When The Posies perform a 20-year retrospective of their music in Juneau on May 19, they won't be performing as a typical reunion band relegated by time to play only small venues in their fading years. Nope. The Posies are still in their prime and coming to Juneau because of a coincidence of friendship and a little curiosity.

"I'm really kind of curious," said Posies singer/songwriter/guitar player and cofounder Jon Auer about playing Juneau. "It's like one of those things when it was offered, we were like, 'why not?'" And it's a good chance "to check out a place we've never been before," he said.

The Posies will perform a 20th anniversary concert on Monday, May 19, at Centennial Hall, after local rock trio Missed By A Long Shot perform the opening act. The concert is sponsored by The Hangar on the Wharf. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The Posies just completed an extensive acoustic tour of Europe, and their only U.S. shows this year are in Tacoma, Bremerton, Portland, Seattle, Bellingham and Juneau.

"We're not ready to have it be some kind of nostalgic act," said Auer. "The Posies are always very forward thinking, so even though this is the 20th anniversary, we're not overly nostalgic or sentimental because we're still trying to add to the history that we have together ... It's really about making sure that it's in the here and now," he said.

The acoustic duo of Auer and Ken Stringfellow began just over 20 years ago in Bellingham, Washington when they were both 18. Their music caught on and they have since made ten albums and toured the world many times.

The current configuration includes Auer, Stringfellow, Matt Harris on bass and Darius Minwalla on drums. All members are also involved in other music projects.

Auer describes The Posies' music as "Simon and Garfunkel meets Queens of the Stone Age ... highly melodic, yet very powerful at the same time." The media has described them as "a potent blend of power and pop," "grunge-addled indie pop" and "sensitive rock." Their latest release, "Every Kind of Light" (2005), has elements of blues, funk and pop. The album was cowritten by all four current members.

"It was a full-on, full-band writing process," Harris said. "We were the first rhythm section to be included, ever, in the writing process with those guys."

The group went into the studio without any songs or plans and ended up writing and recording 12 songs in 21 days.

"We showed up and somebody would throw out an idea in the morning and we'd flush through it," Harris said. "People would chime in here and there and come up with bridges, or a chorus, or whatever, just kinda throw the idea around. We'd take a break and then we'd come back and have an arrangement of it, then 'boom' we would track it."

Harris's friend Scott Arnett, who lives in Juneau and works at the Twisted Fish restaurant, was the band's Juneau connection and the impetus for getting The Posies here. The two met at the Twisted Fish in Palm Springs about eight years ago when Arnett was bartending and Harris was moonlighting in food service. Harris visited Arnett a couple times in Juneau and liked it enough to coax the rest of the band to come for a performance.

Asked about the band's future, Harris said there's been talk about future projects but nothing concrete. "It's just a matter of taking four really busy hectic schedules and smashing them into a four- or five-week period, or two three-week chunks," he said.

Auer believes the band is at a good point with a lot ahead of them, but isn't making any firm plans for touring or making a record.

"Planning for a rock band is not an exact science," Auer said. "You 'guestimate' and then inevitably life surprises you while you're working towards the plan."

• Teri Tibbett is a writer and musician living in Juneau. She can be reached at www.tibbett.com.

The Posies timeline

1987: The Posies record debut album "Failure" in cofounder Jon Auer's home studio in Bellingham. First acoustic shows in Bellingham.

1988-89: "Failure" released on cassette with two hit tracks on Seattle radio, "I May Hate You Sometimes" and "Compliment." First full band shows in Seattle. Reviews appear in national publications, such as Cashbox and Billboard. Band signs with Geffen Records.

1990: Band records second album, "Dear 23," resulting in MTV airplay and national tours.

1992: Ringo Starr covers Posies' song, "Golden Blunders." Band records third album, "Frosting on the Beater" (1993).

1993-94: Band tours U.S., Europe and Japan. Records one track for the movie soundtrack "Reality Bites."

1995-96: Band records fourth album, "Amazing Disgrace" (1996). Sold-out tours in U.S. and Europe, plus a tour of Australia with the Hoodoo Gurus.

1997: Band records fifth album, "Success" (1998). Collaborates with Burt Bacharach for "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" soundtrack (1998).

1998: Band embarks on a farewell tour of U.S. and Europe. Live Barcelona show is recorded and released as "Alive Before the Iceberg" album (2000). Cofounders Auer and Stringfellow stop communicating for two years.

2000: "At Least, At Last" album is released, a compilation of unreleased material. Auer and Stringfellow resolve differences and embark on a world tour as a duo to sold-out shows in U.S, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Seattle show is recorded for future release as the "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In" album.

2001: Drummer Darius Minwalla and bassist Matt Harris join the band and play for sold out shows in Europe and the U.S.

2004-06: Band records and releases "Every Kind of Light" album (2005). Tours Europe, Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

2008: Band embarks on 20th anniversary. Performs shows in Europe and U.S.