Three-for-All

It's also earnest. And marketable. But while the band's mainstream chances are greater than, say, Ad Astra Per Aspera, it's perhaps even more likely to wallow in local-fame purgatory. Nine years, three albums and a Club Wars championship have yet to yield the break.

"It's 10 percent preparation and 90 percent luck," Wood says. "You have to be prepared, do what you're supposed to do and hope that the right people find you."

But while bassist Jay Kassen and drummer Nathan Russell are considered amiable participants in the local scene, there are grumbles about perceived posturing from Wood and guitarist Aaron Ogle. Wood admits that he and Ogle aren't "social butterflies," nor is he particularly interested in indulging the egos of other bands.

"As long as I know that the other three people in this band like what we're doing, I don't really care too much about what other people think," Wood says. "We've played bars where the only people who showed up were the employees, but we still tried to play like it was our last show."

Few dispute the group's hard work, but Wood acknowledges the urgency hanging over what he calls his "pipe dreams" to break into the mainstream. Ultimately, the band wants to make a living playing music. And it has. But the pace can't go on indefinitely. There won't be many chances after Another Stage to reach another stage. But optimism remains.

"We have spent many, many hours away from a so-called normal life in order to pursue our music," Wood says. "We have put in a lot of hard work. But I think we're on the right track. As long as we keep working hard, things will start to happen for us."