When veteran indie band The Weeks formed 13 years ago, they were little more than a passion project between high school friends. Now, they’re on a two-month-long, nationwide tour with a healthy cult following, five albums including the recently-released “Two Moons” and a live recording under their belt. 

Before their show at The Mercury Lounge on the Lower East Side this past Sunday, guitarist Sam Williams and drummer Cain Barnes talked to WSN about where they started, where they’re going and where they are now.

If the band was feeling nervous before the show, they hid it well. Williams suggested that the interview take place in an ice cream shop, where he ordered a decadent milkshake called “The Mr. Grumpy,” a concoction of chocolate, brownies, rice krispie treats, marshmallows and whipped cream. It felt like they were immune to the pressure that generally accompanies rising status as a band.

“It’s hard to be a band if you can’t take criticism or hate,” Williams said.

The pair reflected on their first concert fondly, distancing it from the standard messy beginnings of similar bands.

“We actually annihilated our first gig,” Barnes said. “We’re confident enough to never bomb. To other people we might have bombed, but not to us. We put on a real rock show.”

The band’s influences all have a consistent sound, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lynyrd Skynyrd being chief among them. When prompted to describe their music, Williams responded succinctly — “y’allternative.” Upon further probing, he said simply, “it’s all in the name.” 

Soon enough, it was time for the concert to get started. The Mercury Lounge, a small and dimly lit space with couches lining the perimeter, features the raunchy acoustics that characterize many small venues. The crowd that arrived consisted mostly of teenage girls with a few young men and women in their early to mid-twenties. The band emerged wearing simple outfits with an edge: lead singer Cyle Barnes sported a pitch-black shirt, and Williams wore yellow overalls. 

The band’s passion was apparent in their performance. Their charming onstage personality was transparently genuine, and they spoke to their fans with the same casual charisma as they had in the coffee shop. Their Southern influences were far more pronounced during their live performance than in their recordings. It was, indeed, a real rock show. 

Email Sima Doctoroff at [email protected].