Apache Relay to play tonight at the Bishop

Before Nashville-based band the Apache Relay goes on stage, they form into a group huddle and scream “nice” in Australian accents.

“It’s how we get our willies out and shake ’em off,” lead vocalist Michael Ford Jr. said.

“We can’t remember where it came from. There’s no explanation why.”

The Apache Relay will perform at 9:30 tonight, along with the Lonely Wild and Promised Land Sound, at the Bishop. Tickets are $12 and anyone 18 or older can attend with an ID.

Tonight’s performance is in celebration of the band’s upcoming self-titled album, set to be released on April 22.

The album took the band about three months to complete, working on and off from Oct. 2012 to May 2013.

“It’s a pretty long-winded record,” Ford said. “It was one of those things that needed time to get all of the songs right.”

This album will be the third released for the indie-roots band. Its first, “1988,” came out in 2009. The band released its sophomore album, “American Nomad,” in 2011.

Ford met fellow Apache Relay members Mike Harris, Brett Moore and Kellen Wenrich in a dorm room at Belmont University in 2006.

He later dropped out of college to pursue his passion for music.

Moore plays keyboard, guitar and mandolin. Wenrich plays the fiddle, and Harris plays the guitar and provides vocals.

The group also now includes Ford’s brother, Ben, who joined after the release of “American Nomad.”

The band has performed across the country and opened for bands Mumford & Sons and Young the Giant.

Being on the road has some disadvantages — mainly being stuck in a van with five guys, Ford said — but also brings new opportunities.

“I am most looking forward to meeting people after the show,” he said. “That’s one of the most fun things about doing shows. Everyone’s so loosey-goosey.”

Follow reporter Alison Graham on Twitter @AlisonGraham218.