If George DeVore has his way, the crowd will dance tonight.

"That's the way it's got to be," DeVore said."That's the ... thing about the South is people dance."

George DeVore and the Roam will play at the Red Dirt Cafe at 10:30 tonight. Tickets cost $5.

Tim O'Brien, owner of the Red Dirt Cafe, said DeVore and his band have played there before.

"Usually, everybody's up and dancing," O' Brien said. "He has kind of a Dave-Matthews sound to him. It's a real high energy, rock-kind-of-a show."

DeVore, an Austin, Texas-based musician, has released one studio album, Wonderland, on his own record abel. The album features up-beat rock tunes in the vein of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen.

About four years ago, DeVore gave his career in music a kickstart when he left his home in Iowa.

In Iowa, DeVore had a band named Fat Bertha. But he said the music scene left much to be desired.

"There's nothing going on there," DeVore said.

So he decided to move to a town with a more robust scene. In 1996, he left his band, took his guitar and moved to Austin. He said there was something about Austin that made it stand above his other choices of cities.

"Mostly, the weather and the warm climate," DeVore said. "I'm just a warm weather person. "

In Austin, DeVore started washing dishes at a club, La Zona Rosa. On the side, he played gigs at La Zona Rosa and other clubs around Austin.

"I played everywhere I could," DeVore said.

Soon, DeVore gained recognition in Austin. The Austin Chronicle gave him the award for "Best Tape" at 1996's Austin Music Awards.

Now, DeVore has set another goal for his career. He said he wants to be able to play in any room in the South and pull in a crowd of about 500 people.

"The only way that it's going to work is hard work and hard touring," DeVore said.

Red Dirt's O' Brien's goal for his club fits hand in hand with DeVore's goal.

"One of our goals is to bring back regional touring bands to Norman," O'Brien said. "There's a lot of popular bands from Texas with no place to play anywhere in Oklahoma, not just Norman."

DeVore said he wants people to come out and hear his mix of blues, rock and country.

"We're not your typical band," DeVore said. "We're pretty accessible. We play a lot of stuff."
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