Flyleaf

With: Revelation Theory, Mercy Fall When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: The Canal Club, 1545 E. Cary St. Cost: $3 (advance online only) Details: 643-2582 or www.thecanalclub.com

When bassist Pat Seals first saw his future band mates perform, he was so blown away it didn't occur to him to be narrow-minded about the lineup.

"Most of the bands in our town didn't have any girls in them," Seals said, speaking from a Flyleaf tour stop in New York. "It was very unique, and the first time I saw Passerby [the band's original name] play I was very, very impressed. [Singer Lacey Mosley] could project a big rock presence.

"That diversity, the way it's painted in the media these days, it's not always a positive image, or artistically respected as far as the mass mainstream goes. I saw it as a positive thing and a different thing and something that should be and would be embraced."

Fresh from successful opening slots on last year's Staind/P.O.D./Taproot bill and the Winterfresh Sno-Core Tour with Seether and Shinedown, Flyleaf is on the road as a headliner.

Mosley's vocals teeter from gentle tones to a full-throated roar, easily matching the seismic din of Seals, guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, and drummer James Culpepper. The 2005 self-titled album followed an EP, released earlier in the year, that was produced by Pearl Jam producer Rick Parasher and gained the attention of a growing national audience.

When Octone Records signed the band, it was still known as Passerby. Another band had the name, though, so Seals and friends had to come up with a new handle.

As far as Seals is concerned, "Flyleaf" went beyond being an appropriate name. It is, perhaps, their destiny.

"It was very scary, but God really provided this awesome name, and it has a great meaning," Seals said.

"A flyleaf is the first blank page in a book, and there's one at the beginning and one at the end. To me, your life is like a story. These blank pages are like moments in clarity, like the moment before you are born and the moment after you die.

"That's kind of like our link to the eternal. Also, it's where you sign to dedicate something. We feel like our lives are dedicated to what this band is saying."