Almost Always is a band that knows how to have a good time

Almost all the members of the punk rock cover band Almost Always took time from their schedules recently to explain what their act is all about. In their words, it's pretty much nothing.

Even the band's name has a shallow back story. Lead singer Eric Voorhees was quick to point out that "it just sounded cool together" and if something is always, then it can't ever actually be almost always. There are the same number of letters in each word, and he likes the alliteration. But he added, "There's no real meaning behind anything."

Voorhees was joined by drummer Andrew DeField and guitarist Brent Blanchard. The fourth member of their act, bassist Chad Slaten, could not be found — by anyone.

The four guys, all in their early and mid-20s, have been playing together since May 2007. They average one weekend show a month at 2 North, a random Thursday at Last Call, and they sporadic appearances on other area stages.

There's nothing southern about their rock. Almost Always plays an unapologetically familiar set list of punk rock radio hits from when they and most of their crowd were in high school and entering college. They keep a set list of The Killers, Fall Out Boy and Blink 182 from the naked days of Enema of the State.

The boys in Almost Always proudly admit to being a cover band.

When you see Almost Always, you're not there because you want to see a band in a bar, Voorhees said. "You're coming to a party and there's a band there."

They take a refreshingly realistic view to playing on stage: They play what the crowd wants.

"They'd rather hear a song they know," Voorhees said. When the dance floor is full, he said, "They don't want to hear something slow, something screaming or something they don't know."

The band will toss in one or two originals over the course of the night. They have a CD of six original songs, but they stick mostly to what will make the crowd happy — high-energy punk and rock songs.

Friday's Halloween party at 2 North doubles as the band's official CD release party. "Good Lick and Goodbye" will be available at the low, low price of $5. "We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously," guitarist Brent Blanchard said. "We have no real aspirations except to have a good time."

Friday's party will also have a costume contest. Almost Always will pick three finalists and the crowd will vote by applause. You'll have to get creative. The guys in the band already have costumes. There's Flavor Flav, Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance, a 1970s-era pizza delivery guy who only serves sorority houses, and then there's Chad Slaten, who dressed like the invisible man.

While Almost Always consistently claims to be "not about anything," one prevailing theme remains in conversation, action and stage performance: They're here to have fun and make sure the crowd is having fun, too.