The Eastern Sea and Kopecky Family Band Play at the Maintenance Shop Wednesday

The Eastern Sea, an up and coming Indie Rock band, of "rotating characters" will perform 8 p.m. at the M-Shop along with the Kopecky Family Band of Nashville Wednesday.

The Austin City Limits Festival described Eastern Sea's sound as a mix of the hypnotic rhythm of post rock, the playful melodies of traditional American folk and the dynamics of contemporary progressive indie-rock.

The band launched a multi-state tour Jan. 14, to support their second release “Plague.”

The record is named for a novel of the same name about how a group of people's priorities changed after being confronted with the bubonic plague, said The Eastern Sea Frontman Matthew Hines, 25, Austin, Texas.

The stop at Iowa State University will be Hines' first Iowa performance though Hines said he has visited many times. Eastern Sea plans to play a majority of songs from their new record including “The Match” which Hines said is the heart of the album.

The song is about what it's like to be home, Hines said.

“On the front porch in our coats

Catching colds through cigarettes

Watch the stray cats under cars

Stop and start like silhouettes,” the song opens.

“It's an important song for me personally … A lot of the music I write is about being elsewhere,” Hines said, adding that he tried to paint a picture of what it's like to live in Austin. The whole record is a bit of a reflection of his time as a university student at St. Edwards. There Hines studied English and religious studies hoping his education would enrich his ability to tell stories in multiple modes.

Hines started song writing at the age of 12. His father offered him musical instruments instead of the video games Hines wanted and he took him up on the offer.

Hines launched his newest venture, The Eastern Sea in 2005. Eastern Sea began as a solo project and became a band in 2007 with different people rotating in and out, Hines said.

“We're a rotating mass of characters,” he said.

The seven piece band includes John Rawls, on keyboards, Kevin Thomas, a trumpet player, and Charlie Siess, a drummer, who Hines has played music with since the age of 16.

Most of the Eastern Seas songs are autobiographical and Hines said he writes about himself because he is still trying to figure things out. He hopes his self exploration is helpful to others or at least entertaining.

“As we travel around we find people feel the same way,” Hines said.

See More on Patch:

The Eastern Sea on the Web:

http://www.facebook.com/theeasternsea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PexFK9BZX9w

http://www.youtube.com/user/theeasternsea?feature=watch