My love for all things Auburn can make it easy to ignore some of the great bands that are pouring out of Tuscaloosa these days. And while our local music scene is flourishing with bands like The Bandar-Log lurking, it may just be time to embrace these wayfaring musical compatriots. Case in point - Blaine Duncan and The Lookers.

The way that Blaine Duncan tells it, his band, The Lookers, found him.

After former drummer Mikey Oswalt heard Duncan playing some of his alternative country tinged originals at a local Tuscaloosa singer/songwriter event, the drummer approached him to ask if he'd like to form a band playing songs that Duncan wrote. The obvious answer was ‘yes’ and the guys started making music.

In February of ‘07, the guys played their first gig and have been rolling stones ever since, picking up fans that latch on to their addictive melodies, everywhere they play. With the recent release of their self-titled album, the groups has a lot of original material under their belts, so they typically avoid covers, but when they do acquiesce, they are typically rather obscure songs by regional groups.

As a songwriter, Duncan is serious about his craft and can whittle out some heartfelt, profound lyrics. But that doesn’t mean he can’t cut loose too. On songs like “I Don’t Smoke Dope With Satan (Since He Left Me At The Mall)” Duncan humorously wails and rails against The Man for glossing over reality.

Blaine Duncan and the Lookers are playing The Independent alongside The Bandar-Log and The Motions on May 22. Check out myspace.com/blaineduncanandthelookers for more tour dates, info and tunes.