It's 7:30 on a Tuesday night.  Trapped inside what can only be described as a converted storage facility unit, Tampa's Petrograd in Transit busily smashes back the thinly carpeted walls with a rehearsal that is only limited by the space the five-piece instrumental act occupies. Within the ten by 12-foot area, Petrograd competes with a death metal band across the hall. That is, until they begin "Lexington and Concord."  Despite the Revolutionary War title, the song is a rousing, thunderous, anthemic swirl of epic proportions. 

Suddenly, death metal band no more.

All of Petrograd's music elevates the listener beyond their mundane existence; it's what is so attractive about their music. How can a local act dare to be so big? It's difficult to picture a band with such an arena-sized sound packed into such a space.  But it's also a metaphor for what obstacles lay in front of a band trying to get people to overcome their preset notions of post-rock instrumental music.

When the inevitable Explosions in the Sky comparison is mentioned, Petrograd doesn't shy away. 

"Have you seen those guys' groupies?" retorts guitarist Ted Flynn. "Post-rock groupies are the best!"

Also known for his contributions to stpetersblog.com and another musical project, Hope in Ghost, Flynn keeps things light when explaining the origin of Petrograd in Transit's name:

"Post-rock bands have to be named with two words and a preposition," he deadpans. "This gives the band an abstract, filmic vibe. Ultimately, you want your career to die before it begins because it's impossible for iTunes to properly index your album."

Flynn and his bandmates' comedic nature eases the instrumental rock's pretentious reputation. The effervescence of Petrograd's melodies doesn't hurt either, whether enhanced by a small crackling solo by Flynn, a lead bass line by Doug Nelson, shimmering cymbals from drummer Josh Perrotta, or the space-expanding synth of Josh Harrington. 

"That's the great thing about this band," says Flynn. "Everybody who comes doesn't know what to expect from instrumental music. People who admittedly hate instrumental music show up and are shockingly surprised. They tell us, 'you know, I didn't miss the vocals at all!' We focus really hard on carrying a melody in the song without a vocalist." 

Adds lead guitarist Brian Steele: "I am a melody junkie. When I write stuff it has to be melody, upon melody, upon melody. It has to latch onto someone's head so it sticks there."

After a successful debut opening up for Early Day Miners in February, the band found itself without a drummer. Since Craigslist Tampa Bay isn't exactly teaming with gearheads, the search for a new drummer was a long one. The group eventually found Perrotto, Petrograd's eighth choice on sticks. 

"We really chose Josh because of his snakeskin drum kit," Nelson says, nodding toward one postage-stamp corner of the room.  But Perrotto is exceptionally delicate on the kit, and while one might expect a new drummer to feel as if he was an orange-shirted crewman on Star Trek, wondering if he'll live through the episode, Petrograd's music acts as a strong adhesive for the group. 

Hidden behind stacked distortion pedals on top of a synthesizer, Harrington, like Perrotto, sets the stratospheric tones in Petrograd. His wall of sound, in which he "never holds the same pattern twice," is the canvas for Petrograd's expansive music, and the backbone of their EP, Lifesize Balloon Animals.

"If Harrington was gone," Steele explains, "the EP would be a hollow shell. We try to give him as much room as possible. There are a lot of songs based around a part he has first, and then we build off that."

By 8:30, the joking ends. Petrograd crowds back into its cubicle to rehearse for its second show, with their eighth drummer, with only remnant carpeting and drywall separating them from the death metal band down the hall. 

That death metal band doesn't stand a chance.

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