Floozies get their fans up and dancing with tap dancers and multiple percussionists. A second CD is due in July. (Submitted photo)

Mixing Mardi Gras with marching band, Indy's own Born Again Floozies make a joyful noise wherever they go. Rhythmically inclined audiences are unable to resist the temptation to dance, considering the band consists of a trombone, tuba, and guitar player along with two tap dancers/cymbal slashers/cheerleaders extraordinaire.

While moving up the CMJ charts and garnering national praise, the Floozies have met with some biblically-minded protests to their raucous good time, but pay the naysayers no mind. They're too busy celebrating the release of their critically acclaimed CD "7 Deadly Sinners" and another full-length release due in July -- both of which were engineered by indie god of audio, Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, Cheap Trick, Superchunk, etc.). This year they're playing Pennsylvania and making pilgrimages to various other East Coast locations for the first time.

Anticipating their May 2 appearance at Radio Radio, Floozies ringmaster Joey Welch talked to Indy.com.

Did you really "used to play the euphonium," as your song claims?

Yeah, it's a pretty grim story. I played trumpet for 10 years, and was attending University of Cincinnati, and I got jumped in Clifton. I got jumped with brass knuckles, and so I couldn't play the trumpet anymore, so I tried the euphonium, but just didn't have as much fun with it. I switched to IU and got a literature degree. I never learned to read for guitar and was completely self-taught.

How did this unusual band come together?

It just happened. There are difficulties when you try to force things.

But I've always been interested in primal and acoustic sounds. I'm a big fan of Tom Waits -- the way he uses found-object percussion. So I was playing around with the idea of someone playing drums with their feet, and playing hand percussion as well. One of the tap dancers plays a clave -- a Latin-music wooden instrument. I play an 18-inch kick drum. A percussionist plays a 22-inch orchestral bass drum. The tap dancer incorporates a 30-inch marching bass drum for accents.

Then I thought, "What the hell do you put with a tap dancer?" I'd been out to this Mexican restaurant and they had this Tejano music on the jukebox and this tuba player is ripping it up, and I just thought, "That's it. We need a tuba!" So I asked him, "How many gigs do you have?"

Have you really had protesters at your CD release parties?

Yeah, more than just that. There's a guy who comes to a lot of shows and brings picket signs and encourages people to picket with him. He's got picket signs that say "God Hates the Born Again Floozies" and other wacked-out stuff on the back. I don't really know what he's about.

Have you ever talked to him?

Yeah, I always go talk to him. He tells me about Bible verses and calls me Brother Joey. He says I need "some rebukin'."

What's it been like working with Steve Albini?

He's great. No B.S. Very straight-ahead, and way overobsessed with that he does, which works fine for me. It'll be 3 a.m. and we're both in the studio and realize it's 3, like "Oh, maybe we should quit."

By Shawna Kenney / Indy.com correspondent