{image1}Holding a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon, the official beer of the New Blind Nationals, drummer Joe Kirschling proudly declares a new direction for the group: "We've moved from being the villains of the Milwaukee music scene. Now we're the heroes!"

Is it possible that the New Blind Nationals have turned over a new leaf? It doesn't seem possible for a band that is known not only for their explosive noise-pop, but for leaving a trail of broken instruments and sprained ankles in their wake.

"We're too broke to break anything," explains guitarist and bassist Michael Marchant.

But after talking with them about their first full-length album "Bury the Pattern," which will be released on Sparkler Records on April 17, the quintet seems more reserved than usual as they talk about the plan they have in mind to rescue Milwaukee music.

"(The album) has a lot to do with ideas about patterns that occur in life, such as relationships, politics, and friendships and how to get past them, or burying them in a way," says vocalist and guitarist Kyle Altadonna.

His songwriting partner, guitarist and vocalist Tony Weber, says the album also has a lot to do with burying the patterns that seem to plague the indie music scene, specifically the smugness of its fans. "Just because you know about this band, it seems that you're way better than anybody," he says.

The songwriting duo of Weber and Altadonna has learned a thing or two since Kirschling joined the band last year. For one, bassist and keyboardist Josef Blind and the rest of the group work more closely together during the writing process instead of resorting to the rapid pace that was apparent in the group's early EPs.

"We learned to work together, and that was a big step," explains Weber, "When we first started out it was really energetic. We were in other bands and we really wanted to play with each other, so we weren't worried if it would sound OK. We're just going to play. Now we're about working together and building rhythm."

"I also think there was a lot more room for experimentation," says Altadonna, "The songs progressed as we wrote them. All of us as a band would come in and suggest new parts that I don't know we would have tried before, but we were a lot more open to them. Joe has brought such a solid structure to the band."

Weber sums it up best: "We've gone from chaos to controlled chaos."

Last month, the Nationals packed up their controlled chaos in their van for a visit to the East Coast for a tour appropriately titled the "Spring Broke Tour 2004."

While Altadonna declares that Brooklyn loves the New Blind Nationals, Kirschling cautions that touring is "not as glorious as it's made out to be." The stories they tell about sleeping in the van, getting kicked out of a house by a fan's parents, and the frequent drug deals that occur in Rhode Island are not meant to make others envious, but it helped the band realize how much they love playing in Milwaukee.

When we last left our heroes of the Milwaukee music scene, Weber was continuing his discussion about the indie music "know-it alls," which reminds Kirschling of an indie rock joke.

"How many indie rockers does it take to screw in a light bulb?" he asks. Obviously, the reply is that I don't know.

"What? You haven't heard yet!"

Even heroes have a good sense of humor.

The New Blind Nationals' CD Release Show for "Bury the Pattern" takes place on Thursday, April 22 at Onopa Brewing Company, located at 735 E. Center St. in Riverwest, at 9:30 p.m., which will also feature the bands 1984 and The Static Model. Admission is $5. The band's Web is newblindnationals.com.