Many may think The Scourge of the Sea is Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants.

But Friday that will not be the case – it will be a group of musicians from Kentucky coming to the Morton Theatre to show off their self-described “golden indie rock.”

The Scourge of the Sea originally consisted of Justin Craig, Andrew English and Robby Cosenza.

Now they’ve added Anna Hess on violin, Abbye Tackett on cello and J. Tom Hnatow on the lap steel, banjo and bass to further define its sound as a six-piece touring ensemble.

The band was named by Cosenza, who used to work on a fishing boat. “Scourge of the sea” referred to really bad things like weather or seafood.

Cossenza used this term to name his band, which he said is indie pop rock. He also said the group sounds like early R.E.M. and the Decemberists.

“It’s a bit of both. A lot of the stuff is quieter, kind of more subdued, lyrics stuff. Some of it’s pretty aggressive and louder than it should be,” Cossenza said.

“It’s definitely more aggressive live than the album or anything you hear on the radio,” he said.

“Everybody is pretty surprised at the live show – it’s different than what they’re expecting.”

Currently the band is on the second leg of their U.S. tour.

According to Tony Bonyata from Machine PR, the group’s media spokesperson, it’s been playing packed live shows during the fall and getting a lot of radio airplay.

The group’s 2007 winter tour will go through the Southeast – from Tennessee to Florida.

The group also has played at Tasty World in the past.

“We love coming to Athens. It’s a very beautiful, supportive arts community,” Cossenza said.

“A lot of music I grew up listening to came from there,” he said about Athens.

“We do well in Athens and had a really good show last time we were there.”

This time, The Scourge of the Sea has been brought to Athens for a show through Athens 441 at the Morton Theatre.

Athens 441, named after the highway that runs through the Classic City, is a concert series that wants to promote Athens’ reputation as a great college music town.

Joe Silva, the host of Athens 441, explained the selection process.

“I try to keep things as eclectic as possible. Since the sets are short, if you don’t like one band, you won’t have to wait long to hear something else,” Silva said.

“I really liked the Scourge album when it came out. And then they did a session for my other program, Just Off the Radar,” he said about the headlining band. “Seemed like they’d be a good fit for the Morton.”

The selection of bands involves coordinating between which bands are available and who they want to showcase.

Athens 441 offers tickets at $8 for a single and $12 for a pair to see at least three bands.

The purchasers also get a free drink ticket.

“Plus since the show is over early, they still have plenty of time to catch a headlining set at one of the other clubs,” Silva said about guests who come to see the show.

Opening for The Scourge of the Sea will be other bands, Waxwing Trio, Mandy Jane and the Jaws of Life.