By NICK MOORHEAD

Deer Tick is not just a really nasty strain of insect you could find attached to your leg after too much time spent at South Beach. It is also the name of John McCauley’s folk/punk/blues band playing at Nectar’s this Saturday night.

Mr. McCauley has carved out a reputation for his band within the crowded genre of indie rock bands with the prefix Deer (see: Deerhunter, Deerhoof) through raucous live shows.

In an interview with Spinner, a music Web site, Mr. McCauley described Deer Tick’s music as “the sound you’d hear if you were sitting in a bar right before last call and you wanted another drink.”

The idea for Deer Tick was generated while Mr. McCauley was in high school when he found himself listening to an old Hank Williams record and was so taken aback that he not only decided country music was cool, but that music was what he wanted to pursue with his life. Mr. McCauley began Deer Tick as a solo project in 2004, and the act has transformed over the years into a full band.

Mr. McCauley sounds either wary of or disinterested in technology. On tour he carries no computer or Ipod and makes do with a Sony Discman. He has two CDs, one by Growler and one by Waters. Any attempts to engage him on more popular music are met with stoic indifference. Not only has he not listened to the new Bon Iver CD, he makes a point of establishing that he’s “not a fan” and has no intention of looking into it.

While commercially popular, Deer Tick is met with indifference by many critics. This is probably because Mr. McCauley refuses to play by any of the rules. For the past few months, Mr. McCauley and his band assumed the moniker Deervana, playing shows strictly made up of Nirvana cover songs. Deervana was the one topic this reporter was not allowed to bring up during the interview. Deer Tick plans to play only original material at Nectar’s.

Who’s to say, however, what Mr. McCauley might actually do once he gets into his set. Afterall, he clearly places fun as well as a stand against boring shows and long-winded rock critics as his main priorities.

Deer Tick performs on Saturday, July 9, at Nectar’s by the airport. Doors open at 9 p.m. for this 21 and older show. For more details and tickets, visit nectarsmv.com.