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Sometimes being road-weary is a good thing. Like maybe, say, when Neil Young handpicks your band to tour with him around North America. From now through the middle of December, such is the fate of Everest, a Los Angeles-based group whose debut album, Ghost Notes, has won some much-deserved acclaim since its release in May.

Though West Coast in origin, it's not a far reach to call them Midwestern in content. They've been compared to The Jayhawks, and certainly there's a bit of an Iron Range twang - a haunting, high-note distortion - creeping about within their songs.

The Rake caught up with Russell Pollard - who does vocals, guitar, and drums for the group - and talked a bit about their album and current tour, which makes its stop tonight in St. Paul at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Rake: Though not 'easy listening,' the songs on Ghost Notes are all very easy to listen to - I wonder how important accessibility is to you when you're writing music...Is it something you keep in mind?

Pollard: No.

The Rake: Heartbreak emerges as one of your dominant themes, and really it's something that can't be written about effectively unless it comes at least somewhat from personal experience...Do you draw from yourself for most of your writing?

Pollard: Most of Ghost Notes is a letting go of heartbreak. Lyrically, it's like a series of letters to loved ones, here and gone, asking for forgiveness, release and the return of love.

The Rake: Do you have a certain ideal place (geographical, emotional, or otherwise) where you envision people listening to Ghost Notes?

Pollard: A small, rustic cabin in the woods, by a fire.

The Rake: In a previous interview, you've talked about 'growing as a band' when on the road. In what ways have you felt the band coalesce since traveling together?

Pollard: We've begun to listen to each other with a more open ear. The sounds coming from each guy on stage are emerging with more patience and dynamics.

The Rake: Does this growth come from playing together so often on stage, or living in such close quarters for a prolonged period, or a sort of mixture of the two?

Pollard: It's a mixture of both. We like each other a lot, so we hang out and talk about the music and ideas. We're always striving for our sense of perfection.

The Rake: How do you think your collective experiences in other bands have helped Everest become so immediately cohesive?

Pollard: By now, we know what we want as a band and there is little drama involved in getting to what matters... the music.

The Rake: Have you been able to assimilate any of Neil Young's knowledge into your own performance/attitude/lifeview?

Pollard: Sure, he's been a shaman to us over the last few months. He's been doing this for such a long time and there is a lot to learn from watching Neil play and listening to him speak. We've been paying attention.

The Rake: Snap-button shirts, eh? This essay is featured on both your website and MySpace page, so let's get metaphorical (similarical?) for a minute...How is Everest like a snap-button shirt?

Pollard: How is it not?