WHO: Pete Quirk, vocals; Marty Lund, percussion; Derek Fudesco, guitars

FORMED: Seattle, 2006

RELEASES: "Invitation Songs," Matador, 2007

SOUND: True folk music is born from people needing to find a shared experience. Fudesco and Quirk began writing songs together in 2006 in the basement of their shared house, knowing only that they wanted to focus on writing and playing without amps. Surprising even themselves, they emerged with rolling, acoustic guitar-driven folk songs spiked by Quirk's burnished vocals. All three members are veterans of Seattle's post-punk scene -- Quirk sang for Hint Hint, Fudesco played bass for Murder City Devils and Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Lund drummed with Cobra High -- and that makes the band's subdued and seated live performance all the more interesting.

No one should claim "Invitation Songs" breaks new ground. (It employs musical tropes that are as old as the hills.) But it does indicate that good things can happen when punk rockers settle down, throw out the "cool factor" and focus on sharing experiences.

QUOTE: Says Fudesco, "Everything about this band is different (than my previous bands). I'm playing guitar and I sit down when I play -- I've never done that before. It does seem like there's a trend toward quieter music. Time to pull up a chair."

WHERE TO LISTEN: Songs are available at www.myspace.com/thecavesingers.

NEXT SHOW: Saturday at The Crocodile with headlining performance by Black Mountain. Tickets are $10 at TicketWeb or $12 at the door.

--Tizzy Asher