By Daniel Kerwin

It’s not uncommon for bands to form on a college campus, but most of these bands don’t continue to last another 16 years as Des Moines based band The Nadas has. The Nadas had its origins as a way for the band members to kill time when they were attending college in Ames, Iowa in 1995, and the band just recently released their seventh album in mid-March, titled “Almanac.”

The band will be performing songs from their new album tomorrow night at Fine Line Music Café in downtown Minneapolis. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $13 at the door or $11 in advance.

The “Almanac” album was recorded last year as an experimental project where the band wrote, recorded and released one song a month throughout the year, with each track on the album representing a different month.

The band has been described as having both an alt-rock and an alt-country sound, while “Almanac” has been said to have more of an anthemic rock feel to it.

The songs on the album are generally mellow and rely on strong lyrics by the band’s lead singers Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith and subtle instrumental decisions; among the instruments used in songs on the album are violin (played by the band’s violinist Becca Smith), a tin whistle, and steel drums.

Their music is the kind of music you could find yourself singing along to when working on homework, though I’m sure they create a much different atmosphere playing live. The catchiest songs I could find on their album were “All I Want Is You” and “New Year’s Eve.” I can imagine a room full of people singing along to these songs with the band on stage. If you head down to Fine Line you can find out for yourself.

Fine Line Music Café is easily accessible by light rail and provides an intimate atmosphere to watch live bands, often booking some big names. The venue is standing room only, although there are also tables to sit at further back on the main floor and a balcony with a bar up above.

The band kicked off their tour at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Tex., and after leaving Minneapolis will continue to perform at venues throughout the Midwest (mainly in Iowa) through the summer, culminating with the Iowa State Fair in mid August.