The impetus of Gainesville’s beloved Dear and Glorious Physician began with two brothers, Charles and Andrew Westfall. The siblings started writing and playing songs together in 2002, Charles on guitar and vocals and Andrew on drums. They chose their moniker from the title of a book by Taylor Caldwell, and went through various personnel changes and configurations. In 2005, the brothers Westfall permanently ended guitar and bass player try-outs and drafted their sisters, Jillian (guitar, vocals, tambourine) and Robyn (bass), to join the ranks and complete the quartet.

In the last eight months, Dear and Glorious Physician has played in Tampa over half a dozen times. With each trip, the siblings find more people clamoring toward the front and milling around their mini-van and merch table. The enthusiastic crowd response after each song during their set at this year’s Tropical Heatwave festival was a testimony to the family Westfall’s rapidly maturing talents and abilities.

The Dear and Glorious Physician sound is both abstract and tangible. Each song is rich in dynamics, splitting the difference beautifully between bombast and understatement. Charles fronts the group with impassioned fits of exuberance on his guitar and microphone, while Jillian compliments and highlights each song with well-crafted, well-placed lead guitar riffs and vocal harmonies. Andrew and Robyn command a tight rhythm that drives and holds each song in place. Put together, it sounds like the Pixies playing a show with Dead Meadow’s rhythm section.

As further evidence that this town loves Dear and Glorious Physician, the band has recently signed with Tampa’s New Granada Records. Their first offering under the new label will be a re-release of their debut, self-titled LP. The quartet’s new label-mates, The Candy Bars, are slated to open the release party for the album on July 22. The event will take place at the best venue around, the New World Brewery. If you have a previous engagement that evening, cancel it. If you have any friends, send them a MySpace bulletin. There is absolutely no excuse for missing such an excellent, local show.