It's a young, talented, highly original band with a rather backwards story of how they became a band. "We all grew up together in Vermont," singer and trumpet-player John Wesley says. "We went to high school and college and did things like band, jazz band and chorus together. We did a bunch of plays and musicals together. We just always played music with each other. Well, then we all ended up in Boston at the same time, and most of us in Somerville. When we all realized we were all here together, we thought we should play some music together, so we actually got a gig at Sally O'Brien's in Union Square. Then once we booked the gig we thought we should throw a band together. So we sort of formed the band after we booked the gig. I think we put ourselves down as Billy Goat's Gruff."

It may have been a slightly backwards way of forming a band, but this doesn't seem to have hindered The Moving Company. This band is a highly danceable, highly enjoyable amalgamation of funk, soul and hip hop – and word is spreading fast. The band has only been officially together for a year, but already they're pulling in the numbers.

"At first it was just a close-knit group of our friends coming down," Wesley says. "Now things are pretty exciting, word of mouth's been spreading around here. We're getting a lot of people out to our shows. People are talking, and we're getting a lot of locals out. It's evolving into a more widespread group of people who come to enjoy the music, so we're happy to help people have a good time and just get out and dance."

The Moving Company draws on many influences for their music. Among their classic soul influences they name artists such as Billy Preston and Odis Reading. For hip hop they claim inspiration from The Roots and Comet, among many others. The band members spend as much time as they can constantly listening to as much music as they can find. "We spend a lot of time going out and listening to bands," Wesley says. "One of our members works at TOAD one night a week, so we spend a lot of time there and also places like Atwood's, and the Cantab. We love the scene in Somerville and Cambridge. It's a great soul scene and a great hip hop scene, and all around a really great blend of music to be influenced by. mean, we're influenced by soul, blues, world music, everything."

In fact they seem to be enjoying the local scene so much, that when asked what their future goals are, Wesley replies, "if a major record label wanted to sign us right now, we wouldn't say no. But right now we love playing in the local music scene around Boston, Cambridge and Somerville."

While the Moving Company don't seem in any great desperation to become superstars, they do have friends who can claim no such humble contentment. John, Willie, Ben and Andrew all went to college with the members of MGMT at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Vocalist and bassist Willie Gould lived in the same alternative arts-community dormitory with them.

"They are great guys," Wesley says. "And fairly true to the craziness they exude on stage in real life. Back at Wesleyan they called themselves The Management and they were campus superstars. The song 'Kids' was written then-my sophomore year-and it was the university anthem. Not bad for a small New England liberal arts school!"

The Moving Company has brushed shoulders with other current heroes as well. "Everyone in the band has been a huge supporter of the Obama campaign from the beginning," Wesley says. "Our first real gig was on the night that Obama won the Iowa primary and started his historic momentum."

Having done a lot of volunteering up in New Hampshire before the primary and before the election to help out the campaign, Wesley was actually asked to drive in President-Elect Obama's motorcade at events in New Hampshire and Boston. "I drove his senior staff and Barack was in the car in front of me," Wesley says. "It was quite an experience trying to keep up with the Secret Service drivers on the highway in New Hampshire! They keep up a good pace!"

This seven-group of local heroes will be performing at the Precinct this Friday in Union Square, Somerville. "Sometimes we rap about Obama," says Wesley. "But we just really want people come out and dance, and have a good time."

The Moving Company. 9:30pm, Friday the 16th, The Precinct Bar, 70 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143. (617)623.9211. http://www.myspace.com/themovingco