St. Louis rockers Fragile Porcelain Mice have a news flash for fans - they’re still here.

Despite appearances, or lack thereof lately save for annual Thanksgiving shows, Fragile Porcelain Mice is alive, kicking, and ending its hibernation with a gig at 9 p.m. Saturday night at Lucas School House with LucaBrasi (admission is $15).

Fragile Porcelain Mice, a one-time staple of St. Louis’ rock scene who’ve been at it for 16 years, have been taking breaks here and there since 2004’s “Best of Modern Rock” CD to deal with real-life things such as family and jobs.

“We never really broke up. We would get together and try to practice and hash out some songs,” says singer Scott Randall, aware there’s a perception the band broke up.

“You have to be in front of people, make your presence known, and that’s tough. If you’re not consistently out there people think you’re broken up or dead or something. So our goal is to play more consistently,” says Randall, who has never wanted fans to burn out on the band after too many performances.

In a quick Q&A, Randall had more to say about Fragile Porcelain Mice, which also includes Tim O’Saben (guitar), Dave Winkeler (bass) and Mark Heinz (drums).

Q. How would you describe the new music you’re working on?

A. I have to use themes now to help me write. I teach world history in high school, and this may sound pretentious, but I’m writing songs about Roman emperors. As I was boring high school kids with this, I thought these guys led interesting lives. It’s tough for me to write about my personal life. It’s not that exciting. But these guys, Caligula, Nero, they all have peaks and valleys.

Q. Will you actually name-check those rulers in your music?

A. Oh my God, I don’t want to be pretentious in that sense. Hopefully I won’t say the heroes’ names. That’s too obvious.

Q. Are you guys still chasing a record deal?

A. Not really. It’s so strange now with the Internet and everything. It’s not really something we sit and discuss anymore. If it happens it happens. But what are the chances of labels gravitatng toward 30-something-years-old Midwest rockers. We put that focus on (1998 CD) ‘All This Baggage’ and were let down. So now we just want to play.

Q. What do you think of other St. Louis rock bands like Ludo and Story of the Year who’ve nailed major deals?

A. That’s cool. I hope they do well. Maybe it’s better for younger bands, those bands that are young and have that fire. We don’t have the luxury of going out like we used to. The shows we do out of town have to make sense, and they can’t be shows we lose our shirt on.

Q. Describe the live show you’ll give fans this weekend.

A. It’s pretty much a rock show, minus the pyro and blood. But really, it’s a show for us to come back and get out feet wet again.

Get more information at www.fragileporcelainmice.com

Photo credit: Todd Davis