From Nashville by way of Murfreesboro come De Novo Dahl, restless and inventive popsters who garnered attention when their debut album, Cats and Kittens, hit the shelves in 2005. With a single CD failing to offer enough space to their creative ambitions, Cats and Kittens ended up being a double album—one disc of the original songs, paired with a second on which those songs were remixed, reconstructed, and reimagined.

The results: pure enjoyment. Even at their most experimental, the band simply has a tuneful knack for pleasing the ear. And on tour, they don’t rest, either. Following their sense of whimsy and their desire to make every show a unique spectacle, De Novo Dahl typically takes the stage as costumed madcaps, bringing an additional kinetic kick to their performance.

However, after the release of the album and lengthy tour, De Novo Dahl returned home and shed three of their bandmates. They’ve since reconfigured their lineup, blending some new musicians in with their core lineup, and are very near completion of a follow-up album. The sort of turnover they’ve undergone is enough to end many bands, but if new songs like the cathartic blast “Shout” are any indication, the adversity they’ve felt hasn’t even dampened their spirits. DCist recently spoke with new De Novo Dahlian bass player Keith Lowen about the source of the inspiration and their plans for the future.

You guys have recently gotten back on the road down south and throughout the Midwest, how’s touring been going thus far?

It's been really great. I just joined the band about a year ago, so it's taken a little time for everyone to adjust to each other and all the new material, but it's gotten to a point now where it's become really natural. I've played in a lot of bands and this is the first one where I feel like we can play to just about any audience and get a good response. We just played in Alabama in front of a bunch of bikers in our little striped 1920's swimsuits, and we got a lot of disturbed looks, but by the end of the show they were at the merch table.

What’s often remarked upon is your commitment to providing some real spectacle live. Where do the visceral thrills you dream up for the stage come from and what does it take to keep that part of the show fresh and spontaneous?

I think a lot of it comes from trying to be noticed in Nashville. There are so many great rock bands there that it's really easy to become "just another great rock band." It's hard to be remembered when there is such a saturation of great music. So we're trying to have fun with our audiences instead of just trying to impress them. As far as keeping it fresh, I think it's pretty easy because everyone in the band is open minded. If you're not afraid of looking silly, there's a million things you can do.

For readers who don’t know, the first record, Cats and Kittens, serves up tunes that run the gamut of pop history—from Ray Davies to Ric Ocasek—only to send those songs through an ‘80’s dance chop shop. A pretty daring gambit, considering many double-albums end up like Wu-Tang Forever. What inspired this approach?

The criticism that De Novo Dahl got for that album was they were being "too ambitious." We don't take that as a criticism. We are always trying to come up with ways to set ourselves apart from the gazillions of bands out there. That particular idea came from messing around in the studio with the song "Be Your Man." They had so much fun re-mixing it, they decided to expand the idea and do a whole second disc of re-mixes. Having a debut album be a double disc is definitely something that sets the band apart from the pack, and it definitely got some attention.

You guys are most often referred to as coming out of Nashville, a place which, musically speaking calls to mind a certain set of ideas in most people—country music and the Opry, Francis Craig and Dinah Shore. It’s easy to hear how set apart De Novo Dahl is from those traditions, I’m more curious, though, if there’s any part of those particular Nashville traditions that make it into the mix.

Joel [McAnulty]'s day job is actually at The Country Music Hall of Fame, so he has been very immersed in it and actually began a country side project. I don't think that influence has worked its way into De Novo Dahl yet, but nothing is off limits. That said, for me growing up in Nashville has been like growing up with strict parents. You almost want to do the opposite just to spite them. I grew up with country music around me and for a long time it really made me hate it. It's only been recently that I've been able to separate the good from the bad.

It was a pretty tight-knit ensemble that created Cats and Kittens, but since then, you’ve experienced some radical personnel changes with three of your original members—and housemates—leaving the band. What did it take to overcome this obstacle?

I guess knowing that they had a fucking amazing bass player waiting in the wings was helpful.

In all seriousness, it was tough for a little while because the band was so established and of course there are going to be questions about new people and new material being accepted, but I know it was extremely hard for Joel, Serai [Zaffiro] and Joey [Andrews] continuing to be in a band with people who didn't really want to be there anymore. I think it was mostly a relief when the decisions were made so everyone could move forward with their lives, get rid of the tension, and be friends again. The old members have come to see the new line-up and have been supportive.

When can we expect the next De Novo Dahl record to be released?

It's still a little bit up in the air who will be putting it out, but it's already been recorded and we're expecting it to come out in the spring.

What should fans of Cats and Kittens expect to hear on the next record?

Well, the first 3 songs are available on www.denovodahl.com, so that would be a good place to start. Fans of Cats and Kittens probably noticed that the band doesn't like to be repetitious. I think the new album definitely keeps that mentality, but with C&K, there were 4 different lead singers. The new album has only 1, so it's definitely more focused in some ways. The new album also afforded us the opportunity to experiment with some outside musicians for the first time, so C&K fans may be surprised to hear strings, DJ scratching, some pedal steel and whatever else we thought would be cool.

Later this fall, you guys will be headlining Theory 8 Records’ showcase at CMJ. How has that label been as a home? By all appearances, you guys seem to have a great relationship with them.

Aaron Hartley is the best record label president in the world. For this next record, we've been exploring our options for labels, but there was no way we were going to let Aaron go, so he's our manager now. Aaron isn't necessarily looking to sell a million records. He's looking to help bands that he thinks are really good. That's extremely risky in the music business, but on his own and in a short time he has managed to get national distribution, pitchfork reviews, and some of the best and most unique bands around. We can't say enough about Aaron or Theory 8.

I have read that De Novo Dahl got its start by its members saving up the money earned as Jessica Simpson’s roadies. Tell me, am I wrong to be totally creeped out by her dad?

That's true, and you aren't.

You guys did a benefit show for Harold Ford’s campaign recently. What can I tell his staffers here in DC about your upcoming show that might cause them to come out, let down their hair and maybe even dance for one day in their dull lives?

Let's just say that Corker's people have bought about 50 CDs off of us, so if you want our votes...