For most Ames music fans, tomorrow will be the first time they witness the noisy assault of Twin Cities-based punk rock outfit, the Selby Tigers. Bass player Davey G is bent on making the band’s first impression a good one. “We go out of way to make it a spectacle,” Davey G says. “We do more than just play. We make it an actual `show’ and not just a band up there playing.” The beginning of the Selby Tigers can be traced back to another Minneapolis local band, Lefty Lucy. Drummer Dave (not Davey G) and guitarist/vocalist Arzu played in the band before forming the Selby Tigers in 1998. Bringing in collaborative song writing and three lead vocalists, the Selby Tigers diversify their sound, going against normal punk clich‚s. “It keeps us trying to do something different,” Davey G says, “which is pretty hard to do when you’re straight rock and roll.” Instead of having one songwriter who tells the band exactly what to play, the members of the Selby Tigers bounce ideas off of each other, which to creates less arguing. “We do function more equally in this band,” Davey G explains. “There’s not too much yelling.” Davey G came into the picture as the final piece to the Selby Tigers puzzle. He had hooked up with the band while previously recording with them. “I actually recorded the band’s first CD with the original bass player,” Davey G says. “I was planning on moving to England but I didn’t have my immigration shit figured out. Then they parted ways with their bass player and I came in.” However, Dave has helped the band in more ways than just with his low end. He spent much of the early ’90s playing in various local hardcore bands and along the way picked up knowledge of studio engineering which helped him in getting the proper connections. “I’ve recorded the last two Dillinger Four records so I had interactions with [Hopeless Records],” Davey G says. “They liked that a lot and decided to put out a single.” Hopeless Records was excited to sign the band and Davey G is happy with the promotion and faith the label is putting into the band. “They’re really good about promo stuff,” Davey G says. “We’ll see how it goes but it’s definitely a big difference than doing everything by ourselves.” The Selby Tigers full-length debut “Charm City” is set for release on Oct. 17. It contains 12 songs that Davey G describes as more melodic than most fans of Hopeless bands would expect. “If all the bands on the label were a little more like the Clash, then we’d be a little more like Elvis Costello, if that makes any sense,” Davey G says. “We all came from punk rock backgrounds but what exactly punk rock is at this point I have no clue.” Although Davey G sees confusion about what’s punk and what isn’t, he is glad to see all kinds of music being tagged with the genre. All kinds of music except for emo, that is. “I don’t understand what the fuck is going on there,” Davey G says. “I don’t understand how you can tag that contemporary song writing emo stuff as punk.” However, Davey G admits that without the diversity of the style, punk rock wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has. “Punk is almost 26 years old, and that’s almost as old as I am,” he says. “So many things are called punk rock these days ,but it’s a good thing.” Davey G knows the scene would be extinct if bands were still repeating what the Sex Pistols and Ramones did so many years ago. “It’s a flexible entity,” he says. “It can go from DC stuff to that contemporary emo stuff.” Davey G believes that punk has always been more about the lifestyle than the music and that’s what has given the genre its staying power. “I remember trying to figure things out in high school and being involved and exposed to punk made sense,” Davey G says. “Now it’s just become a more broad topic.” The making of “Charm City” was tougher for Davey G than for the rest of the band. For once he had to step into the studio with a musician’s ear rather than the engineering ear that he was used to. “It’s really hard to record your own band,” Davey G says. “I tried to step away and be a band member. I listen to records now and I’m happy as an engineer too.” Davey G recorded the band’s second demo himself.. For the full-length album, he rounded up one of his assistants to make the process go more smoothly. “I’ve worked with a lot of bands, and I know some bands that can knock out a record in a weekend,” Davey G explains. “We are definitely not one of those bands.” Although the recording process went well for the band with the resources it had, Davey G would have liked a different engineer to head the production. “If cost was no object and we were able to do whatever we wanted, we would have gone with a different engineer,” he says. “But if I’m in the band we save money with engineering costs.” The Selby Tigers will head out on their first label-backed tour this week to promote “Charm City,” and Davey G says the band members have the right mindset. “The reason all of us do this is because it’s fun,” Davey G. says. “I think that’s been lost a little bit with punk rock.”