In promotion of their fourth album, Fascination, Nashville-via-Austin band The Greencards pulled off a standout performance at this year's hot and crowded Lollapalooza Festival, of which singer Carol Young says they had no idea what to expect.

"All we knew was that this was going to be like no other gig we'd played before," Young laughs, "but it was an outstanding festival for us. The crowd seemed to really enjoy the sound of the mandolin and the fiddle, and they even warmed to our attempt to humor them during the set; they were extremely cool. Funnily enough, we played the most traditional bluegrass festival that we had ever played the night before in Kentucky - so it was a good challenge for the band that weekend to introduce our music to two complete different audiences."

Perhaps the audience simply related to the differences within the band itself. A melding of diverse bandmates and musical styles, The Greencards - who, in addition to Aussie singer Young include fellow Aussie Kym Warner on a myriad of stringed instruments and Brit Eamon McLoughlin on viola and violin - festoon their Sugar Hill Records recordings with an energetic blend of Americana, blues, bluegrass, and a little pop. Their latest album is the band's most experimental to date, and saw them collaborating with Patti Griffin/John Hiatt/Drive By Truckers producer Jay Joyce.

"We recorded Fascination in Nashville with Jay," Young says, "he was amazing to work with. The entire session went very smoothly - Jay is a total pro."

Joyce wasn't merely a pro behind the boards - he also knew how to nudge the band out of any performers' block that they might've run across during their sessions, and in some pretty unorthodox but effective - and amusing - ways.

"There was one occasion when we just couldn't get a take," Young remembers, "the song just wasn't working. So Jay ordered us to take off our headphoens, run up the hill outside his house, run back down, and then go back into the studio, not say a work to each other, and play the song. It worked - that was the take we used on the album!" she laughs.

As far as song goes, Young's faves on this set are "The Avenue," "Outskirts of Blue," and the title track; "and "Davey Jones" is a challenge to play live, and we enjoy that!" she says.

Live shows are what will be filling up The Greencards' fall schedule, as they just wrapped a performance at the Austin City Limits Festival, and are touring throughout most of the fall. But it's not the road itself that Young's drawn to - she prefers the stage to the streets.

"The thing I like best at the moment is playing these new songs," she says, "the songs are still very fresh to me, and I love getting this album out to the people. But the thing I like the least about this tour are the miles between shows - sitting in a van for five or six hours a day can get old!"