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• Melody Inn

See the Coke Dares headline "Bloomington Invasion!" at the Melody Inn on Friday, Jan. 4.

I normally strive for a little neutrality when interviewing bands, but I'm going to admit right out front that I think Bloomington garage rockers the Coke Dares might be the best rock band in the state.

The Coke Dares are a combustible combination of raw energy, razor-sharp wit and virtuoso musicianship, and have a sense of the absurd that would tickle even Samuel Beckett. The three-piece plans to release its second full-length studio album, "Feelin' Up," at a yet-to-be-determined 2008 date. But fans won't have to wait for a fix: The Coke Dares will headline "Bloomington Invasion!" this Thursday night at the Melody Inn, where they'll be joined by fellow Bloomington bands Metal in the Microwave, The Alarmists and Bushman's Holiday.

Guitarist/singer Jason Groth (aka Dr. History Doctor), 30, and drummer Mark Rice (aka Hamburger Party), 27, recently answered a few questions for Indy.com via e-mail. See the highlights below.

When is "Feelin' Up" coming out?

Groth: That's a good question. We've been trying to figure out the answer since we recorded it three years ago. We're hoping by April. We are currently holding our collective breath. Until then we'll keep saying it's coming out soon.

Rice : When I can get recordable Blu Rays at Office Depot.

Can you divulge three of your favorite track names from "Feeling Up" and explain the story behind each?

Groth: "I Wish I Could Get as High as Neil Young Does": It may seem obvious, but this one's actually about buying a new car. "Mask Maps": Well, as the lyrics say, "If you want to know where all the masks are, you're gonna need the mask map." "There's a Meth Lab on My Street": It was true. And how many other bands can get the words "anhydrous ammonia" in a song?

There are 33 tracks on the album. It sounds like your love affair with brevity is intact.

Groth: It's easier to play short songs. It also means we can write more of them. Oh, and I think all of us feel like there are too many bands who play for way too long. We're doing our best to help out in the opposite direction.

Rice: We've all got hands. These hands have got fingers. These fingers are long and rad. These rad fingers are wrist-deep in rock 'n' roll pies all over the central Indianapolis and downtown Oolitic areas....In other words, we got s--- to do. Lets do it and get to the Indian buffet.

If the Coke Dares were to record a concept album, what would the concept be?

Groth: It would definitely be a record about a guy who, in the year 2112, finds a guitar, learns how to play music like he's never imagined, presents it to the tyrannic priests who control his planet who, in turn, destroy, and then goes into hiding and writes really funny songs about parties where kids ride ponies.

Rice: Children's pony ride party.

It's been several years since you recorded "[They] Like Rockin' All the Time." Do the members or the Coke Dares still enjoy rockin' all the time, or has age slowed you down?

Groth: We do, actually, rock all the time. In fact, The Coke Dares have been hibernating for half of the years of 2003-2007 because we all tour in Magnolia Electric Company. The Impossible Shapes, Thousand Arrows, Whippoorwill, Indiana Beach, and various other musical ventures keep us true to our motto of "Rockin' All The Time." So do our new Cracker Barrel rocking chairs, which we had to buy because we are all so old now.

Rice: We are slaves to our "collections." I would say music would be filed 4th after collecting, gaming, and collection economics. If I want to hear "music" I turn on B97 like every body else. Ya know?

Do you have any special pre-show rituals?

Groth: Usually I'm late picking everyone up. I also usually talk about how I need to get my speaker cabinet fixed. And then we drive to the Martinsville Starbucks, whether it's on our way or not.

Is your music well-suited for any particular activities?

Groth: Driving to the Martinsville Starbucks.

Rice: Waiting in line. Paying bills. Putting plastic on the windows. Applying topical creams.

Does the band have an overarching mission?

Groth: Yes. We want to make it to our shows on time and keep our shows under 30 minutes. We also want to burn as many calories as we can during the show, because we don't have time to work out, and our metabolisms get slower every year.

Rice: Religon and religious economics. Peace.

See the Coke Dares

Where: The Melody Inn
When: 8 p.m. Jan. 3.
Cost: $6.
Info: www.melodyindy.com