Ugly Robot's Marshal Broyles talks about his many projects on and off campus

Originating from Albuquerque's indie music scene three years ago, local electronic-rock outfit Ugly Robot are taking venues by storm and exhibiting to listeners a unique take on multiple genres.

From behind the curtain, audio engineer and multi-instrumentalist Marshall Broyles meticulously arranges sound for both his band and local artists, as well as for various events around UNM.

Broyles works under the student body government as the executive director of Student Special Events. The SSE organizes a variety of affairs around UNM, ranging from the annual Fiestas event held on Johnson Field to more high-profile concerts, such as Jack White's performance at Popejoy Hall in February 2015.

“When the opportunity came up, we had to take it,” Broyles said. “Almost all of our resources went into making the Jack White show happen; it turned out to be an awesome experience.”

Broyles began his freshman year by volunteering for KUNM as their production assistant. The position entailed engineering audio for the daily KUNM morning show, in addition to queuing up commercials, adverts and non-profit announcements. Broyles has since moved up from his starting position to a student staff member.

Bearing both his jobs in mind, Broyles' creativity is most effectively heard when playing, recording and writing with his band Ugly Robot. The project started three years ago with Kenny Broyles (Drums), Trent Small (Keys/Sax) and Matt West (Bass/Guitar) as the initial line-up. After acquiring full-time guitarist Dustin Harvey, Marshall joined at the behest of his older brother, Kenny.

“We’re all multi-instrumentalists.” Marshall Broyles said. “There are a few songs with me on guitar, another on drums and some on bass. It’s a dynamic environment.”

And with Ugly Robot's constant change of instrumentation, it’s no surprise that each song is unique and novel. Broyles initially described their music as synth-rock but admitted to the diverse nature of the band, further characterizing their sound as space-rock. The genre is to be heavily exemplified in their upcoming album, set to be released later this year.

“It’s going to be about six songs long with two interludes here and there,” Marshal Broyles said. “The record has been in production for about a year and a half, and considering how long we’ve been a band, we’re all really excited with its release.”

On top of it all, Broyles produces independently for local artists around the city. His latest endeavor involves recording and producing for Rue Badly, pseudonym for local Albuquerque singer and songwriter Wyatt Granger.

“Marshall played a huge part in the recording of my album,” Granger said. “Acting as producer, mixer and editor, as well as laying down some mean guitar tracks. He has a very keen aspect for producing and having a big musical picture in his head.”

This freelancing serves as a mutual interest for both Marshall Broyles and those whose sound he works on, granting him an opportunity to practice his craft while yielding them a finished product.

“Though it’s hardly freelance.” he said. “The point is to showcase Albuquerque’s music scene. There’s so much great local talent out there, people really got to hear it.”

Ugly Robot will be performing at Sister Bar, Mar. 5 in support of artists Red Light Cameras and You. Tickets are $5 pre-sale, $10 at the door.

Audrin Baghaie is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com.