The best things a band can have are music, personality, and popularity. The fantastically talented, popular and personable Lohio showed off all three qualities in spades at their EP release party at Brillobox on Friday.

Their popularity was the first thing to notice. Tickets sold out quickly, and by the time the band was ready to play, the floor was brimming with fans, all pressed up far closer to the edge of the stage than usual. This is one of Pittsburgh's top acts, after all.

Next came personality. Observant fans had already seen the band's quaint, ironic humor pre-show, when the members mixed and mingled wearing shiny, customized baseball jackets. And fans may have also noticed the big cursive "L" on the bass drum next to a plus sign and an outline of the shape of Ohio. Get it? L+Ohio. Also, the shape of Ohio had a lighting bolt going through it. Superhero L+Ohio!

"Hey, what's going on, everybody?" was the first thing guitarist, singer and songwriter Greg Dutton said to the teeming, foaming crowd. It was a low-key salutation for a hyperactive audience. The humility and laid back attitude persisted throughout the show, making the crowd feel like a gathering of close friends.

Perhaps that's why Lohio opened their set, like their new EP, with "Grandfather's Chaise," a quiet number in 6/8 time that had onlookers squeeze in even closer to absorb and savor the intimacy of the music. In that song, the bass, ably played by Liz Adams, emphasizes the first beat and then leaves the rest of the phrase to be filled in by the quiet filigree of guitar. You listen while wondering what will come next.

With the crowd salivating over every note, the band cranked it up for "Old Orchard Beach," which chugs along contentedly with a red-hot guitar solo over an arts-and-crafts backdrop. Erik Cirelli (also of Emily Rodgers Band), intruded with appealing dissonance on his guitar, giving the song greater dimension and complexity. With six people on stage (the group added to their usual quintet by bringing Jeff Baker on stage to play a second keyboard and occasional trumpet), there was the strength to make any sound imaginable, but the group retained the artistic sense to remain patient and fill the songs with sounds only as needed.

The Shins-like "Waiting for the End of Summertime" introduced a new musical quality to the crowd (though it's hard to imagine that anyone who was present hadn't already heard this widely-circulated tune) — raw catchiness. The persistent backbeat and irresistible melody are only the prelude for a synth line that will hook you immediately and which you'll be whistling well into next week.

Thus proceeded the night, with further evidence of personality, music, and popularity emerging with each moment. Handclaps, new songs, special effects, guest singers, and audience sing-alongs blended these three qualities into an evening that was a feel-good mash of popular-music-loving-partytime.

By all measures, the show was a knockout, and with their EP out and launched and ready for consumption, there is now little else for the band to do except the next most important thing for any band: return to the stage again and again and share the glow of success with the world.

HERE ARE SOME THINGS OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE GROUP:

"Dutton has composed intelligent, elaborately constructed songs that are worthy of the comparisons to Jeff Tweedy (with a healthy dose of Neil Young thrown in for good measure)... songs like "Grandfather's Chaise" and "We'll Hide Ourselves Underneath" are worthy of national attention.

- Rege Behe, music editor, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Unassuming Pittsburgh outfit Lohio specialize in the kind of smart, melodic pop songs that make their fans wonder why their name isn't on everyone's lips. Last year's debut album 'History, The Destroyer' is one of 2008's great lost indie pop records."

-East Village Radio, NY

"Let’s begin with a challenge: Visit Lohio’s (website) and review the songs the band has posted there, paying particular attention to “Sea and the Sun.” See if you don’t become instantly intrigued by this six-member alt. country/indie outfit from Pittsburgh."

- Showclix.com