Hear us roar'

Local rockers pen original song for team

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Got my gal by my side Brought my glove and ticket

And my Blue Crab pride

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs fans will have an anthem to rally around this season, a catchy blues number written by one of their own. "Crustacean Nation," an ode to Blue Crabs fans, is the newest song by Swamp Dogs, a local original rock band that will perform April 23 before the first pitch on opening night at Regency Furniture Stadium. Blue Crabs marketing manager Courtney Freeland said the song will be played during games throughout the season.

"Crustacean Nation" was written by bassist Dave Smith and recorded at his home recording studio in Port Tobacco. Smith's son, Hank Smith, handled the sound engineering.

Although Smith attended only one Blue Crabs game last year, he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to write a song about it.

While he struggled with the lyrics at first, Smith, who has been with Swamp Dogs for five years, said the song clicked after he decided to write about the fans instead of the team.

Crustacean Nation,

Our fans are real hardcore

Crustacean Nation,

Every time we score

Crustacean Nation,

You're gonna hear us roar

Swamp Dogs was founded by guitarist and vocalist Cheyenne Wilson of Lusby. He and rhythm guitarist and vocalist Kevin Cross, who was a drummer until about a year ago, have been playing together since 1997, first in cover bands like Silverado. Swamp Dogs, initially, was a cover band, too.

Recently, however, after a long break, members of Swamp Dogs decided to focus solely on original material. Smith said Wilson has written hundreds of songs that the band has never used.

Drummer Ed Emery, who also plays in the local group Nuttin Fancy, joined the band a few months ago, and it looks like Krys Baker, the founder of a local 10-piece outfit called Fractal Folk, will join the group as a vocalist.

Although said to be influenced by country and southern rock, Swamp Dogs' original sound is all over the map. None of the other songs are as bluesy as "Crustacean Nation," and the title track of the band's first album, "You Better Run," sounds like a hard-driving rock tune from the 1980s.

Swamp Dogs will appear again at Regency Furniture Stadium on Aug. 8, as local bands are scheduled to perform on Saturday nights at the stadium throughout the season. Setting up near Legends Clubhouse, bands will play for an hour starting at 5:30 p.m. and then strike up a few tunes between innings.

So grab yourself a cold drink,

And a bleacher seat

Say "Howdy" to your neighbor,

Lots of good folks to meet

And watch that Blue Crab magic

And the other team get beat!