Hi, Keith.

Throughout the 80s I worked as a service technician (my first adult job) driving around Denver and beyond repairing line printers. My car radio was on all day every day, which introduced me to a plethora of amazing music. Like so many of the special songs that dot my life, Broken Homes’ “Steeltown” was discovered during work hours while on the road for PAR Associates. I remember first hearing the song in 1986 while looking for the administration building on the Colorado Mental Health Institute’s campus at Fort Logan. It wasn’t until March of 1988, however, that I found “Steeltown” on a three-song promo single at Recycle Records in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The last piece of music I heard from Broken Homes was “Something’s Gotta Give,” an excellent track included on A Little on the CD Side, a 1991 new-music sampler put out by Musician magazine.

I know Broken Homes! And “Steeltown” is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite years—the incomparable 1986! Thanks so much for writing about the band. If you’re so inclined, check out my musical writing, which focuses largely on the 1980s.

Ron