On "Virginia Slims," the first single from Futurebirds' forthcoming album "Baba Yaga," the Athens, Ga. band drifts and dreams through all that's best about melodic, guitar-driven indie pop.

Corralled from front porches, basement couches and backyard bonfires around Athens, Ga., the six fellas that comprise Futurebirds seem to have an appreciation for the rich, southern gothic, independent music history their hometown has birthed (see R.E.M., the Elephant Six Collective and Drive-By Truckers).

A Monday night rock & roll show in St. Louis has the potential to be an uncomfortable experience on both sides of the music; especially if it happens in the long, slate corridor of the Firebird, where Monday-night crowd members might feel isolated standing in that gaping space before the stage.

All photos by Kate McDaniel. See more at my Flickr stream.