The Ritz in Oak Bluffs is a dimly lit joint, hot and smelling of beer and smoke, even though people have to go outside to inhale. There’s live music tonight and the bar is packed. On the floor, a DJ gets people dancing before the headlining band, Dukes County Love Affair, goes on.

Jamie Greene, the drummer of DCLA, sits towards the edge of the room prior to playing, watching the crowd.

Mike Parker, the singer, gets six Rolling Rocks from the bar, one for each band member. He cracks them all and carries them to the dance floor. Then they begin.

Bass, trombone and piano players have been added to this local band, which has existed as a drums-guitar-vocals trio for some time.

The core trio, Jamie Greene, Mike Parker, and John Stanwood, all in their mid-20s, recently took a trip to Argentina to play in a different locale. It was clearly successful. They are talented musicians, good friends and now travelling partners too. It’s a recipe for chemistry.

The dance floor is crowded and hopping. The amplifiers numb the ears but you forget about that after a little while. A man with a megaphone (Mike Parker) shouts lyrics above the din of the band.

They finish well past midnight.

Outside, at the end of another Saturday night, the moon shines brightly down on lower Circuit avenue and the sea breeze sweeps inwards towards morning.