It’s clear from the composition of Dromedary Acoustic Quartet that it’s not a typical jazz band.

The group, which will play Friday at the Melting Point, is composed of Andrew Reissiger on the charango and guitar; Rob McMaken on the mandolin, dulcimer, cumbus, and guitar; Louis Romanos on ethnic percussion and Chris Enghauser on the upright bass.

McMaken calls the band “a different kind of musical experience than any you’ll ever have.”

The band originally consisted of just two members, Reissiger and McMaken. It has since matured into a full quartet.

The ensemble plays a variety of odd instruments, such as the dulcimer – a stringed musical instrument from the zither family, which is used primarily in folk music.

McMaken is in good company with another famous dulcimer player – Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones. The charango is a small South American stringed instrument sometimes made from an armadillo shell.

“Our music comes from listening to lots of music from around the world,” McMaken said.

“We mostly play original compositions, but these compositions are usually based on elements of music from one or more parts of the world. Mix ethnic instruments with jazz sensibilities, and there you have Dromedary Acoustic Quartet.”

Even though Athens doesn’t seem to be the best place to find a jazz band among all of the hard rockers, indie pop artists and singer-songwriters, the band has no shortage of die-hard fans in the Classic City.

Drew Edwards, a senior from Macon, will be at the show Friday.

“It has been too long since I’ve seen them play, and I also love to see shows at the Melting Point,” Edwards said.

“I really do enjoy their music, and hopefully (this) will help draw a nice crowd of newcomers to the Melting Point.”

The group can boast of more than just students in their fan base.

“All kinds of folks come out to see us here, folkies, indie rockers, professors, old folks, high school musicians,” McMaken said. “We love it.”

Paul Quick, a TA program co-director at the Center for Teaching and Learning and University Ph.D. graduate of 2004, believes “if anything, their willingness to put different ‘worlds’ together makes their music larger than the sum of its parts, retaining the ethnicity while transforming it into something familiar.”

“I love listening to them live because they seem like such wonderful people who absolutely love what they do,” he said. “Their interaction is great and genuine.”

To fans at least, McMaken and Reissiger are both approachable musicians who are happy to share their unique musical knowledge.

Christy Lau, a 2004 University graduate from Atlanta, met Rob at a show in Rutherford Hall.

“I play violin and had wanted to learn mandolin, and Rob was in the process of learning fiddle,” Lau said. “We made a swap of instruments, and I got some great lessons. Rob and Andrew are musical geniuses.”

Although the band has played around the country and Europe and has been featured on National Public Radio, Dromedary has a soft spot for Athens.

“People in Athens like quirky, high-quality stuff, so we fit right in here,” McMaken said.