Touring without regular drummer, Aine Fujioka, will provide the challenge of bringing the band's full sound to the fifteen venues they will pass through over the next month. Rather than opting simplify things and play exclusively acoustic sets, Paul Hansen, Adam Sankowski, and Todd Martsen will impress crowds as they trade and share instrumental responsibilities. The revolving display of the trio's diverse musical proficiency promises to make for a satisfying live experience for audiences from here all the way to cities like Santa Cruz and Seattle.

Having predominantly performed material from the 2007 self-titled debut album on their last few tours, this time around The Grownup Noise will have brand new songs to introduce to the set list. The forthcoming EP, "Shall We?" features two acoustic numbers ("Six Foot Solemn Oath" and "So It Goes") which are exclusive to the short release and a further three which will help to comprise a new full-length, set to come out in January of next year. For these new works, the skillful help of producer/musician, Scott Solter has been enlisted. Solter has worked with the likes of Spoon and St. Vincent and brings the same kind of freshly mixed gleam of those artists to this EP. On the record's two fairly straight forward acoustic songs, front man, Hansen displays a similar vocal range to that of Ben Gibbard and, occasionally, lyrics with the same manner simplistic yet beautiful cynicism as those crafted by Mike Kinsella ("I'll pick a side that no one is on" from "So It Goes," for example). The standout from the new release, however, it's the opening track, "Strawmen." Keys, strings, soft high-hat clashes and Hansen's melodic voice flourish together excellently on the track; signaling that the next year's full length will have more than a sprinkling of diverse and cleverly formulated sounds.

Last year, just hours after a semi-disastrous breakdown which led to a run in with a perturbed Taco Bell employee, the involvement of local authorities, and a significant loss of vegetable oil fuel, The Grownup Noise managed to arrive on time for a show in Santa Cruz, CA. The farcical tale from the tour is testament to the band's passion for performing live. Booking venues all over the country for themselves has helped to steadily build a something of a national following of both fans and fellow musicians. Now, with a body of fresh material to showcase and a sophomore record on the way; the 2010 edition of The Grownup Noise on the road adventure, could well be the most successful to date.

OAF: So you guys are always dancing in your music videos and performances. Where did you guys learn to dance? What's your favorite dance move?

C: Well in the "Night by Night" video, we had a double...we're not professional dancers, but we like to dance on stage. My favorite dance move would be the electric slide, or the funky chicken, or the running man (check out Will Smith doing his own version here). There are a lot of good moves.

OAF: Duos in the public eye often fulfill certain roles and personalities. Other than what's obvious and what the fans might see, how do you guys complement each other?

C: We complement each other personally as far as our character goes and the way we are and also the way we do things. Dave's very neurotic and stressed out. I'm really laid back  and relaxed. It's that way whether it's about music or girls...but professionally we complement each other too. Musically, I think we have different capabilities that work together. Dave plays and guitar sings. I'm a horrible singer, but I can spot harmonies and play the talk box.

OAF: Who would you guys be if you were a different duo in the movies or on TV?

C: The Blues Brothers...the tall guy and the short guy. Or Bill and Ted.

OAF: Was there ever a thought of adding more guys to the band? Is it harder or easier to have two people?

C: Well production-wise, it's easier. Usually, even if it's a bigger band, it's always one or two guys who do most of the work. The rest of the guys are just in the band. Songwriting-wise, it's harder to have more people involved. Specially with touring, it's way easier with two people--we can have really distinct objectives. And then on the stage, it's more powerful having two people trying to take over the crowd of 500 to 20,000 people at festivals.

We also tried hiring musicians. Like four of five years ago, we had a full band, but it wasn't really working...it was weird. After that we had a drummer, and that was still kind of weird because everyone was asking, "Who's the third guy? Is he in Chromeo, is he not?" And so we started to play shows, just the two of us, and it worked really well. At the end of the day, people wanna see me and Dave...they don't wanna see us chatting with a drummer.

OAF: So you guys grew up together and have known each other for a long time--are there more people on the Chromeo team you have known for awhile?

C: Well, it's two of us doing the songs and Dave's brother helps us sometimes with some stuff. We've known Tiga for a long time. He was the one who signed us. He's part of the family.

OAF: So your website says you've never been afraid of "looking uncool." Can you describe what you mean by that?

C: Well, you know, you're never uncool with the way you look. It's about your attitude. You can wear anything. You can be tall and nerdy with glasses, or you can be short...you know, whatever you look like, you can always be cool--that's basically it. It's all about how you present yourself. You know, when someone enters a room, you can feel what the person's about right away--you can feel it. If a person likes who he is, that's what's cool.

OAF: You have pretty unique and crazy music videos. Which video do you get the most feedback on?

C: Probably "Bonafied Lovin." A lot of people like "Momma's Boy," too.

OAF: How do you choose how to pursue the visions for your videos? Is it the same process for every video?

C: It's different. We work with different directors--we try to change things up. Usually the producer will have an idea and we'll work with it. There's some stuff that we never want to lose control of. It's always a discussion between the producer and us. If there's a shot we don't like, we tell them to take it out.

We just finished shooting a new video [with Keith Schofield] for the single, "Don't Turn the Lights On." We shot it in Los Angeles and are in the editing and approval stage now...like, "I don't like my face in this shot!"

OAF: Haha, you guys have quite a bit of sarcasm/humor in your music...what role do you think humor plays in music in general, or in entertainment--an example being the "Momma's Boy" track.

C: Well you know, we try to keep a balance between humor and not becoming a joke band. We try to keep a certain level of humor in our music.

OAF: Yeah, I can imagine it's a pretty hard thing to do...

C: It is, and we really have to push ourselves musically and prove to people we are able to play good music at the same time...you know, cause then you can allow yourself to be funny. But it's a fine line between being funny and being too funny, and we're trying to walk on the line the best we can. We don't want to be too serious, but we don't want to be too jokey--just enough to make you smile and maybe make you laugh.

OAF: Yeah, that's exactly how it is. I've never seen or talked to any musician who has had that same ability that way.

C: Yeah, we try to make sure we don't become 'haha' funny.

OAF: Right. Okay, last question--favorite Jackson album?

C: Favorite Jackson album? "Bad."

Chromeo will be playing at the House of Blues on July 30. To get tickets, click here.

David Wax Museum - The Persimmon Tree from Steve Legare on Vimeo.