Club Notes: The indescribable sounds of !!!

No, you don't need glasses -- there really is a band called !!!.

The Brooklyn group has made things easier for fans by suggesting its name be pronounced Chk Chk Chk.

Anyway you say it, this band's making waves with its experimental blend of dance, pop and punk music. !!! also throws in a good dose of funk and soul grooves to add to the pulsating beats.

Friday, Boulder will get to check out the !!! experience at the Fox Theatre. This is the first time the band's played town, and the buzz is on.

"We just create fun music that people can dance to," vocalist Nic Offer said. "We play lots of dance songs, but we're not afraid to take the music to a darker space. This is more than good-time disco music."

!!! has developed into a solid eight-piece outfit, and that leaves this band plenty of room to experiment. The group's had plenty of chances to do that on its new record, Strange Weather, Isn't It?

In case you're wondering, the band's name was inspired by the cult movie classic "The Gods Must Be Crazy."

"Tyler (Pope) from the band just picked the name out of his brain," Offer said. "We came in for a brainstorming session and that's what came out. We thought the name would be intriguing and confusing.

"We also thought it would be something very fresh that would set us apart. It continues to do so."

!!!'s intricate blend of sounds also sets this band apart from the pack.

"The musical premise is for us to mix dance and punk music with funky soul," Offer said. "It's exciting to us to have a disco, funk and soul sound. We were originally going to call ourselves The Funk Band.

"I think all these sounds make sense together, but James Brown is definitely our go-to guy."

Offer says his band's community-like vibe helps !!! incorporate a diverse palette into its sounds and promote the act.

"We really have a collective vibe with this group, so more of our spirit comes out through the music," Offer said. "It's the chemistry of this band and the fact that we're like a family.

"We're also a DYI band. We built up our own name and promoted the band ourselves."

The do-it-yourself spirit is paying off for !!!. The band's been around since 1996, but there's a new buzz about this group fueled by the growing dance scene.

"We started out playing parties and the growth for our band has really been very gradual," Offer said. "We started playing bigger and bigger shows until we were playing for thousands of people.

"There's a buzz on the band now, because we've never faulted putting on the best live show people have ever seen. We get up there and do it -- and the audiences feel our energy.

"It's a real sweaty extravaganza on stage and we tend to work it."

!!! will be showing off the band's high-energy show and new tunes from Strange Weather, Isn't It" at the Fox.

"We wanted to make a CD that had an exciting feel," Offer said. "It's fresh and new -- and something we haven't done before. The music's still danceable, but we focused on more hooks and made it more of a pop record."