If one band ever took the saying "follow your passion" to heart, it would be The Hard Lessons.

"It's not work; it's not a chore," Augie Visocchi, guitarist and singer for the Hard Lessons, said. "After eight hours in a van, one meal all day, 2,000 miles away from friends and family, those 45 minutes on stage are what we live for. We work too hard to get to these far off places to not give even the smallest turnouts the best show they've ever seen."

The Hard Lessons will be performing at tonight's Roustabout! show at 10 at the Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave.

Hailing from the distant land of Michigan, the Hard Lessons are veterans of the Detroit garage rock scene that has produced acts like the White Stripes and the Stooges. Visocchi said the band's three members have influences that range from post-punk to Neil Young to barbershop quartets and that their collective sound is difficult to classify.

Roustabout! promoter Jesse Ruegg had no reservations about classifying the band, though, calling the band "straightforward garage rock" and "your standard three-piece rock 'n' roll outfit."

Visocchi, on the other hand, said the band "couldn't sound further from a three-piece." He shares vocals with Korin Louise Cox who, in addition to singing, also plays bass with her left hand and keys and synth with her right.

"I never have to think about remembering what to do," Cox said. "We play almost every other night, so there's plenty of time to sharpen up. I was always meant to be a multi-tasker."

Cox called the band's live show energetic and honest, saying, "We do it because we love it, we're proud of our music, and we like each other. There's no posing."

Visocchi said the band's uninhibited style can turn people off.

"People are confused at the amount of passion we have," he said. "We have a non-ironic love for rock 'n' roll, and it's so easy for people to sit back in their cubicles and write on their blogs about it."

Ruegg said in addition to the Hard Lessons, Thee Lexington Arrows will also be playing.

The band has never played Roustabout! before in its current incarnation. The band is composed of former Roustabout! veterans who were once members of the ShakeDowns, who share a similar rock 'n' roll aesthetic with Thee Lexington Arrows.