Ironically called Deadbeats and Barkers, this tasty three-piece roots rock unit has been one of the hardest working bands on the indie scene in Huntington in the past few years.

The young trio’s got original tunes that plow into deep and rich vinyl-grooved furrows of old-school country, funk, bluegrass, and roots rock ‘n’ roll. Garnering the respect of generations of musicians in the region, they’ve have made a niche and name for themselves the old-fashioned way: bar-sweating the true-life blues and putting their own stamp on everything from roaring ‘20s jazz to Day-Glo psychedelic jams.

Made up of multi-instrumentalists and multi-faceted players: James Barker on lead guitar and vocals; Craig Burletic, on bass and vocals and Rod Elkins on drums and vocals, Deadbeats have got their education somewhere between the music schools and the bar stools, playing a circle from Athens and Columbus to Paducah and Lexington, Ky., and opening for such acts as Freekbass and Red Wanting Blue.

Armed with the jazz-juiced rhythm section that’s already played the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with Marshall’s jazz band and backed such artists as The Coasters, Barker, a graduate of recording arts at Full Sail in Orlando, Florida, carved out the band’s first all-original CD, “Local Scum,” in 2011.

Featured on Huntington Underground’s two CD indie rock samplers in 2011, the band is currently working on its second full-length release in 2012.