Whether it's a guitar pick, a drumstick or a handshake from their favorite singer, rock fans love a piece of the action. But Texas thrashers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead are willing to do their fans one better -- the band has created a "Roadie for a Day" contest on its current cross-country tour.

Hopefuls must simply create a one-minute video explaining 10 reasons why they should be Trail of Dead's roadie for the day and post it on the band's Facebook page. One winner will be announced for almost every tour date through October.

But entrants shouldn't worry, as the contest isn't as serious as it sounds. "Obviously, whomever we pick isn't really going to be working," Trail of Dead's drummer/guitarist Jason Reece tells Spinner. "It's for people who want to get to know us and learn the ins and outs of what its like to play in a band. Most people don't know that world."

Reece said that the roadie bit wasn't the first time Trail of Dead have opened up to fans. Far from it - just hang out after a show to find out. "We've never been exclusive," he says. "We'll hang out with folks after shows and go find some crazy bars. We've been known to hang with the locals."

That one-of-the-people mentality has always existed in Trail of Dead, and it stems from the band's DIY mentality. It's an attitude that's pushed the band through 15 years and six albums, as well as the band's break with Interscope Records in 2007. "We were frustrated with the whole huge machine that comes with a major label," Reece says. "They'd rather spend money and time with Gwen Stefani or Pussycat Dolls. That's who we were competing with. There's no identity to a major label. Merge Records, they've got an identity. Sub Pop. Matador. So our thoughts were to go and do something like that."

And that's exactly what Trail of Dead did -- 2009's 'Century of Self' was released on the band's own label, Richter Scale Records. Even the album's artwork was done in-house, with singer Conrad Keeley drawing the intricate picture using only a blue ballpoint pen.

In a way, Trail of Dead have come full circle, from DIY upstarts to major label insurrectionists and back, and the fan base isn't the only thing that's grown. "On our first record, we did the artwork with a primitive computer program; totally old school," says Reece. "It kinda sucked. But it was all ours."