Patrick Stickles is the lead singer and songwriter of Titus Andronicus, a punk band from New Jersey that makes music that is big, loud and anthemic, recalling both an era when rock music defined popular culture and the independent bands, like Husker Du and the Replacements, that chafed against its commercial impulses. In anticipation of the band’s March 15 show with Craig Finn at Off Broadway, Stickles spoke with Student Life about the band’s intentions for “The Most Lamentable Tragedy” and beyond.

With the impending announcement of this semester’s WILD openers, Senior Cadenza Editor Mark Matousek and Associate Editor Noah Jodice cross their fingers and pick their (financially-feasible) dream acts.

“We’re a guitar band.” That’s how Tad Kubler, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Hold Steady, describes the current incarnation of the now 10-year-old act. That statement wouldn’t seem like much when the band formed, but now, it’s downright radical.

Punk is supposed to be simple and unsophisticated. Created in part as a reaction against the excessive complexity of prog and glam rock, it reveled in its lack of nuance. Sprawling concept albums and 10-minute songs were not part of the equation.