It could be argued that the Rooster is perhaps the most remarkable of Chinese Astrology's curious progeny: gifted and meticulous, the Rooster exemplifies soul through strut, galvanizing change through art and most notably through music (his rousing call to the masses). Though the definition might seem quixotic and a bit virgin, the Rooster is by no means an amateur. He's an authentic professional, clearly principled and realistic in his goals, and before his year is up he's going to show this town just what a clever cock can do.

I'm referring, of course, to Raleigh's own resident dance-rock fowl, A Rooster For The Masses. Since their inception in the fall of 2004, they've garnered the sort of local notoriety usually reserved for the Triangle's finest caste of rocknroll stock, though as veterans of the music scene itself they realize that "notoriety" isn't necessarily the degree by which any band should be measured. To put it in their own words, "There's nothing more important that the integrity of the music." How endearing modesty can be when you come across so little of it.

Rooster's narrative essentially begins with Radical 9, the audio/electronic production team conceived by bassist Alex Cox, guitarist Wesley Gillespie, and Rooster's thoroughly proficient sound engineer (and reluctant manager), Nick Pfirman. Cox and Gillespie had previously been linked to bands like The Veldt and The Not So Dandelions, but Radical 9 was something entirely different. It was a chance for the duo to render sound behind the scenes, which among other things included remixing a popular track for indie sub-stars Cornelius.

In late September of last year Cox and Gillespie pondered recreating Radical 9's somnambulist loops and innovative beats using live instrumentation; Greg Joyner (drums) and David Patterson (guitar) were enlisted to help flesh the songs out, while Bart Tomlin (vocals, keyboards) and Adam Eckhart (vocals) joined soon after. As these sessions progressed, the group's strange dynamic became more and more apparent and the playful experiment quickly took on a life of it's own. The Rooster's fate had been proverbially sealed.

They premiered as A Rooster For The Masses on New Year's Eve at King's Barcade, Raleigh's own hipster hideaway, and have since affectionately adopted the venue as "home base". King's, which is undergoing it's 6th anniversary as I write, has become a virtual harem of talent, local or otherwise, recently accommodating red-letter acts such as Richard Buckner, Bettie Serveert, and Mary Timony.

I'm told that the band took their name initially from a David Sedaris short story entitled "You Can't Kill The Rooster"; in it Sedaris fondly writes of his brother, Paul, who has a penchant for calling himself "the Rooster". Why? Because, as Paul says, "Certain motherfuckers think they can fuck with my shit, but you can't kill the Rooster […] nobody kills the motherfucking Rooster." To avoid being known simply as the motherfucking Roosters, the band has since expanded the definition of their name to include "a wake up call for the people" - fitting, considering the lyrical content of their songs.

Socially-conscious rhapsodies fused with danceable, disco-like grooves that work over an electronic/organic hybrid of beats, synths and guitar. A messy contradiction? Hardly. It's the very crux of Rooster's philosophy: people can think and shake their asses at the same time. Imagine a Station To Station era Bowie backed by Saint Etienne, with Graham Coxon and Howard Zinn thrown in for kicks. Don't be mistaken, though - these aren't the gutter-spun politico-alibis of Ani Difranco or Michelle Shocked, nor are they the visionary gospels of Patti Smith; Rooster have shaped their own unique manifesto, a declaration of "everything you know is bullshit - let's dance". And dance we do, even as they sing about immigration, national security, and yes, Terry Schiavo. Are prospective fans going to be alienated by this attempt at subliminal zealotry? "No matter what the music sounds like," says Bart Tomlin, "there's going to be a chunk of people that absolutely hate it." Touché. Besides, if dropping a quote by Donald Rumsfeld ("You go to war with the Army you have…") into one of your live shows sends the crowd cheering, you must be doing something right.

In September, A Rooster For The Masses will celebrate their first year together by appearing at American Whitewater's Gauley Festival in Summersville WV, an event which draws between 4,000-5,000 spectators annually. It's Rooster's biggest show to date, and could very well be the most important juncture in their career. Though when asked about it, the band continued to play coy. "We'll see how it goes," Alex Cox told me, with a slight shrug of the shoulders. Quick, somebody call Tommy Lee, these boys need lessons in how to be swaggering pricks!

Spend too long in the self-congratulating microcosm of any "scene" and you start to believe that every band is a collective asshole waiting to happen. Fortunately for the boys in A Rooster For A Masses, that isn't the case. They've resolved themselves to enjoy what they do (and are grateful for the opportunity). Nothing is more important than the integrity of the music, true - but what is equally important is the quality of the experience involved in making it. It is that very quality which will keep Rooster wired, vital, and relevant for years to come.

A Rooster For The Masses are currently recording material for an EP; they hope to release an album by early next year. During the past nine months they've been performing vigorously in venues across the state, and August will see them playing with Exit Clov both at King's Barcade in Raleigh on the 19th and at the Velvet Lounge in Washington D.C. on the 20th.

—J.E. Pilkington