Midnight Thieves rise up in Salinas.

After going through five drummers in two years, Midnight Thieves guitarist Frank Perez channeled Winston Churchill.

“Never give in. Never give in. Never give in,” says Perez.

That message of resilience applies to the band’s lyrical themes, including the uplifting new single “Rise.”

Midnight Thieves play the Salinas Sports Tavern on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Oldtown Salinas. Joe Lucido opens.

Perez, along with founding members Grant Hill and sibling Michael Perez, have spent the year holding down residencies in the Bay Area while cultivating new material for a soon-to-be released album. The group hopes to release the album before the end of the year and head out to South By Southwest.

“We’ve applied and we’re trying to do our thing down there,” he says.

Hill calls the new songs “full of fire and flight. It’s about rising up in the face of adversity life throws at you.”

“Rise” is a lo-fi, upbeat journey that motivates listeners to learn and love.

“The only way to live is to love the ones you’re with/ the only way to stand is tall/ The only way to love is to give your life away to help someone/ You can have it all.”

“What matters is the song came from a real place,” said Perez. “I know love is the only thing that matters. That’s the ultimate source of hope.”

One of the band’s guilty pleasures: the music of Selena Gomez.

“I’d like to see us cover Gomez’s ‘Outlaw,’” Hill says. “It’s a great track that has a western-yet-danceable vibe. I could see us making it even more fun, gritty, rocking and bass-heavy, with crashing drums and Doors-like vocals.”

From Churchill to Gomez, Midnight Thieves harvest inspiration from the unlikeliest sources. More importantly, they’re getting better and better and translating it on stage.

MIDNIGHT THIEVES and JOE LUCIDO perform at 9pm Saturday, Oct. 3, at Salinas Sports Tavern, 9 East San Luis St., Salinas. No cover. 422-5652