Pack up the guitars, the amplifiers, the drums and … the baby?

Being married with children while touring is a difficult task, but it is one Mercy Rule, the husband-wife duo John Taylor and Heidi Ore, has perfected.

The couple spends its free time touring the Midwest, all while taking care of its infant daughter Zoie.

With Taylor on guitar and Ore on vocals and bass, they are the driving force behind the Nebraska rock band. Ron Albertson completes the family on drums.

“I guess [Ron] is older than us, but we have to baby sit him, so he’ll always be our little brother,” Ore said, laughing.

The aspect of family shows not only in the band’s relationships with each other, but also in its music.

“The Flat Black Chronicles” is the latest in the series of albums and singles released by Mercy Rule.

The album, which was recorded at Fort Apache Studio in Boston and Smart Studios in Madison, Wis., perfectly captures the bands loud, mature and dynamic style.

Producing the album was Lou Giordano, who has also worked with the likes of Sugar, Bob Mould, The Goo Goo Dolls and Paul Westerburg.

For Ore, making the album while eight months pregnant “added to the fun” of recording.

After two sour deals from previous record companies, the band signed on with Caulfield Records out of its hometown of Lincoln, Neb.

The experience was one that would have caused other bands to pack up and go home.

“We signed with Relativity Records, and they dropped us. We signed with RCA Records, and they dropped us. So we’re glad we got on with Caulfield,” she said.

The band got its start when Taylor bought Ore a bass amplifier for Valentine’s Day. The couple played in another band for a while, trying out numerous drummers until it selected Albertson and Mercy Rule was formed.

Ore’s powerful vocals, along with the band’s hard-rocking alternative style, quickly became the trademark of Mercy Rule.

The group’s distinct style of high-energy music led to success on the road.

“We’ve had a great time touring, but we’ve also had our share of mishaps, though, just like every band,” Ore said. “We played an outside show at Baltimore, and it was so hot. We were all lobsters after the show. We’ve also had our share of technical problems, with John’s amplifier acting up and things like that.”

Playing mostly small clubs across the Midwest, Ore is totally in her element.

“I don’t really know what the official music ‘scene’ is, but I love my scene,” Ore explained. “My scene is small stages. I love playing small stages in the Midwest, because you’re part of the crowd, and they don’t let you get away with anything. If you play a good show they love you, and if you play a not-so-good show, they let you know that, too.”

Drawing from influences such as Hole, The Pixies and The Who, Mercy Rule has all of the qualities of a crowd pleasing band.

“I would love to meet Courtney Love someday or even play with her band,” Ore said. “It’d be cool just to run into her at a coffee shop or something and sit down and talk to her.”

Sitting down and talking will be something that the audience will be doing very little of this weekend when the fierce rocking Mercy Rule visits The Maintenance Shop.

The show is Friday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $6 general admission. Babies are welcome.