(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A local band comprised of all active duty and retired military members is looking to put Colorado country music on the map, while providing a boot-stomping good time.

Red Mountain Highway is an all military band from right here in Colorado Springs. Mike Swett, the lead singer of the band, is a 22-year, recently retired, Special Forces Sergeant Major. The rest of Red Mountain Highway is made up of all active duty Air Force musicians.

Swett said the band’s sound is comparable to the Red Dirt subgenre, which is not typically synonymous with Colorado country–something he hopes to change.

“My gravitation towards Colorado country music really came from the fact that people look at Red Dirt as a genre that swallows this region up as well, but that’s really more characterized by Texas and Oklahoma artists,” said Swett. “So one of the things that we, as a band, want to do is bring focus to this community that you actually have… instead of just viewing the scene as a bunch of cover bands, we’re trying to challenge that paradigm.”

The band shares a deep passion for music in addition to their shared devotion to serving their country.

“We share that common bond, we’re all service men and women,” said Swett. “And that’s just definitely something that unites us and that people seem to respond to in this community.”