“Unbridled joy and unstoppable catastrophe.”

That’s how Rogue Wave’s singer Zach Rogue responded when asked about his songwriting muse.

Indeed, the Oakland, Calif.-based band has endured a decade’s worth of hardships just in the past few years. To name a few, several band members experienced the death of loved ones, including a former mate. Also, drummer Pat Spurgeon endured the roller coaster ride of being on dialysis between gigs. On the joy was Spurgeon’s having his life saved by the unexpected gift of a kidney transplant and the birth of Rogue’s first baby.

Their latest album, “Asleep at Heaven’s Gate,” is breezy and melodic, contemplative like the Shins but fiery at times, with all kinds of crashing sounds (that aren’t drums) from Spurgeon.

The rest of their year is littered with appearances in front of gargantuan crowds, so Sunday’s appearance at the smallish Gargoyle should not be missed. Plus, it will soften the blow to all the Stars fans who couldn’t get in (or quickly enroll) to the student only concert the day before.

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RC: Have you played St. Louis?

ZR: We played the Duck Room a couple of times, which no one came to. It was an over-21 show and the sound engineer was surfing the web while we played. I was like, ‘Could you be less interested?’ These things happen on the road, though. We’re very excited to play St. Louis and would love to play to a good crowd. So, hell yeah!

RC: A few of your song titles are Midwest-themed – do you have any ties in the region?

ZR: Our drummer’s parents are from the Midwest, but I didn’t know anything about it until traveling with the band. It was Seeing Chicago and other amazing cities for the first time, you realize cool stuff doesn’t just happen on the coast just because the conventional assumption says it does. There are so many different things happening in the Midwest and it’s been a gift to see the beauty of the country.

RC: Are the band’s tough experiences over the last few years reflected on the album?

ZR: I had the intention of making a certain kind of record — real stripped down and dry. Guitar, bass and drums. Then life happened. So many things threw us in so many directions. Music is product of our lives, so there is a sense on it that we’re thankful to be alive and to be able to help each other. In a sense, we make music to help us deal with anger and optimism. After Pat got his kidney there was an explosion of creativity out of him — so many nuances and experimentation, feedback and loops – it was a thrill to see him reclaim his life and continue to be the artist that he is.

RC: Will we see any of Spurgeon’s toys on Sunday?

ZR: Yes. There is a toy trumpet that you talk into and it makes this weird elecro babble. We call it ‘horn magic.’ We also have a weird keyboard/organ that you push air through and some bells. We try to use different kinds of percussion so that we sound different and not necessarily know what its going to sound like when we play.

Rogue Wave with Grand Ole Party

Washington University’s Gargoyle, Sunday

Doors: 7:30 Show: 8:00

WU: FREE , Public: $15 (18+)

http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Video: “Lake Michigan”