steineckert’s drumbeats banging through his headphones. Earlier this year, he reached out to Steineckert with an idea to have him host a radio show that marries his passions of soccer and music. From that initial conversation evolved the show that debuts Sunday.
While reluctant to step into the spotlight, Steineckert knew that his passion for the club, music and his home state would make for a good show – particularly when combined with his relationships with the subjects of his interviews.
Soon after reluctantly coming to his first RSL match in 2007 as a guest of Rancid bandmate Lars Frederickson, Steineckert struck up friendships with many players on the team, finding that he had a lot more in common with the stars of Real Salt Lake than the high school jocks he had sparred with throughout his youth.
The resulting conversations – more living room chats between buddies than the formal interview of a typical radio show – are part of what make 801 PUNX unique. The shows basis truly is a reflection of the tenets that he has lived by for most of his life.
“It’s about doing what you want and feeling good about it and having that be your home. To have a punk rock show on the radio doesn’t really just mean that we’re playing the Ramones and Minor Threat and Rancid and all these bands. It’s not about that. We get to takeover the airwaves in a day and age when radio isn’t as strong as it used to be because everybody has their apps and Spotify and whatever,” he said. “It gives us a chance to bring something to the airwaves that might get people’s attention and reason to tune in. That’s the unknown a little bit these days. To actually tune into a radio station … that takes some dedication.”
Talking about his vision for the show, he shows much of that same passion. The passion that led him to write “Believe” and gave him the courage to present it in a way that made it become the club’s anthem. The passion that has driven him to years of success in the cutthroat rock industry. The passion that brings him to Rio Tinto Stadium every time his tours don’t interfere with RSL’s home schedule.
He talks with a degree of enthusiasm and confidence and tells his tale of growing up in Utah an outcast that has found another place besides the back side of a drum kit that he can call home. He spins yarns of his favorite soccer moments and seamlessly ties them in with the pivotal moments in his professional career. Then, like the final hammering cymbal crash, he puts an exclamation point on his conversation with an emphatic and succinct description of the show and why he is so passionate about the new endeavor.
“There’s nothing contrived about it,” he smiles. “It’s life. It’s real. It’s honest.
