Rounders gives well-rounded 'blender' sound

Rounders gives well-rounded 'blender' sound

Oklahoma band fuses blues with roots, rock, indie and alt-country to lure in fans who want it all in their music.

By Michael A. Brothers
News-Leader

When the Rounders played one of the top traditional blues clubs in the members' hometown of Oklahoma City a few years ago, the energetic band got a chilly response.

"We didn't get booed out, but we got basically ignored," says bassist Dave Spindle, 26.

That's fine by Spindle and the other four 20-something members of the Rounders. Though generally classified as a blues band, and recently signed to nationwide blues label Blind Pig Records, the band's fans are younger than the traditional blues audience.

With roots music at the core, the Rounders blend in some indie rock and alt-country elements. The results recall the eclectic vibe of the North Mississippi Allstars or the muscular stomp of the Black Keys — two other sets of whippersnappers who are leading roots music into the 21st century.

Today's music fans are more likely to put everything they like into a blender, rather than filtering out certain styles or genres, Spindle says, and that helps bands like his find an audience.

"You're not a rock man or a country man, you're a music man," Spindle says. "You operate on a song-by-song basis. ... It's good for us."

Monte Lorts, who is promoting the show, says repeated listens of the band's Blind Pig debut "Wish I Had You," left him considering the wider scope of the blues.

"It's more than (blues)," he says. "They're painting a pretty wide palette here with what they're doing."