A band formed when two blokes met at a Bridport music night has been gaining a steady following over the past three years.
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Raccoon Dog is the musical project of singer-songwriter Ben Wilson, who is originally from the United States.
Wilson enlisted the help of two Tasmanians, drummer Rudy Valentino and bassist Ben Doran, after he moved to Lebrina about two years ago.
Since then they have played gigs including Dark Mofo, Taste of Tasmania, Bridport New Years Eve, Falls Festival, a festival called PANAMA, and both runs of the Enduro World Series in Derby.
Not a bad effort for a noticeably laid-back band operating out of a county town.
"I met Rudy at an open-mic night in Bridport," Wilson said.
"We were playing a show and he was playing with another band, and we needed to find a drummer, so he just sat in. He knew Ben, and we pretty much just started jamming.
"I already had all the material ready, and they picked it up and just started playing it really well."
Wilson describes his style as Americana folk. He's a fan of the wide open plains style of classic American music: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, John Denver, and Willie Nelson.
The stay-at-home dad said his original music tends to attract "the oldies", which is fine by the band.
"We're all married and have families, so were not trying to pull in a lot of women," he laughed. "Most of our demographic that we play to are like, dudes in their thirties, fifties, to sixties."
There are "sappy love songs" in the catalogue, but a lot of it is about getting back to the simple things.
"If you like music you can just have a drink to, and dance a little bit to, you should have a good time," he said.
Hiking mountains is a particular favourite songwriting topic; a love that was drilled into him via his upbringing in the Park City region of Utah, where the US' biggest ski resort is located.
It's the site of a previous Winter Olympics (as well as the Sundance Film Festival), and is renowned for its pretty, snow-covered peaks.
In fact, Wilson and his Australian wife moved to Tasmania because they were "too hot" on the mainland.
Raccoon Dog's next show is at the Royal Oak in Launceston on July 13, 8.30pm - 11.30pm, supported by K Lorenz and The Nooks, with tickets costing $10 on the door. They then head to Hobart for a run of three shows.
The band play regularly around the North-East, follow facebook.com/RaccoonDogMusic/ for the latest show information.