Nethers lives for rock. Literally.

The Washington, D.C., band is fronted by Nikki West, who in her free time studies geo-sciences as a graduate student at Virginia Tech. Nethers, which tours whenever West can get breaks from her studies, will play the Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave., tonight along with Roustabout! veteran Creeping Weeds.

West said there isn't much of a connection between her two pastimes but she still has a passion for both.

"I think I do the science stuff because I'm really curious about how the world works," she said. "Artists and musicians are explorers as well; it's just a different mindset. It's a really vague similarity, but I think that's necessary to do both things and enjoy both things."

The band recently opened for The Decemberists at a show in Seattle. West said playing for a more established indie-rock outfit was a pleasant experience.

"It's nice because their audiences are obviously bigger," she said. "But I think a cool thing about indie audiences is that they're usually pretty receptive. We've gotten pretty lucky playing with the bands we've been able to play with."

Roust promoter Jesse Ruegg said he's been giving the Creeping Weeds release a lot of spins.

"They just had a record that came out," Ruegg said. "I guess it came out a few weeks ago, and it's great. It's really good; I listen to it about once a day."

The pairing is a change of pace for the weekly concert series, as Nethers features a more laid-back sound than most bands that play Roustabout!

"[Nethers is] not quite as rockist and rowdy and rock and roll as other bands that typically play Roustabout!," Ruegg said. "They're kind of like more airy, and they've got female vocals that are kind of at the forefront of their music. They have really interesting songwriting. I think they really will complement Creeping Weeds really well."

Ruegg said Creeping Weeds has an unconventional style that has set them apart at past Roust shows.

"They don't write like verse-chorus-verse-chorus," he said. "They're more free-form songwriters. I think they've gotten a pretty good response. I'm always excited every time they play. As far as I remember, I think they've gotten a pretty good response in the past."