This is what I want to say, and it’s a good representation of the person I am, from Oklahoma,”
Lance Roark says of his debut record, Bad Reputation.
Roark, who calls the long-time Red Dirt haven of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, home, wears his roots
on his sleeve throughout Bad Reputation, his debut album, released late 2025 via Thirty Tigers,
after a steady release of singles during the runup. Bad Reputation is a journey through the
landscapes and emotions that have molded Roark’s life and music. All the while, the record
showcases the sound Roark has been refining over the past half-decade. It’s a swampy, country
album with touches of rock and blues.Roark was raised listening to country music and Southern rock. He was also a fan of Cross Canadian Ragweed’s Red Dirt sound — a genre which would eventually shape his music.
Roark’s career began to take flight after he met and befriended RC Edwards of the Turnpike
Troubadours in the wake of the pandemic. Since then, he has shared the stage with the likes of Turnpike, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, and American Aquarium. Roark hopes this is just the beginning. “This is just my first album,” he declares. ”It’s not even close to my last. I’d like to be like Willie and never stop
making music.”
