The Taildraggers have got the blues. But that ain’t bad.

The Bangor-area quartet has been drawn together by a shared appreciation of the classic American musical form.

“All four of us have a deep love for this kind of music,” said drummer James “Snooky” Rorden. “We’re picking materials, and writing our own songs, based on what we like.”

The group’s members said the blues is a music with universal appeal.

“The lyrics are about common things we all go through,” Rorden said. “The themes are things people can relate to.”

“Everybody loves blues, but not everyone knows what blues is,” said Trent Souder, the band’s guitarist and vocalist who goes by the stage name of Marvin Lord. “It’s not all slow, cry-in-your-beer music.”

The Taildraggers, who will play Halloween night at Bruno and Rico’s Pub in Belfast, are named after the Willie Dixon song “Taildragger,” which is based on a type of fixed-wing airplane with a small, single tailwheel. The group was formed by Souder and his wife, harmonica player Lauren Williams, four years ago.

“I used to play rock in San Diego, then I got into more and more blues,” Souder recalled. “The more you get into it, the more depth you find in it. After doing it, other things don’t seem as appealing.”

Rorden joined the band about six months after it started, then bassist Bob Donnelly enlisted 1 1/2 years ago.

The quartet’s members all have day jobs. Souder is opening Kaler Street Music in Winterport Nov. 6, while Williams is an education tech. Rorden is a builder-contractor, and Donnelly is a househusband, with two boys.

They rehearse weekly, and play publicly two or three times on weekends during the summer throughout central and coastal Maine. In the winter, they tend to play more private gigs, like weddings and parties.

Their repertoire consists mainly of popular Chicago-style blues tunes, with a few originals mixed in each show.

On one recent evening, they were playing on the small stage at the Whig and Courier in Bangor. Souder would commune with his guitar, then wail his vocals. Williams would blow a counterpoint on harmonica, then cut loose on her solos. Rorden and Donnelly laid down a rock-solid foundation.

They decided the set list as they went, after brief discussion. At times, the eyes of all four members would be closed, as they absorbed the spirit of the music.

Rorden said the Taildraggers’ formula for tight musicianship starts with friendship.

“We all get along well and have similar senses of humor,” he said. “We’re all very responsible and professional. We take it seriously, and have a good time doing it.”

The band has recorded one album, “A Full Measure,” which was released in July 1997. Souder said they hope to record their second album this winter.

In the meantime, they’ll keep spreading the blues in their live sets.

“Some people catch it and some people don’t,” Souder said. “It’s like a disease.”

For more information about the Taildraggers, e-mail Jimmyjam@webtv.net. For bookings, call 223-2231.