Young Blood Flowing After a fairly long dry spell, I've found myself stumbling over an impressive little crop of new bands throughout the past few weeks. Indie rock, pop, country -- you name it, I've likely heard it. One such band is a relatively new group out of Claremore, The Del Toros. Indie-rock sensitivities, balanced with a touch of classic rock and knack for throwing in a good pop hook or two are the formula at hand, and it's one that should appeal to a fairly broad spectrum of listeners. For lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Davey Rumsey, the current lineup (which includes guitarist Adam Nichols, bassist Kyle Bennett and drummer Micah Moseby) has provided an amazing outlet and chemistry to flesh out his songs. Instead of arguing through songs or arrangements, the writing process to date has been relatively clear and unfettered: Rumsey writes the songs on acoustic guitar and brings them to the band. After playing them a couple of times, the band fills out the arrangement and almost naturally creates the sound and vibe Rumsey has in his head without much additional direction or instruction. Perhaps it's just timing and serendipity, but the line-up came together almost a year and a half ago, after Rumsey and guitarist Adam Nichols joined forces after knowing each other from time spent in separate bands which played in similar circles. Nichols' history includes time in Motive for Movement and The Fiddlebacks, whereas Rumsey's first band, which he admits "(wasn't) very good at all" was After Ember. When the members of After Ember departed for college and went their separate ways, Rumsey started off on a solo project, playing mostly acoustic gigs and even recording a solo disc. "Basically, I got sick of playing by myself," he said, and started playing with Nichols, who he had known for years. Drummer Micah Moseby fit in naturally as Rumsey knew him from church and the two had played together bit. Finally, when he met Kyle Bennett at Nichols' house one evening and found out he was a bass player, he knew automatically that he wanted him in the band, and the roster was complete. With only a dozen shows or less together, the group was ready to start recording and holed up to work on its debut disc, Come Down. By fleshing out a handful of songs from his solo acoustic disc and writing more once the band formed, Rumsey and company found themselves with a full 10-song disc, which hits the pocket perfectly, giving a nice snapshot of the band and where its headed without running to long and getting bogged down. Rumsey said he considers his main influences from mainstays like Bob Dylan, Radiohead and The Beatles as well as falling back to bands such as led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones, which he cut his teeth on when learning to play guitar. Although each of those definitely has an impact on Rumsey's writing, none of them overwhelm the songs. "I never think 'I want a song to sound like a certain band,' because if I do, it all just breaks down," Rumsey said. "I just sit and try and write naturally. When I do, I think it comes out as an honest branch of everything I've entrenched myself in." While that does include the lyricism of Dylan, a little of the imagery of Radiohead and the occasional harmonic twists of the Beatles, there's more that comes through as well. Essentially, The Del Toros serve up straight-forward rock and roll, filtered through indie rock. On one hand, there are hints of bands such as Copeland and Lovedrug, but the sound is balanced by a classic jangle that also recalls touches of Tom Petty and Wilco and even occasionally the lyricism of Jeff Buckley. Although those might sound like an odd blend, somehow it all comes together naturally when these four guys come together. -G.K. Hizer, Urban Tulsa Weekly