Family Force 5

Lineup: Soul Glow Activatur - Vocals, Guitar Fatty - Bass, Vocals Crouton - Drums, Vocals Nadaddy - Keyboards, Vocals Chap Stique - Guitar (courtesy of Tooth & Nail) There's a delicate balance between the intertwining worlds of artistry, entertainment and humor, but for dance-derived alternative rockers Family Force 5, it's an ecstatic equilibrium that remarkably illustrates all three elements. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the Atlanta-based five-some are just as likely to get the party started as they are to escort audiences into an alternate reality. Even so, the band never compromises album creativity, while simultaneously hearkening back to the days of massive spectacles on tour. The group's sophomore release, Dance Or Die, oozes with over-the-top illustrations, charging out of the gate with funky rhythms, percolating club grooves, undeniably infectious hooks and instantaneous sing-a-longs. Imagine an inventive evolution of the band's eye-opening debut, Business Up Front, Party in the Back, blended with Prince getting down at a Daft Punk concert where Michael Jackson busts out the moonwalk in the center of the dance floor. "Listening to Family Force 5 is like lighting a cluster of firecrackers in your mouth," offers guitarist Derek Mount (known to fans as Chap Stique), recommending a spin of Dance Or Die over that daredevil antic. "This album provides a connection and an escape, and it's guaranteed to make your booty shake and your head bang. It's greasy, slimy and soupy, yet still very slick and shiny at the same time." Fans will have to fight to survive during the band's live show, an unrelenting rush of delightfully uncontainable madness that has become Family Force 5's bread and butter. "We encourage fans to dress up in costumes, whether it be a killer whale, a big chicken or a Skeletor outfit," urges Chap Stique. "Family Force 5 realizes that most people think rock n' roll is about trying to be cool, but to us, there's nothing cooler than when people let go and end up stealing the show by break dancing in helmets or body-slamming each other in Lucha Libre masks."