Audience members are encouraged to wear costumes - "The more outrageous, the better," says guitarist-vocalist Steve Wethington - and the band will give away bags of candy with drink tickets and other adults-only treats inside. The musicians will be clad in costumes, too; Wethington says the group probably won't decide what to wear until right before the show.

The musicians, who hail from Newport and Norwood, are just as playful when describing their rock sound.

"If brown was a sound, we're definitely orange," says drummer Chris Pennington. A few minutes later, he smirks and tries again: "We are to well vodka what Radiohead is to Grey Goose."

The band, formed in 2002 by Wethington and guitarist Chris Wolfe and recently expanded to include Pennington and bass player Matt Tomlinson, places an emphasis on powerful dynamics.

"We have songs that are really simple and quiet, but we have other ones that just explode," Wolfe says.

The Humans Bow Down show also serves as the official launch of local musician Jerry Dirr's new label, Phratry Records (www.phratryrecords.com), which is releasing A Mirror, and the final performance of Dirr's band, Theraphosa. Hilltop Distillery and the Defrost Star are on the bill, as well.

9 p.m. Saturday. Radio Down, 100 W. Sixth St., Covington. $5; $3 with costume. All ages. (859) 431-1839; www.radiodown.com. For more information about Humans Bow Down, go to www.humansbowdown.com.

E-mail chanifin@enquirer.com