After 10 years on the Athens scene, it seems like Mike Mantione and Dan Horowitz, both founding members of local rock outfit Five-Eight, would have grown up a bit.

They still joke around like teen-agers and speak in Northern accents that reflect years of living in Binghamton, N.Y. But considering the changes the band has weathered in recent months, their degree of calm was surprising.

When drummer Patrick "Tigger" Ferguson left a few months ago, the band almost called it quits then and there. "When Tigger quit, I quit," Mantione said.

"Since (Mantione) quit, I had to quit to," Horowitz said. "Except I didn’t really quit."

Horowitz kept the idea alive for the brief period it took to bring Mantione around to the idea of keeping the band together. Unfortunately, in the process of beginning auditions for drummers, rhythm guitarist Sean Dunn left for New Orleans and stayed there.

New drummer Mike Rizzi has only been playing with Five-Eight for about a month, but he definitely matches the wit of his counterparts in the band. After playing with Nathan Sheppard for three years, Rizzi took the past two years to "just sit back and concentrate on smart moves." (This comment warranted plenty of laughter from Mantione and Horowitz.)

The changes in the band’s line-up have affected more than just the band itself. Mantione related how these past five months have been the longest stretch of time he’s been home in seven years, the last five of which included getting married and having two kids. These days his wife and kids have nothing to worry about for a while, as the band is focusing its efforts on writing songs and preparing demos for an upcoming album.

"For me it’s easier right now to be writing. With all the changes I’ve been able to write a good amount of material, which is something different than what we’ve done in the past," Mantione said. "I feel like we can tackle anything."

The trio format works well for the entire band, and according to them, it has helped the sound. Rizzi was looking to start up a three-piece project before running into Horowitz and hearing about the auditions. Horowitz was even more grateful for the change.

"It feels like there’s a lift," Horowitz said. "It opens up my playing in a way, just naturally."

The show scheduled for tonight is reportedly going to be an acoustic gig, and Mantione attributes this to the availability of dates in town. The band has written a lot of new material and wants to get it out in front of people. The show should feature some songs from the band’s extensive back catalogue. Friend of the band Matt White will play an accordion to round out the sound.

"There’s always a big element of unpredictability at all our shows," Horowitz said. "That’s I think even more true of an acoustic gig and something I kind of like."

Rizzi joked about the band coming out for the first time in months with an acoustic set. What frustrated him was "when I feel like I got (the songs he was required to learn) done, they’re like, ‘Play them a different way for Friday.’"

Tonight’s show at the High Hat represents a fresh start of sorts for both the band and its fans.

"In a way we never really made it. That support that was there is still there. There’s a certain amount of people who are still waiting, so I think it’s just an evolution," Horowitz said.

Horowitz, claiming himself as the eternal optimist, ended the interview with one thought: "No matter what, we’re still ourselves, and that’s very depressing." The laughter that followed from the other band members was too much to go on answering questions.