Style pop punk

New music (available at www.fatkiddodgeball.com)

Concert doors open at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the House of Crave, 391 Neil Ave. ( ; 614-431-3600, ) -- with Lovesick Radio also performing

Admission $5

Together since 2001, Fatkid Dodgeball has risen from a local band to a group with some national renown.

Its song 17 Forever was recently played on the MTV soap opera Laguna Beach.

Here is singer and bass player Brian Frank on the band:

Q What does your new album sound like?

A There is really something for everyone, and that is cool with us. We didn't set out to write like that, but this album was written and recorded over about two years, so there was a great deal of musical growth and maturing. Tracks like Brown Sweater and Get It are definitely a bit more mature and have a harder edge than some of the earlier stuff on the album, like 17 Forever and Sunday Morning.

If we had to say one thing about the entire album, we would say that it will make you move. Some songs are faster, and some rock a lot harder than others, but there is always a groove.

Q Why does the band exist?

A This is pretty tough because we have been through a lot of things in the past seven years, and wives, girlfriends, friends and family have all made it possible for us to continue doing what we love. But, really, without our management team, Onevakynd Entertainment, we don't know if we would have had the guts to stick it out and keep playing through all of the low days. We can't say enough about the heart and belief in us that they have shown.

Q What is your favorite quote about the band?

A "If you're one of the 14 people in Cleveland who haven't seen Fatkid Dodgeball, . . . then you don't know that the Columbus-based rock band has a growing legion of screaming female fans -- and that's the kind of endorsement you can't fake. And if you need musical details, the band is a study in contrasts: acoustic riffing and electric leads, vocal harmonies and pop-punk energy, and gentle melody over hard-hitting beats."

-- D.X. Ferris, Cleveland Scene Magazine

Q Why should someone see your band?

A Because they will have fun. . . . We are not a band that takes ourselves too seriously, but our music is not a joke.

Whatever else is going on in your life, being at a Fatkid Dodgeball concert will make that go away for a while. It's great escapism. You will have a drink, you will have a great time, and you will get your face rocked.