Conceived in 2000, East Bay rock stalwarts The Phenomenauts have built a national reputation with their penchant for commando-style street performances and spectacular onstage theatrics while bashing out a unique sound that grafts new wave synth sounds to propulsive rockabilly and surf guitar sounds all wrapped up in a hilarious stylized 50's sci-fi presentation.

After getting early recognition for their now infamous  performances in which they would set up in front of large music venues perform rollicking sets powered by car batteries for unsuspecting crowds, the group used a similar guerrilla strategy to earn a slot on the 2003 Vans Warped Tour (volunteering to cook all the bands and crew members breakfast burritos every morning certainly didn't hurt). The band so impressed tour founder Kevin Lyman that they were officially invited back the following year.

The band has released three full-length efforts in addition to numerous EPs (including their latest Springman Records disc, 'Electric Sheep,' which came out over the summer), but it's their chaotic live performances that remain The Phenomenauts greatest achievements. Incorporating heavy dry-ice smoke, space-themed inflatables and an ever-evolving arsenal of homemade "Phenoma-gadgets" including the Theramatic Helmerator (a wireless Theremin attached to AR7-Bot’s head) and the Streamerator (a modified leaf blower that blasts rolls of toilet paper out into the crowd), the band's kinetic spectacle recalls the crazed stage show of Devo-influenced space/surf avatars Man Or Astroman? The group's latest effort is a 7" single that comes with copies of a new Phenomenauts comic book, Adventures In The Third Dimension. The band recently premiered a video for their new song "We're With Neil" -- a musical tribute to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson that nods to The Who's macabre hit "Boris the Spider" -- on tech website Wired.com. They're joined by local favorites Warm Soda and Emily's Army for the show at the Bottom of the Hill.

The Phenomenauts play the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Friday, April 26 (9 p.m. $10-$12) and San Pedro Market Square in San Jose on Saturday, April 27 (8:30 p.m. free).