The group kicked off a change in radio programming, as so-called alternative stations have put them and other folk bands into rotation next to hard-rock acts.
But where otherbands often fail to inject their own personality into the indie-rock canon, The Broken West (until recently known as The Brokedown) pulls its influences together smartly and cohesively.
He also does something other more mainstream shows of the genre do not - champions new bands and artistes on the current Rock'n'Roll scene, giving them air-time rarely available elsewhere.