Customers at Flat, Black & Circular, 541 Grand River Ave., were treated to a surprise Friday — a four-piece rock band sandwiched between the jazz LPs and compilation CDs.

Bloomington, Ind. band Murder by Death stopped by the East Lansing institution to play a short set comprised of older material and songs from its new album, "In Bocca Al Lupo."

"It's a new thing for us, doing these acoustic (in-store performances)," drummer Alex Schrodt said. "It's been very different, tackling the songs differently and presenting them very quiet and stripped down. It's a happy challenge, I guess."

To say the performance was intimate is an understatement. The band — Schrodt, bassist Matt Armstrong, cellist Sarah Balliet and vocalist/guitarist Adam Turla — browsed the store's shelves alongside its fans before playing, and delivered a set that wouldn't have felt out of place a few doors down at Espresso Royale.

In this more pared-down format, Balliet's evocative strains and Turla's voice — a peculiar croak appropriated from a dusty radio — were pushed to the forefront, placing an emphasis on the singer's unique style of storytelling.

"Because I write the songs, for me the lyrics are crucial," Turla said. "Maybe people catch the words a little more. It's a little scary as the person who wrote them because suddenly it's just like people are probably really hearing them now."

The band's appearance at Flat, Black & Circular was one in a series of six in-store performances worked into the early dates of its summer tour, and was followed that night by a full set at The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing.

To prepare for this new performing atmosphere, the band took a deconstructive look at its songs.

"We would just start it, the basis with the guitar, add cello after that; in some cases it wasn't appropriate," said Schrodt. "We went through songs to also see what translated appropriately and what didn't. My world opened up when I got these new maracas."

Schrodt's percussion kit, the result of "a very manic afternoon with a power drill and a bunch of scrap wood," also included a fusion of a cymbal stand, particle board, wood, a drum practice pad and a tambourine.

Armstrong was in alien instrumental territory as well, playing a baritone guitar as opposed to his customary bass.

"I play it for one of the new songs, and we just decided to do everything on it for this, that way I wouldn't have to bring more than one," he said.

Crowd reaction to the performance was positive.

"At first I was wondering how they were going to fit a band into FBC," said Grand Haven resident Mike Hall. "But for what they had, it ended up sounding really, really good."

While in-store performances are a rarity at Flat, Black & Circular, co-owner Dave Bernath said the store has hosted some in the past and would like to host more in the future.

"I know it's tiny up here, but it seemed to work out," he said. "We had about 60 people, and it wasn't even that crowded."

The performance brought plenty of business to the store as well, though sales came to a stand-still while the band played.

"We sold a ton of their CDs and other stuff, so maybe everybody was looking while they were listening, and they all came up at the end," he said.