With friends like these ... you still need to sell albums

What does it mean, exactly, to be an "Internet sensation"?

Do people have to point and click at you to get you to talk?

Do you occasionally crash?

It's all new, and it's all relative. Having thousands of "friends" on your MySpace page may mean nothing more than you're good at self-promotion — and that there are a lot of people out there with time on their hands.

Or, as in the case of budding Net stars This Providence, it could be a sign of a fast-growing future in the recording industry.

On www.myspace.com/thisprovidence, 46,000 people have signed up as "friends" of the band. More than 1 million total plays have been recorded at the site: "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" has been played 190,000-plus times, "Truth and Reconciliation" more than 310,000. (This Providence also has had 780,000 plays on purevolume.com.)

As impressive as that might seem, This Providence isn't even the top Seattle indie band on MySpace's rankings — it recently ranked sixth, behind the likes of Seattle screamo band Emery (the South Carolina natives' "Studying Politics" has more than 2 million plays) and pop-rockers Aiden (two songs near 1 million plays).

Of course, there's a big difference between MySpace/purevolume and "the real world." This Providence has been doing well in the three-dimensional existence, as well, and the commercial success of the Bothell-based band will begin to play out in the coming months. The young quartet, led by Dan Young, has a self-titled album coming out on Fueled By Ramen, an indie label that is also home to Panic! At the Disco and Seattle's Kane Hodder. If "This Providence" does well, the band will likely move up to Atlantic Records; Fueled By Ramen and Atlantic are both under the Warner Music Group umbrella.

For the last two years, This Providence has been touring steadily, fueled by the Internet music explosion, which has been receptive to its Christian-themed, indie-pop sound.

Last Friday, Young talked over the phone from a tour stop in Virginia. Young was born in Australia and lived there until he was 16, when his father landed a job with Boeing. The family moved to the Seattle area, and Young enrolled in Bothell High, becoming more and more interested in music. He started This Providence with friends from a Christian youth group, and the band started playing all-ages places like Bellevue's Ground Zero, the Kirkland Teen Center and the Paradox.

Gatsby's American Dream (nearing 1 million plays on purevolume, 500,000 plays at MySpace) took This Providence under its wing: "They taught us what to do, told us, 'you need to go on tour,' helped us get signed to Fueled By Ramen."

Young — joined in the band by original member Phillip Cobrea, RyanTapert and Gavin Phillips — was pleased with how far This Providence has come, but a little dubious about the value of sites like MySpace and purevolume.

"It's very helpful connecting with fans, promoting shows — it's a really good way to promote ourselves.

"Touring, you kind of get more solid fans, they come to shows and buy records. With MySpace, I'm not sure how many people come to our shows and buy albums. Having MySpace friends is elusive ... it's hard to judge how serious they are about the music."

This Providence's sound is a mixture of its devotion to the Beatles and Queen, best exemplified by "The Road to Jericho is Lined With Starving People."

Lyrically, the band is all about devotion. "We're all Christians, and we're definitely serious about it, but we really try to make music that everyone can relate to, it's not just for Christians. We're not trying to use religious clichés."

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is a C.S. Lewis-inspired song about "spiritual warfare," Young says.

"You're going to taste my fists

... I've had enough of your games"

This Providence makes a pit stop at home, playing 7 p.m. Wednesday at El Corazon ($12, all ages), with Paramore and Hit the Lights. After that, This Providence continues its national tour, traveling from California to Florida.

Will the road lead to success?

"Like most bands, we want to succeed and hopefully make a living — we're not at a point where we're making a living," Young said. "I'm still living with my parents."

In other words, he has "MySpace," but he's still looking for "myplace."

• The Fleet Foxes, another up-and-coming local band, play new takes on '60s pop at 10 p.m. Saturday at Chop Suey ($10), opening for the Clientele. If you like the Shins, the Fleet Foxes will please your ears. Check this band out at www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes.

• Huh-Uh, a quirky, extremely amusing girl-pop band with satiric takes on '80s pop, plays its "Breakfast Club Meets Saturday Night Live" songs 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Funhouse ($5).

• Bizarre local rockers Super Geek League — part performance art, part real-time horror movie — clown at 9 tonight at the Showbox ($10, all ages). This twisted, bizarro rock band is heavy on songs like "Jesus in Clown Shoes."

• Gary Hoey leads a benefit for the Layne Staley Fund at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Showbox ($25). The Layne Staley Fund "provides hope, education, support and treatment funds for heroin recovery in the Seattle music community."

Tom Scanlon: tscanlon@seattletimes.com