Members of the fabulous foursome, The Nadas, threw a fiesta at People’s Bar and Grill in early February to celebrate the release of their debut CD, Not a Sound.

The title comes from a lyric in the song “Secrets in the Night,” but has less obvious origins as well. “When you say it fast, it sounds like ‘Nada Sound,’ which is our sound,” explained Ray England, drummer/percussionist. “Also, nada is Spanish for nothing, and if we’re nothing, how can we make a sound?”

Good question. The answer: They make it very well. The harmonious blend of guitarists/vocalists Jason Walsmith and Mike Butterworth’s voices would be enough to draw Bob Dole to a Sharon Stone flick.

Add the third voice of bassist Brett Nelson, and the instrumental genius of England, and you’ve got a one-two, three-four punch that’s sure to knock you out.

The modern-folk-alternative rockers achieve their unique sound by intertwining myriad influences and backgrounds. “To arrive at an understanding of our sound, you have to understand the two writers,” England said. “Mike is a big radio listener; he likes more electric bands like Tom Petty.

“But Jason, he likes more acoustic and folk. The CD is pretty evenly split. There are 15 tunes, seven by Mike: seven by Jason and one collaboration. Very few songs sound like each other.”

The Nadas formed when Butterworth and Walsmith found a shared interest in guitar playing and singing while living in the same fraternity house.

The two gave impromptu concerts in the stairwell of the house where the acoustics were superior. After the two performed a few local gigs, England came aboard as a drummer when he realized the talent the two had as singers and writers.

“I said I’d do it if it was fun and not a hassle,” England said. “Then Brett joined, and he just fit right in. He was just the thing we needed to make it work. When he joins in on harmony, the three-part blend is killer.”

The decision to record was a matter of timing and demand. “People have been asking us to record for about a year, but I was kind of holding out,” England explained. “Around October, I thought we were consistent enough as to where we could start recording.”

The group headed north to Fort Dodge to begin laying tracks for the endeavor. Remarkably, the project took only about 30 hours from start to finish, despite the group’s lack of studio savvy. Their hopes are to secure a larger fan base outside the Ames area and to score more gigs.

“The disc sounds pretty much the way we do when you hear us live,” England said. “It doesn’t use a lot of studio trickery. We’re just really proud of the work we’ve done.”

The Nadas’ CD, Not A Sound, is available at Peeple’s Music, Musicland, Co-Op Records and the band’s live performances.