It’s a busy night at Walker’s Coffee and Pub, and the drunk man at a booth isn’t making it easy for Mike MacDonald.

MacDonald and David “Tuna” Fortuna are in the middle of serving customers when the man stumbles towards Ryan Houchens and JP McKenzie, who sit quietly at the bar. The man belligerently explains how much he loves all four men and the work they’ve produced as he wraps his arms around McKenzie and Houchens.

He may not remember it now, but the men he shared his appreciation for may be part of the next great Athens band.

Fortuna, Houchens, MacDonald and McKenzie along with Casey Harper, Maria Kindt and Jamie Rios make up the indie-folk-rock band Family and Friends. The band began between roommates and acquaintances two years ago and quickly gained attention around Athens. Fans are hopeful Family and Friends may be the next local band to make a national mark, joining names like R.E.M., The B-52s, Widespread Panic and Drive-By Truckers.

The band’s success is due in part to the loyalty of enthused fans, who have been on board since the first show on April 20, 2013. While there were only about 100 people at the warehouse off Barber Street in Athens, it created a domino effect the members noticed the more they performed.

“We kept playing and people just kept showing up,” Fortuna says. “We didn’t have new material. We were playing like the same six songs and trying to find new ways to do it.”

Eventually, the likeability of those six songs led to an opportunity. With the following growing, Family and Friends raised $5,616 from a Kickstarter to set up its first EP, “Love You Mean It.” It featured six songs, including “My Life, My Love”, which has over 96,000 plays on Spotify. The tracks’ popularity validated a hellish recording process.

“It was kind of crazy because we did 10 p.m.-to-10 a.m. sessions, so it was really tough,” says McKenzie, who plays guitar. “We’d get to 6 a.m. and everybody would be zombies. One person would just have to grind through it.”

Family and Friends had its first taste of national touring last summer, playing shows in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. The workload for this summer is a progression, as the concerts begin with a May 30^th date in Macon, Georgia as part of an eight-concert, six-state tour. The tour may help Family and Friends make another step towards relevance.

As the clicks pour in on Spotify and YouTube and ticket sales trickle up, the idea of where this ride takes Family and Friends has to be addressed. For MacDonald, the objective isn’t money. It’s something simple yet not easily attainable.

“I want to be respected by the industry,” the vocalist and guitarist says. “We want to put out music and part of ourselves that people want to be a part of.”

Houchens isn’t looking for fame and fortune, either. Although he would like to quit waiting tables and solely play music, he’s not in it for the money. He just wants Family and Friends to make a positive mark on the industry.

“More than anything, I want something that I’m really, really proud of,” the drummer says. “I don’t want to be famous. I don’t need any personal attention, but I do want the band to be a band that everyone has heard of.”

While the drunk man at Walker’s may not have meant everything he uttered, his words resemble those of the band’s faithful followers. What made fans come back early on was the members’ visible passion for what they do.

Whether it’s a wide smile or a look shot from one bandmate to another, the thrill of playing is always present.  Houchens discussed concerts the group attended where the music was entertaining, but an element was missing. It was more about making money to those performers than enjoying the moment. Based on feedback from listeners, this element is ingrained in Family and Friends.

“I haven’t met anyone who has had a bad time at one of their shows,” says Scott Pritchard, a writer for TheBlueIndian.com. “It’s a group of people doing something they deeply love and I think they take great joy in being able to share that with people.”

A comment on the band’s Bandcamp website gives a clear sense of why its admirers may soon reach a national level.

“I saw Family And (sic) Friends live in Chicago and they were the most sincere, excited, and grateful band I’ve seen play a show in a long time,” the fan writes. “It’s clear they love music, they love their own music, and they are excited to be doing something they love. And the best part is, their music is exceptional.”