Ricky and the Swedes debut EP encapsulates the energy of their live shows.

Following a recent show at Johnny V’s Bar in San Jose, Ricky and the Swedes bassist Chris Thomas noticed a welt the size of a golf ball on lead singer Arthur Barrie’s forehead.

“As we were loading our gear into the van I asked him what happened,” Thomas recounts. “He said, ‘I don’t know, I guess I hit myself in the head with the microphone after the song.’”

In any other circle, this may have been grounds for psychiatric evaluation, but in the world of Ricky and the Swedes, it’s just another day at the office – and on the brink of mayhem.

Salinas High grad and guitarist Ricky Swete adds, “During a show at Planet Gemini, Arthur and I put our heads together until the pressure built, and eventually we just exploded, running into each other and tackling each other. I really like that.”

Certain songs in the outfit’s repertoire lend themselves to uncontrollable body flailing more than others: “Peaceful State of Mind” is an out-of-breath, vocal chord-straining grunge-hardcore lovechild of Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings.” “Tattooed to You,” meanwhile, is a zip line of relationship angst powered by Swete’s Dimebag Darrell-inspired riffage.

The contagious vigor of the Swedes’ live shows could be a tough act to follow.

“We were packing our gear up after a show in Santa Cruz and someone from the band that was going on next came up to us and said, ‘Hey, great guys, now we really have to step our show up,’” Swete says. “The music takes over; it’s just this crazy explosive energy. I’ve played with a lot of other bands and it’s not the same.”

On Friday, the part local/part San Jose group, which also includes Dave Gary Jr. on drums, celebrates its kinetic self-titled debut EP – five studio mixes and two live recordings – at East Village. Both Thomas and Swete concur that the band’s raw spirit translates to the album because they did it all themselves; Thomas produced and engineered.

“A lot of bands waste a lot of money in the studio, and they aren’t even sure what they’re going to get at the end of the day,” Thomas explains. “We just decided to do it ourselves and take our time with it.”

San Jose hardcore band Projekt2, San Francisco pop punk outfit The Total Bettys and rapper Jeff Turner also perform.

Ricky and the Swedes, The Total Bettys, Projekt2 and Jeff Turner. 7pm Friday, June 5. East Village Coffee House, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5. 373-5601.