Dante & the Bird Dogs

Dante & the Bird Dogs is a country/folk band from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They are led by singer songwriter Dante Schmitz and the band lineup features some of Tulsa’s finest musicians. On lead guitar is Ted Scott, on bass is Dave Hays, on keys is Philip Zoellner, on pedal steel is Roger Ray, (who has played most notably with Jason Boland & the Stragglers) on fiddle is both Tony Spatz and Jason Lee, and on drums is Chris Gann.

Dante formed the band with the idea of producing a sound that was familiar and pure. They play folky tunes with soaring fiddle lines and old-timey steel guitar parts, but with a creative twist. He decided to direct the focus of all the song topics to something less expected. Instead of singing about lost love, favorite trucks or some other country music cliche… the Bird Dogs sing exclusively about UFOs, alien abductions, MK Ultra and other “fringe” ideas.

They have captured the essence of these eerie and often tragic stories in songs that sneak their way into your subconscious musical experience. Inspired by shows like the Twilight Zone, the X-Files and the Outer Limits, they have wrapped them all up into a classic American sound that is uniquely Dante & the Bird Dogs and also uniquely Tulsa, Oklahoma.