To say the Stereofidelics (www.stereof.com) are high energy is an understatement. When I first spoke with Chris Padgett (guitars, vocals, loops, synth bass, synthesizer) on the phone, he was still driving their van through Utah on the way to Boulder for a 10pm show at the Pearl St. Pub that night. But all the hours of driving, loading and unloading gear, a minor equipment failure, and all the other exhausting elements of life on tour, are quickly erased as soon the first notes escape Padgett’s amplifier.

The multi-instrument duo consists of Padgett and Melissa McGinley (electric violin, drums, vocals) and delivers a sound you have to see to believe it comes from only two people. The Stereofidelics are deft combination of Appalachian folk, tight grooves, and rock. If Bill Monroe ever sat down and jammed with Frank Zappa, they might come up with this sound.

With their second studio release, “You Are Having a Wonderful Time,” (June 2010 on Rubberneck Records) the Stereofidelics deliver a dynamic album, both sonically and emotionally. “Zombie Foot” eases you into the album with a steady groove blending perfectly into the title track. “You Are having a Wonderful Time” showcasing everything that makes the Stereofidelics so entertaining. Starting with Padgett’s impressive and catchy guitar hook and McGinley’s backing vocals adding depth and warmth, the song takes an abrupt turn and builds into something both rocking and haunting. The musical and lyrical tension in “A Round” makes it easily one of the best songs on the album. Musically, this duet really gels in a way that few bands do. They are a remarkable combination of skill, craft and intuition.

After their blistering 3-hour show on July 7, 2010 to a packed Pearl St. Pub, we got to sit down the following day and talk about their new album, life on the road, and why they do it.

How was the recording process for you on this album?
Chris: The pre-production at Sole Sound in Colorado was a great motivator. We got the basics done for 5 songs before recording at our home studio and at Southview Arts Studio in Vermont.

When we go into the studio it’s like drawing a sketch on napkins, but with no dimensions. We pride ourselves on being a dynamic band, so we have to be flexible in the studio.

Melissa: We made some unintended major changes. “Spinning” actually came before out first album and it’s a song we love to do live, but was hard to recreate that energy in the studio.

Do you ever have to consider the fact you’re a two-piece band when you’re recording to make sure you can play the songs live?
Chris: We refuse to use pre-recorded music live. We love analog too much to use a computer. We’re realistic, but we don’t limit an album to just what can be done live. A live show exists for a moment in time. An album should be a little more lasting.

Melissa: We’re not an exclusive band, but there’s really no way we could do this with more than two people. Sometimes we talk about adding a horn or something, but more personnel can mean more problems.

What’s new on your tour for this album?
Chris: We’re playing a lot of new cities, or places we’ve usually only played once a year on this tour. We’ve been spoiled previously playing to familiar “hometown” crowds.

Melissa: Sometimes it’s hard on morale. We played a dingy place in a bad part of San Francisco where even our friends who lived there wouldn’t go. California was really good though, and we met a lot of great new people in New Mexico. We have good friends in Colorado, so it feels like home and not 1500 miles away when we play here.

Chris: It’s nice to feel a hometown vibe (at shows in Colorado). We’re on the road about 7 months out of the year, doing around 180 shows. We’ll be touring through the fall and if all our hard work is meaningful enough, we might do a live album.

Why do you do this?
Chris: We’re not going for the mainstream, but we know in our hearts there’s a good enough market for what we do. We feel good about it.

Melissa: We perform not because we need to be the center of attention, but because we’re good at it and want to share it. We want to make people happy, give them a chance to forget about their problems, bad day, etc.

For more on the Stereofidelics, including tour dates and their new album check out their website at www.stereof.com