The Rounders Sign With Blind Pig Records

Blind Pig Records has announced the signing of The Rounders, a young alternative roots band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band burst on the scene right out of high school, immediately gaining critical acclaim from local media, which praised their refreshing originality and natural ability to capture and enhance the traditions of American roots music while keeping it stripped down, raw, and honest. By tinkering with familiar forms of music in new and unique ways, the band soon became one of the hottest acts in the area before most of them were of drinking age.The group has fashioned a unique sound by mining a variety of traditional music forms and adeptly fusing them with elements of modern music. As guitarist Ryan Taylor put it, "We like to make old music sound new and new music sound old."

By piecing together layers of acoustic and electric blues, Southern folk, backporch country, and ragtime melody, The Rounders have created a true tapestry of American roots music for a new generation.The band has released two CDs on their own label, "Little Bitty Can Of Worms" and "Now-A-Days Songs," the latter becoming a staple on college rock radio and XM satellite radio. They were voted the "Best Unsigned Band" by the Oklahoma Blues Society and sponsored to compete in the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2002. They also won the "Underground Talent Search" contest sponsored by a local commercial rock station, competing against a number of alternative rock bands. On signing with Blind Pig, the band said, "We are very much looking forward to our first national release with a label. This is a goal we've been working towards since we first formed the band. The prospect of putting out our record on a label like Blind Pig is both exciting and humbling in a way.

There have been a lot of great artists on the label, and we hope to add something new to the body of recordings they have. The folks at Blind Pig seem to understand and appreciate what we are trying to do with our music which, as an artist, is all you can really ask for."Label president Edward Chmelewski said, "Signing these guys was a bit of a departure for us, but we were so taken by the creativity and freshness of their music. We immediately heard something new and distinctive here, imbued with an infectious energy and enthusiasm that puts a smile on your face."The band line-up consists of guitarist Michael Stone, guitarist Ryan Taylor, who also pens most of the group's songs, singer Brian Whitten, drummer Stu Williamson, and bassist Dave Spindle. The first CD for Blind Pig, entitled, Wish I Had You, will be released in late January.