Five Eight calls for The Good Nurse

It's all about nurses, hospitals, pain and mostly, recovery, says Five Eight bassist Dan Horowitz of the Athens band's new album, The Good Nurse. "I stress recovery because I think, even in the middle of these songs of pain and sickness, the bottom line is really healing. It's a positive thing to even sing of these subjects of illness and hurting, because from the expression, comes healing. That's what the Good Nurse really does, she heals."

An impressive and unique song cycle, the album manages to touch on a subject Five Eight singer/guitarist Mike Mantione knows a lot about: hospitalization. Long suffering from — and often inspired by — emotional illnesses, Mantione created the album as a solo project. But Horowitz says he and drummer Mike Rizzi, along with guests including Neutral Milk Hotel's Scott Spillane, gradually began contributing as well. "We all began to add to it and it literally became a real Five Eight record. In between songs there are actual hospital sounds and a narrative by a real oncology nurse."

In keeping with the subject of the album, the band will turn their Atlanta CD release party into a benefit for Emergency Mobile, a local nursing organization providing healthcare for the homeless. "It's thematic and it's a great cause," Horowitz says. "See, we've been around so long we can do some serious benefits now and still have fun."

Horowitz and Mantione have anchored the often hard-rocking Five Eight since 1988. "Well, we broke up once, for two days. But other than that, it's been a long time," says Horowitz, a New York native who moved to Athens with Mantione to start the band. "We get fans coming up to us and saying, 'I've been seein' you guys since I was in fifth grade, and now I'm in college,'" he says, laughing. "I say, 'Uh, lemme buy you a beer, little girl.'" ??Five Eight's CD release party is Fri., July 21, at the Cotton Club.