A small crowd sits attentively among the stark-white walls of Blackbird Studios. At the front of the room, Coastwest Unrest performs an intimate set, powered by political and religious imagery and bursting beyond any specific genre. Blues. Americana. Hip-hop. Jazz. Brothers Noah (vocals/guitar/harmonica) and Josh (drums) Dickie spring-load the show with a multitude of layers and elements—and there are just two of them. Watching Noah effortlessly sing, strum the guitar and play the harmonica strapped to his neck—while his brother holds everything together with fluid beats—it’s clear coordination runs in the Dickie family.

Before Coastwest began, New England author Michael T. Fournier delivered a reading from his sophomore novel, Swing State. And though the gig seems like an unlikely pairing, Coastwest and Fournier have actually been sharing the stage on and off since they met in Maine five years ago. Tonight’s Blackbird set marks their sixth show together. “I think we’re just cut from the same cloth,” Noah says. Fournier also wrote an installment in the 33 1/3 series on classic Minutemen album Double Nickels on the Dime. “He’s really into punk rock. We’re not a traditional punk-rock band, but I think it ultimately stems back to the spirit of the punk-rock scene, and he’s very much into that.”

Coastwest Unrest’s upcoming LP, Black Desert Sweet Mojave, will be out in June.