Apart from such generosity, there's a high energy and a strong work ethic between the three bandmembers and anyone who listens to them - on and off the stage. Upon arrival, Fox quietly sits and listens, speaking only when necessary, while the gregarious Zammuto and Lukas eagerly answer most of the questions during our interview.

"We played for free sushi,” chuckles Zammuto, explaining how he and Lukas met during an open mic night in Pensacola one evening in 1997. Although Lukas had plans to move within the year, the two continued to play together. Before leaving, Lukas and Zammuto asked Fox to play a gig with them. The three worked so well together Lukas decided not to move.

A few years later Fox and Lukas moved to Atlanta. Soon after, Zammuto followed. The three eventually relocated Grasshopper to Athens last year. Local success was immediate. Performing an "open mic" at DT’s one night, Bread & Bone Entertainment's Jimi Ellis happened to be in the crowd waiting to hear another band. He grabbed Zammuto by the shirt and said “Man, we need to talk.” The band signed on with Ellis and pressed ahead.

Since then, Grasshopper has been regularly touring the Southeast and playing around Athens. The trio's currently working with Rusty Cobbs, a freelance producer from Atlanta, on its debut album, soon to be released later this Fall.

“Natural expression,” states Zammuto. “That’s one thing this band has a lot of. You can see everything we’re about. You could almost cover your ears, watch us, and feel it.”“Feeling” is definitely the proper word. For an acoustic-based band, the volume undulates with emotion. “We don’t hit the angry button,” explains Lukas. “If we’re happy we play happy… we play every note manually and play harder. You have one voice to make a chord so you hit here, he hits here and he hits there. Each person fills in the holes.”

A prolific and intense writer, Lukas’ songs carry a thematic boldness with dichotomy between lyrics and melodies. Songs about love may sound punkish while others about death, murder, and prostitution may sound like gritty old folk standards.

Our brief interview winds down and Grasshopper begins to practice in its living room/rehearsal space. As Roscoe and I prepare to listen, Lukas smiles, “We’ll give you a dance song about love.”

Grasshopper performs at Tasty World on Wednesday, September 12.