Those attending the Lyle Block Party Thursday will hear new sounds from Six Mile Grove.

The band is working on 32 new songs, co-written by its four members. They plan to release a fourth album this fall.

"We're far from figuring it out, but I think it's just interesting to get to a point that we're doing something we're really proud of," said Brandon Sampson, vocalist and guitarist.

Brandon Sampson, his brother Brian and Barry Nelson, all from Lyle, and Dezi Wallace of Austin formed Six Mile Grove in 1997.

Since then, the band has put out three CDs and played throughout the country, mostly in the area and the Twin Cities. Their songs have been played on radio stations in Minneapolis and Mankato. Up until last year, they were averaging three performances a week.

Then late last fall, they decided to examine their priorities.

"We only had time to play the stuff we knew well," Brandon Sampson said of their packed schedule.

So the members decided to cut back their performances, follow a rehearsal schedule and start listening to more types of music.

"We're spending a lot more time doing the most important thing, which was rehearsing," Sampson said.

Although they live in different parts of the state, they practice every Sunday and work individually on music and lyrics during the week. Brandon Sampson lives in Rochester, Wallace lives in Austin and Brian Sampson and Nelson live in the Twin Cities.

They've also been listening to classic country music, such as Hank Williams and Pasty Cline. Their new songs are rock, but have a country influence, although they admit their sound is hard to categorize.

"They'll have to come and figure it out and put a category on us," Wallace said of local fans.

Sampson credits all the members for writing good music and working well together. He hopes their audience will enjoy the music as much as they enjoy playing it.

"All that matters is that the band believes in what they're doing and they play it with intensity and people can't help but respond in that fashion," Brandon Sampson said.

Once they cut down their performances, they also became more selective in the places they perform. They want to play at bars or clubs where the audience is there to listen to music. They've played at the Fine Line Music Cafe, Lee's Liquor Lounge and the 400 Bar in Minneapolis.

But they also enjoy playing locally at bars and events in Rochester, Austin and, of course, Lyle.

"Mostly because people know who you are and they expect something different than your average bar band," Brandon Sampson said.

And performing at the Lyle Block Party provides more enjoyment. It becomes a bit of a class reunion for the Sampsons and Nelson, who graduated from Lyle High School in the 1990s. This is the third year they've played at the annual dance.

"It's fun to get back to Lyle. The third of July is a blast," Brandon Sampson said. "We see what everyone else has been up to and they see what we've been up to."

Doors of the Lyle Block Party at the Lyle Legion open at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, with Six Mile Grove performing at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 and children under 12 get in free. For more information on Six Mile Grove, visit its Web site at www.sixmilegrove.com

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto:cari.quam@austindailyherald.com