We loved the The Carlsonics. They were always entertaining and often truculent, but they are no more - and some of the band members have formed a new band with a totally different sound. Nethers is a complete rebirth for four former Carlsonics, a folkish, country-influenced rock band comprised of Aaron Carlson on guitar, Nikki West on bass and lead vocals, John Passmore on guitars, and Mike Scutari on percussion. Kyle Bittinger also tours with Nethers playing keyboards and backup percussion.

Nethers are releasing their first full length album on Box Theory Records today, and performing their celebratory CD release gig at the Warehouse Next Door tonight at 9 p.m. If you click here and then on Nethers’ album image, you can hear a free stream of the entire album. You can also buy it here, or hear three of the album's mp3s on their website. We recently caught up with Nethers recently to talk about the evolution of their new sound, their creative process, and how it feels to grow up.

Even though all four of you were in the Carlsonics, Nethers is a totally different band. You sound completely different, and play like different people. Where did this new sound come from?

NW: It started when we were writing what was going to be the second Carlsonics record. Every day after work we’d just jam for a few hours and on the weekends we’d just jam all day and all night long. And we recorded everything as we were doing it, looking for bits and pieces that we could use as the Carlsonics. The jamming never became like rock jamming, it was all really like noisy and droney and ethereal.

MS: In 2002 the four of us started a side project called the Woodlanders and recorded an entire album on a four-track. It’s really mellow, and kind, and a lot more like Nethers. We really like that kind of music, we just happened to be in a really brutal rock band. But clearly, we love that kind of stuff too.

NW: We rented this house in Nethers, which is this mythical village at the edge of time…

JP: It’s an hour north of Charlottesville.

NW: Yeah. And we started jamming again, and the songs that came out were so awesome, and they were such a product of where we were.

Is that why you called the band Nethers, after the town, as opposed to being The Nethers?

NW: You got it.

How do people react to the new sound?

NW: My 80-year-old grandmother loves Nethers. Seriously.

MS: Social Security provides seniors a lot of disposable income, and we’re trying to tap into that audience.

AC: Our friend Scott saw our first show as Nethers, and afterwards he took me aside and said, “Man, don’t get me the wrong way, but that was really good! I was really surprised I enjoyed it that much!”

What’s the story behind O The Deed?

NW: Well, we wrote it on this frosty early March morning at Nethers, out on the porch. Previously I had been talking to Mike about a canary in a coalmine, and how miners send one down a shaft. Then when we were writing the song; Mike was like, “make the song be like the canary.”

The line “this is your lullaby” refers to a song you would sing to someone before they die to calm them down and put them at peace. The line “o the Deed” refers to sending something to die, being sent to die, the whole fucked up situation.

Do you guys miss being the Carlsonics? Or being a loud, whiskey-spitting rock band in general?

MS: Sometimes.

NW: Yes

JP: Yeah (laughs.)

What is it that you miss?

MS: The violence. For me, I just like hitting stuff really hard and it’s fun. It’s fun to be allowed to smash stuff. But both bands are fun.

Aaron, do you miss the your onstage persona as the poorly behaved singer of a loud rock band?

AC: What are you talking about? (group laughter)

NW: Everybody knows what he’s talking about, man…

Do you miss that freedom to get that energy out onstage?

AC: Yeah, but like, apples and oranges, man. It’s a totally different experience. That band was constructed initially with one goal in mind: to rock as much as you possibly can. Do whatever you want, as a lead singer, I didn’t have to play guitar, didn’t have to worry about an amp, all those pedals and stuff. But I feel like this is more rewarding. It’s cool to get your rocks off like that, but I want something different.

MS: I thought both bands were rewarding. I love playing with these guys, and it doesn’t matter what we do. We could play in a funeral band together, and it would be great. Carlsonics was awesome. Really fun.

AC: We’re growing up, though, and we have feelings that are deeper and more powerful than loud rock ‘n roll.

What would be a reasonable level of success for you as a band? Would you want to be Nethers full-time?

NW: Yeah!

JP: Sure.

AC: If we can get a couple people to come out in every town, that’s a success.

MS: Success for me, is being in the band, playing a lot, and having it so that when we’re not touring I can work somewhere and pay rent. I think it’s unreasonable to think we’re going to be like, whoever, and lounge by the pool all day. There are a lot of successful local bands that come back to DC and they temp or walk dogs. I’d be happy to walk dogs if I could break even on tours.

AC: I just feel like functioning at the level that we are right now precludes us from moving forwards in our lives. I feel like it should be either more band or less band. I want to move forward and take a job that I really want to jump into, or … I mean, I’ve been temping for a while.

It would be really cool to not temp anymore. It would be cool to get a job that I could spend some time on and get to know people at, or not. Maybe we could tour a lot.

What would you like to see this record do? What would make this a successful release for you guys?

AC: It would be cool to inspire some kid to have an awesome summer, just driving around with this record. Like, you know how you go to see the Silver Jews…and you are me… and you see them and you’re like “WHOA, I drove around all summer to that in 1996,” and it’s a more powerful experience because of that connection.