When children are young, they’re taught to keep their hands to themselves. Punk band The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!) has learned not everyone remembers that rule once they reach adulthood.

The A.K.A.s will make its first appearance in Iowa Monday at the Botanical Center, 909 E. River Drive, Des Moines. Mike Ski, the band’s frontman, says he hopes an incident at the band’s Halloween show in Providence, R.I. won’t repeat itself.

The story begins with an overly excited fan who couldn’t keep his hands to himself and went to grab keyboardist Nina Aron’s butt. Ski says the band usually blows stuff like that off, but that night was different.

“Nina has had to deal with tons of drunken assholes, but this one took it a little too far,” Ski says. “This guy was getting a little out of hand, so I grabbed Brian [Hitch], our roadie, and Lukas [Previn, the band’s guitarist] and we asked him what was up.

“In the end, the dude ended up horizontal. I will say no more just in case the Providence D.A. happens to read this.”

Since Hitch was dressed as a male stripper — wearing little more than a bow tie — and Previn was dressed as Tigger, Ski says the band gave the audience a show they wouldn’t forget.

“We barely survived that part of the tour anyway,” Ski says. “We were on the road with the fabulous punk band called The Dwarves, and those dudes are known for serious partying.”

The A.K.A.s began when Ski grew tired of traveling to play with his former band, Brother’s Keeper, after he moved to New York City.

He met up with his longtime friend, guitarist Lukas Previn, and they began working on a band that wouldn’t have the reputation and restriction Ski had faced previously.

“At the point where we were all at, it just seemed like it was time to start a brand new band,” Ski says. “Brother’s Keeper was a hardcore band with eight years of history. We were sort of held hostage by that and just wanted to start fresh.”

To get noticed, the band that would eventually be known as The A.K.A.s did what most bands do, Ski says. They recorded a demo and played as many shows as they could.

Then a call came with news of a spot at the annual South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.

“It was kind of last minute, we didn’t even have enough money to go squat out there, or anything,” Ski says.

“We were scared if we drove all the way to Texas, there would only be, like, five people who would show up to see us.”

To finance the trip, Ski says he used contacts from his old band and put together a quick 10-day tour to Austin and back. They also put together an EP entitled, “The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!).”

After playing South by Southwest, the band was signed by Florida-based label Fueled by Ramen. Ski says he liked the label because it had great plans for a band that was put together from scratch.

“Fueled by Ramen was really in the same mindset as us,” Ski says. “They were really open to doing creative things and it just worked out.”

The result of that collaboration is the band’s first album, “White Doves and Smoking Guns,” an album with a different take on a genre of music that’s been around since the late ’70s.

“We’ve been called everything from hop garage to socially conscious, but we’re just … punk rockers,” Ski says. “Our ‘mission statement’ is to have something to say, but not be boring.

“We want to combine some important content with fun. A lot of bands are just one or the other. I think it’s possible to have a ‘smart’ party band.”

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The A.K.A.s, Half the Facts, Horseshoe Spatulas

Where: Des Moines Botanical Center, 909 E. River Drive, Des Moines

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Cost: $5