Dave Portner is freaking out. Better known by his cryptic sobriquet Avey Tare, he's lying flat on the floor, eyes open wide, startled by something invisible and evidently very strange in the air above. Bandmate Brian Weitz, or Geologist, is splayed out beside him, swaying his head from side to side extreeeemely sloooowly.

For an impish sprite with a wardrobe full of starry aqua ankle boots and fishnet tights, Kevin Barnes is surprisingly intense when it comes to volleyball. It's a numbing summer night in Athens, Georgia, and we're engaged in some serious business in Normaltown, the larky boho haven that Barnes calls home.