Are your roommates driving you crazy? Do your phone messages seem to disappear into thin air? Do dirty dishes pile up in the sink into some sort of Corelle mountain? Imagine having to live and work with your roommates (and being forced to get along). Those are the exact conditions the Los Angeles-based quintet Sun 60 endured to make their newest release, HEAdjoy.

While most musical groups will hunker down in a studio for weeks at a time to lay their tracks down, Sun 60 took a totally different approach. They collectively decided to immerse themselves in the band by renting a house in which to live and record their album.

“It was a financial answer to finance disaster,” said Joan Jones, singer and songwriter. “In Los Angeles, it’s a kind of hard place to exist as a band. I knew recording would be a band effort; we needed a place that would serve as a living [and] recording place for the band. Everything that was being spent was going into the band.”

That meant, of course, non-stop contact with her four male colleagues, David Russo on guitar and piano, Bret Jensen on guitar, Eddie Russo on bass and drummer Mike Lawrence.

And while Jones is no stranger to a bunch of housemates, she found that this particular experience was quite enough for a lifetime, thank you. “I never want to live with the guys again,” Jones said. “I have six brothers, so I’m used to some things, but it was insane! Once we’d get into rehearsal, everything would be fine, but at night — oh, God.”

Household insanity aside, the whole arrangement turned out to be beneficial to the band as a whole. Aside from saving some cash (always a plus), HEAdjoy reflects the entire group, not just one or two songwriters.

“The studio environment can be really intimidating unless you thoroughly forget about it, and it’s really hard to forget when it’s $1,600 a day,” Jones said. “The first two [albums] were written by me and Dave. With less people, there are less egos to deal with; it’s a whole different process.

“Writing with the whole band is hard. It takes time too because we wanted it to be a collective effort.”

Now that the album is put to bed and music lovers everywhere have a chance to experience the fruit of Sun 60’s labors, the band is also taking a little advice from Jack Kerouac and hittin’ the road, which is nothing new to these guys (and girl).

“Prior to getting signed, we had been playing a year and a half, two years,” Jones explained. “We got signed off of our live show; we didn’t have any tapes or recordings together. [Epic Records] really allowed us to develop.

“Part of the money went into touring for us, which was really good. I never really thought I’d be doing this like this.”

This particular jaunt through America will keep Sun 60 in the nation’s breadbasket. They will hit Chicago, Kansas City and Duluth before they make a stop in Des Moines.

“We do well in the Midwest, and we’re not from there. It’s always good to go to a place you’re not from and get good response,” Jones said. “Sometimes we tour major cities, other times, we’re starting to target major areas. It’s part of a growing audience … [In college towns] we seem to get really good response. It’s kind of where people figure out who they are and what music they like.”

Now that Sun 60 are making a name for themselves, Jones for one is happy as a clam to be doin’ what she does. She is completely content to write songs and express them on stage, although some people actually scoff at the difficulty of her job. “I personally wouldn’t be very good at putting forth someone else’s ideas unless I could totally relate to them,” she said.

“That’s the greatest thing about what I’m doing. Through music, it’s a personal lifelong dream; it’s the truest form of expression. It’s the only thing in my life that’s not controlled.

“When you’re a singer, you’re screwed,” she added. “You play yourself, and you have to learn how to harness your being. It’s a mind f—. Some people say, ‘Oh, you’re just a singer,” and I say, “You try singing when you feel uncomfortable. You try singing when you don’t feel well. You try singing when you know people in the crowd think you suck.’ But I really love what I do; it’s great.”

Catch the rays of Sun 60 tomorrow night at The Love Shack, located at 625 East Court Ave. in Des Moines. The show will start at 9:30 p.m. And put that ID in yo’ pocket, or you ain’t gettin’ in.