Britt Witt on July 6th, 2014

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For limelight newbies Phox, the petite stage of the Echo offered only a little bit more elbow room for six members than their tour van does. But judging by their clean-cut attire Tuesday and sold-out room, you’d never guess this band isn’t from around here, much less that they’re on a national headlining tour.

• ||| Photos by Zane Roessell

Taking the stage politely, leading lady Monica Martin had the audience enthralled at her first note. While Martin’s Feist-meets-Ingrid Michaelson vocals hold their own, the calculated musicianship of her creative colleagues collected around her build an illustrious, bright sound. Granted, Phox was much more downtempo than openers yOya and Trails & Ways – and Martin joked, “Perfect that we would swoop in like some depressed eagle and say stop smiling!”

Phox has had reason to smile. Hailing from the small town of Baraboo, Wis., the sextet matriculated to the state capital Madison and earned attention for their 2013 EP “Confetti.” In fact, when Martin heard the news that the mayor of Madison had declared June 24, 2014, (Phox’s album release date) “Phox Appreciation Day” she was, “eating a salad by [herself] in a restaurant and just started crying,” confusing the other patrons, she told the Echo crowd.

The band’s humor and energy onstage can be a bit of a surprise given their gently melancholic serenades. From the softly prancing riffs of “Satyr and The Faun” to the endless grace of “Noble Heart,” Phox proved to have a whimsical grasp on folk while adding their buoyant spin of galloping percussion and instrumental bursts.

Of course, they performed their single “Slow Motion” with an unexpectedly tight transition into “Blue & White” and Martin took a quick break from leading vocals for her bandmate Zach Johnson to sing on “Garden of Night.”

It was almost hard to believe this was the same band that had paid L.A. a visit back in March, playing mostly songs off their recent release, the quirky innocence they once tiptoed with has matured to a sophisticated presence with witty stage banter to relieve the pressure.