If music is my lover you are just a tease

The best music effortlessly subsumes its influences into something altogether unlike them and yet tied historically to their roots. This, in a way, is a perfect description of Rogue Wave, a Bay Area band that will be headlining a show with Two Gallants and locals Cypress Knees tonight at New Brookland Tavern. Hailing from California, Rogue Wave weaves surf-pop reminiscent of the Beach Boys, songwriting more in line with the American folk tradition, and a smattering of glitch-pop techniques that keep the music from falling too far into nostalgia.

Rogue Wave front man Zach Schwartz is no stranger to the independent music scene. He left another Bay Area band, Desoto Reds, when the dot-com bubble burst, and he lost his job in 2002. Tragedy turned into opportunity, though, as Schwartz, who tours under the last name of Rogue, moved to New York City and recorded a demo version of the band's only release by himself. After moving back to California, Schwartz recruited drummer/sampler Pat Spurgeon, bassist Sonya Westcott and guitarist/keyboardist Gram Lebron through the San Francisco community Web site, www.craigslist.org. After forming through e-mail, the group geed and proceeded to re-record the songs that Schwartz had already fleshed out, adding the delicate harmonies, guitar and samples that are trademark Rogue Wave.

It was ultimately this collaborative effort that got the band noticed by independent record label monolith Sub Pop and launched the underground buzz that has led to their national tour and stopover in Columbia. While its only release, "Out of the Shadow," was initially pressed by a smaller label, it was kingmaker Sub Pop (which should be remembered as guiding the early career of Nirvana) that ultimately paved the way for a bigger audience for Rogue Wave's unique sound.

Fans of well-crafted, guitar-driven folk should rejoice at an opportunity to see Rogue Wave without having to buy a plane ticket to the West Coast. Doors open at 8 p.m. The show is $7 for all ages.