Turn it on again and again

The Lights Out keep your Tuesdays bright

PROFILE. February is something of a hump month: short and not so sweet, weather-wise at least. A month for shut-ins. The Lights Out, however, are having none of that dreary nonsense. The Boston-based pop rock quartet is making the most of its month-long Tuesday residency at the Abbey Lounge. During last week’s snowstorm, the peppy lads were out and about, hanging at the monthly rock and roll social at the Model in Allston, before hopping over to Inman Square to play to a surprisingly full Abbey.

“With the snow and whatnot, we were very happy with the turnout,” says singer and guitarist Rishava Green. (“My parents had a lot of fun in the ‘60s,” he says, explaining his name, which comes from a mythical Indian figure.)

The first Lights Out show at the Abbey fell on Super Tuesday, but that didn’t deter them either.

“We took a poll of the crowd and donated our take of the evening to the candidate of their choice,” says Green. “Ultimately it was just a way of tying into the political thing.”

Obama got the majority vote; the Lights Out kept people from running home to see the election results.

The final show next week features an incredible line-up — The Motion Sick, The Luxury, Reverse, Thick As Thieves, The Bleedin Bleedins, and, of course, The Lights Out —each playing snappy short sets.

Consider that the Lights Out numbers former members of Ms. Pigeon (Green), the Halogens (bassist Matt King), the Minor Catastrophes (guitarist Adam Ritchie), and Sparkola (drummer Jesse James), and the words “incestuous” and “scene” pop out.  “It’s a small world anywhere when you start to specialize,” Green reasons.

The third Lights Out Abbey installment, tonight, should have gotten a nice publicity boost from the band’s scheduled Friday performance on Fox morning news. However, Green, who’s croaking through our interview like a trooper, pulled the plug.

“If I’d have gone in there and tried to sing, it wouldn’t have done us very much good,” he reasons. “It’s better to cancel than go on and have people think, ‘Who are these guys and why are they on TV’? We always want to be our best.” 

The Lights Out
with The Highway, Spectator
Tonight, 9, Abbey Lounge
3 Beacon St., Somerville
$7, 21+, 617-441-9631
www.abbeylounge.com