Kyle Thomas and King Tuff will be performing with Father John Misty at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Granada.

King Tuff’s Kyle Thomas isn’t one of those musicians who just passes through. When Thomas comes through Lawrence, he anticipates getting a little weird.

The wild garage rocker will be coming through town on Tuesday, opening for Father John Misty, and he’s already familiar with some eccentric occasions here.

“We’ve had some wild nights in Lawrence,” Thomas says, recounting instances involving costumes and exploring the vibrant downtown area. “The thing about Lawrence that I love, there’s an antique mall near the record store. I always find something weird in there.”

Crowd control

Thomas isn’t one to just sit idly by on tour. Connecting with his audiences both on and offstage is high on his priority list, and those folks rarely show up empty-handed.

“I’m pretty sure I have the coolest fans. I have really creative fans. They bring us lots of interesting and weird gifts,” says Thomas, who has received anything from artwork to a Frankenstein mask. “I try not to have that whole untouchable persona. I like meeting people, and I like connecting with people. So I try not to be that too-cool-for-school celebrity style. I’m not so into that; I like actually connecting with people.”

Kyle Thomas

Thomas also likes to hit up the locals for “some weird food recommendations.” So if you brush up on your knowledge of local cuisine, Thomas says, “Maybe we’ll go get some weird food together.”

This loving relationship with the fans pays off well for Thomas. He just released a video for “Madness,” which compiles footage from the band’s live shows across the nation. As one can expect at King Tuff shows, it doesn’t take much for a rock and roll ruckus to ensue. While the video makes King Tuff shows look thrilling, Thomas credits the bodies in the crowd.

“I think people don’t realize an effect the audience has on the performance,” he says. “Usually when they are going crazy, that makes us play a lot better and gives us energy. Really, the crowd controls how much energy I have.”

A lost art

The energy seems to be in high demand. King Tuff has released three albums since 2008, and it’s his knack for blending garage, glam and psychedelic that has gotten him to stand out in the saturated garage rock scene.

“I’ve never sat down and thought of myself as writing one kind of song,” he says. “I’ve always done different kinds of songs. I’ve had a lot of different styles of bands over the years. It changes and evolves over time. The key is to not worry about what people are going to think.”

Part of his ability to evolve comes from his need to create.

“I really just want to work on writing better songs and telling story through song, which I feel is a lost art these days. A lot of people focus on sound as opposed to song,” he says. “I have to feel like the song is about something interesting to me. I have to feel like it’s a song that’s never been written before, and it’s got a unique take on something classic.”

You could say Thomas has a bit of a give-and-take relationship with his audience. He creates music, they bring him little gifts at shows, and seeing that satisfaction in his fans encourages him to keep creating.

“I feel like it brings certain amounts of joy to the world. That’s what I get out of it, when people come up to me and tell me what they love about it,” he says. “But it’s also just rewarding to make art, and that’s kind of therapy.”

You can indulge in some or that artistic therapy when King Tuff opens for Father John Misty on Tuesday at the Granada.

— Fally Afani is a freelance writer and editor of I Heart Local Music.