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The Lone Strangers are a riotous bundle of rockin good times. Literally. Just hours after the Strangers finished an outdoor show at the 2004 Veishea festival in Ames, IA, riots broke out in the Campustown area. Though the band didnt play a part in inciting the activities, I did hear rumors that people were leaving bars to listen to us play, says frontman Matt Heerema. Maybe if theyd just stayed inside, instead The masses, however, refused to be cheated out of great music, even if it meant temporarily sacrificing a few brews. Bono was right, offers guitarist Pat Blair. Rock and roll really can change the world.

That belief is what drives the smart-pop quintet. Hailing from California, Chicago, and parts in between, each member found themselves drawn to Ames, Iowa, beckoned by the siren song of rock and roll (and a college education).

So what do you get when you combine an engineer, a graphic designer, an insurance underwriter, and a couple of fine arts students, with influences ranging from Weezer to U2 to Blues Traveler to New Order to Bach? A lot of smart-alek remarks, for starters. But you also end up with a scorching 4-track EP, Trying and Failing (available at iTunes or CD Baby).

From the rollicking opener, Everything, to the slow-burn blues of Fading In, the EP highlights the exuberance of The Lone Strangers, as well as their subtle, if quirky, senses of humor. Funding Armageddon, a driving rock song, drew equal inspiration from AC-DC, the apocalypse, and rush hour traffic, says Blair, while I Want Her is, an epic tale of love gone bad via restraining order. Even if the story is fictional, the high-octane power-pop hooks are undeniable.

Live, The Lone Strangers combine equal parts exuberance, guitar-heroics, three-part vocal harmonies, and nearly a century of collective musical experience to produce a power-packed pop-rock extravaganza. They are one of the tightest acts in the clubs, not to mention one of the most family friendly. A lot of rehearsal, a lot of experience, and a just little bit of maturity, is how Heerema explains the Strangers professionalism and dedication to high-quality, high-energy, straightforward music.

Are they pop? Not really. Punk? Nah. Emo? Adult-Contemporary? Certainly not! The Lone Strangers are rock. And roll. Reunited at last.