I had seen live music before, of course: "Weird Al" Yankovic from the nosebleeds at the Puyallup Fair; suffering through a migraine at a Jethro Tull concert; Paul Revere and the Raiders (I think), once more at the fair. But I had never been blown away by a live performance until I saw They Might Be Giants at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.

Standing flush up against the stage, a mass of writhing audience members pressed in around me, when John Flansburgh took a break from a blistering solo to hold his guitar aloft over the crowd, welcoming our frantic hands to strum and prod at the strings. We're sweaty and giddy and overcome with the sensation of spontaneous unity. It was an eye-opening experience, and my first real idea of what magic a live show can carry with it.

I still look for that magic experience, and it's an often frustrating mission. Too often, bands are content to stand stock-still on the stage and strum their instruments with the lifeless lack of enthusiasm that can come from playing the same damn thing an inconceivable amount of times. Performances are treated like jobs (which I realize they are, to be fair), as opposed to the unrepeatable occurrences they have the potential to be.

Fox and the Law are passionate about performances, even to the point of recording their album material more or less live.

"We're a really raw act, and we're one of those bands you've got to see live," says guitarist and vocalist Guy Keltner. "It's tough when a band puts a lot of effort into a record, and makes it sound pitch perfect. You see them live, and they're amazing, and you listen to the record and it falls flat. Maybe it's overproduced, or it's a little too perfect. That's part of why people like to see us live, because we're really off-the-cuff. So, we try to capture that same vibe in the studio. We don't spend a lot of time tracking. We usually do two, maybe three takes of a song."

Describing them musically, Fox and the Law are easy to undersell. Basically, they're just a really good rock band. Genre-wise, they lean in a garage rock direction, but there's little in the way of the typical Nuggets or punk influences that usually characterize modern garage rock acts. As a four-piece, Fox and the Law strive in their ability to so cohesively convey the idea of their rock - locking in tightly with one another in waves of distorted guitars and wailing vocals. They come across as professionals, but also as genuinely excited musicians who have come to blast the roof off the place.

"What we're trying to do is make something really unique," says Keltner when asked about Fox and the Law's place in the garage rock scene. "So, rather than going for those jangly guitars, we're using really thick, crunchy tones and a lot of heavy fuzz. ... Another big thing is that we just love to solo. (Laughs.) If you listen to every song that we do, period, there's gonna be a solo. ... I'm really excited about our new guitarist, Peter Williams, because he takes way more from Stevie Ray Vaughn than, say, Jack White."

Fox and the Law are busy readying their next album, which sees the light of day in October. In the meantime, Capitol Hill Block Party have taken notice of their live prowess, and Fox and the Law will be making their debut at the festival on July 27. Here's hoping it's eye-opening.

FOX AND THE LAW, w/ Thunders of Wrath, Mammoth Salmon, 9 p.m., Friday, July 12, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, cover tba, 253.572.4020