Ex-Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss (second from left) now drums for the Jicks, who will perform at the Vogue March 22.

After Nirvana won over the masses with braying nihilism in the early '90s, Pavement emerged as an alternative to the alternative. The Stockton, Calif., band spoke to a small but ardent audience who thought grunge was no less facile than the hair metal it displaced.

Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, Pavement's clean-cut co-founders, performed their ingeniously twisted pop songs with a cavalier lassitude that, in retrospect, captured the blasé spirit of the '90s better than grunge ever did. In spite of their pretenses (which were many and varied), Pavement helped, well, pave the way for a smarter kind of college rock before breaking up in 1999.

While Pavement couldn't be bothered to tune their guitars, let alone care about politics, their friends in the all-female trio Sleater-Kinney were powered by political outrage. Sleater-Kinney gathered steam throughout the '90s, peaking in 2002 with "One Beat," an album-length indictment of the Bush administration.

Sleater-Kinney broke up in 2006, leaving drummer Janet Weiss (who also plays with Quasi) looking for a new regular gig. When Stephen Malkmus asked her to drum for his current band, the Jicks, later that year, she gladly accepted.

The thunderous drummer's impact on the new album, "Real Emotional Trash," is impossible to miss. She brings a Zeppelin-esque intensity to the band, and the result is the Jicks' heaviest CD to date. In anticipation of the Jicks' inaugural visit to Indianapolis this weekend, Weiss recently spoke to Indy.com about working with Malkmus, why Sleater-Kinney will probably never reunite, and more.

Was it daunting to join a band headed by someone as critically adored as Malkmus?

No -- it's energizing and inspiring, more than anything. Journalists tend to paint with a very large paintbrush. Not every Pavement song was golden, and not everything Steve does is perfect. That's what's so great about him -- he's complex and adventurous, and sometimes he's very successful with it and once in a while he's not.

You're a member of Quasi, and recently drummed for Bright Eyes. How solid is your membership with the Jicks?

I am a real Jick. I played on some of the most recent Bright Eyes record, and did one European tour with them, because Steve was having another kid and there was a big hole in my schedule. I enjoy playing. The pace of the Jicks is not breakneck. Steve has a family and is dedicated to it. He wants to be a great dad, not the kind that is gone all the time. So we have to be flexible, and it's worth it. You don't get to play with someone like him just any day.

What did you contribute to "Real Emotional Trash" beyond the drumming?

Steve makes demos of many, many songs, and I really enjoyed going through them and figuring out which ones would be good for us. I was drawn to the more expansive songs that were coming out of his brain. Joanna (Bolme, the bassist) also had a lot to do with the way they are arranged and how they sound. I don't think she gets enough credit for her bass playing and contributions -- she is basically like a producer. I am sure Steve gets a little crazy with two opinionated ladies in the band, but the more strong feelings in the band, the better.

I am always looking for a way to make things move and have dynamics. My one fault would be that I play too hard. With the Jicks, I think I've brought some chutzpah. I am ballsy as a player. I am not afraid to play what I hear in my head, and what I hear in my head can be kind of intrusive.

There's been chatter about a possible Pavement reunion lately. Has Sleater-Kinney talked about getting back together?

No talk. Corin (Tucker, Sleater-Kinney singer and guitarist) just had another child, and that's not conducive to touring. The idea of breaking up the band wasn't that we would get back together in a few years. We wanted to put it to rest for a long while, quite possibly for good. Right now, I'm just thinking about getting out on tour with the Jicks.

Do you miss being in a politically vocal band?

Being a woman in a band and making your own choices, and being a strong, creative person is a political act in its own right. Just getting up on stage and inspiring people to wake up and feel something is a certain kind of political act. I was really proud to be a part of those Sleater-Kinney songs that spoke up and said something critical about a really horrible situation, but I think music is important in other contexts, too.