For the sounds of Donna Summer and Gladys Knight, you’ve got ’70s cover bands.

For the sounds of Journey and Van Halen, you’ve got ’80s cover bands. And now for the sounds of No Doubt and Third Eye Blind — you’ve got White Ford Bronco.

A ’90s cover band started by two Georgetown alumni, White Ford Bronco is beginning to make its mark in the D.C. area, drawing crowds at The Tombs and The Saloun, in recent weeks.

Three years ago, Matt Golden (COL ’06), who worked at The Tombs as a bartender, met Diego Valencia (SFS ’07) through a co-worker.
They both had an interest in music and discussed the idea of starting a band. Over two years later, and after teaming up with two other friends Sean McCauley and Eric Fill, White Ford Bronco was born.

“We thought it was the right time,” Golden said. “A lot of students and young professionals are removed from the ’80s but lived through the ’90s, so it’s a good market.”
“’80s [cover] bands are great, but for people five years older than

I am,” Valencia added. “The ’90s, on the other hand, are our audience’s first musical memory.”

And how did the name “White Ford Bronco” come about?

“It’s the first name we came up with,” Golden replied, with thoughts of the O.J. Simpson trial in mind, in which Simpson drove away from the murder scene in a white Ford Bronco.

“Nothing is more distinctly ’90s than the O.J. case. I’d venture that everyone remembers that car chase or the verdict,” Valencia added.

Each musician has his or her own distinct musical role in the band — Golden, drums and background vocals, Valencia, lead vocals, McCauley, bass and Fill, guitar.

“We play off each other very well,” Golden said.

About a month ago, a fifth member, Claire Love, was added to the band after Golden discovered her in a karaoke bar.

“Claire is important to the dynamic of the band,” Golden said, allowing them to expand their repertoire, adding songs with female vocal leads, such as “Just a Girl” by No Doubt. However, they kept their all-male rendition of the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.”
During shows, they include hits such as “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis, “Sweater Song” by Weezer and “Ice, Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice, as well as other songs from bands such as Sublime, the Counting Crows and Eve 6.

Valencia added that he likes “everything” about ’90s music.
The band rehearses every weekend for about four or five hours, according to Golden. The night before the show, they run through the set list, which can vary in length depending on the venue.
As a cover band, White Ford Bronco keeps its songs are kept relatively similar to the original versions.

“We want to play so people can sing along and have a good time,” Golden said. “The crowd gets into it.”

To encourage audience interaction, the band allows song requests during the show and on the band’s Facebook page.

Golden said he never gets nervous before performances, having had experience in different settings. He has been playing the drums since age 9 and played in a high school jazz band at various school functions. Valencia was involved with his hometown music scene in Phoenix, Ariz., playing in different bands around the area, and McCauley and Fill have both been playing guitar “for a long time,” according to Golden. McCauley even took guitar lessons from the bassist in the ’80s cover band The Legwarmers.

Although they are exclusively a cover band for now, there are plans to develop original material in the future.

Being in a cover band is a good starting point to build chemistry and develop a fan base, Golden said, and they’ve already come a long way.

“In the beginning, Diego and I used to banter in between songs,” Golden explained, “but we’ve gotten a more professional attitude.”
They are letting the music speak for itself these days, and it seems to be working. This weekend they will travel to Charlottesville, Va. for their first gig out of the D.C. area, playing a tailgate party for the University of Virginia/Maryland football game.

Valencia said, “We [want] to play what makes people happy, and ’90s music does that.”

Check out the White Ford Bronco Facebook page or shoot them an e-mail at whitefordbronc@gmail.com. You can also check them out for yourself next Tuesday, Oct. 7 at The Tombs.