By John Andrews

Did you know South Dakota has an official state soil? We didn't (shame on us) and it took a band's new album to make us aware.

The more brainy among us know that the state soil of South Dakota is houdek, a mixture of glacial till and decomposing organic matter that is found only within our borders. The state legislature decreed it our official dirt in 1990.

So what does dirt have to do with music? Houdek is also the name of a band. It's based in the Twin Cities, but the nine members are native South Dakotans who live between Spearfish and Minneapolis. They've put together a debut CD called Return to Houdek, and they'll be performing its 15 songs - all of which were inspired by their years in South Dakota - on the second stage at JazzFest in Sioux Falls July 17.

The songs are about subjects to which nearly all South Dakotans can relate: pheasant hunting, hanging out in Brookings as an SDSU student and the thoughts you have on that lonely stretch of Highway 34 between Hayes and Bear Butte. Click here for a preview of their music.

Pierre natives Pat Baker and Tom Valentine formed Houdek in 2008, and when searching for a name they wanted something uniquely South Dakotan. For more information about the band, visit their website.