Lately, local modern rock listeners may have been wondering if the Vanished had vanished.

Swan

Dallas-based rock band the Vanished: (from left) Justin Young, Dallas Perry, Kevin Kirkwood, Chance Ivey and Phil Helms.

Don't fret; it hasn't. But the Dallas-based pop-rock quartet is spooky that way.

Ever since its first single, "Favorite Scar," became a hometown staple on "The Edge" KDGE-FM (102.1) in 2004, the Dallas-based pop rockers have pursued a fan- and buzz-building strategy that's largely shunned North Texas. Now Dallas is in the Vanished's pocket thanks largely to the support of The Edge. In January, the group headlined the Palladium Ballroom's first-ever gig, and it's performing at both Edgefest 16 and the event's first Pre-Party concert. The Edge sponsored all three shows.

"The strategy from day one was to do radio first," said singer Kevin Kirkwood, adding that the Vanished has been modeled partially after platinum-selling Universal Records artist Blue October, which is also performing at Edgefest 16. Justin Furstenfeld, Blue October's singer, "is a good friend of mine. He said, 'If Universal Records went away today, we'd still have a career because we have a big regional fan base.' So we decided that we're not going to rely on a label to make us."

Instead, the Vanished has focused on performing its polished, moody and demonstrative brand of rock in markets in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and elsewhere in Texas as its management focuses on placing songs such as its current single, "The Longest Goodbye," on radio. For example, the Vanished opened the Texas dates of Daughtry's sold-out small-club tour in February, except for the Dallas gig.

It's also not adhering to traditional CD-release rules. A five-song EP self-released in November, Act I: Captives, is the first of a trio of short-play discs that conceptually explore the Vanished's Tim Burton-inspired themes of "tongue-in-cheek darkness," Mr. Kirkwood said. He added that it's structuring its live show, which he describes as "Mötley Crüe meets the Cure," around those CDs. The band will record the other two with producer and former Nixons frontman Zac Maloy "when the time feels right."

"It's almost like collectibles in a sense," he said. "We have fans that aren't just fans of just the singles; they're fans of the band. Kids sing along with these songs, and know them from downloading them from wherever. Because we're not forced down their throat, kids seem to be digging us," Mr. Kirkwood said.

The push is about to blossom beyond the region, though. A video for "The Longest Goodbye" was filmed last week and will be unleashed through YouTube and other Internet outlets, and the band has snagged a slot on a major nationwide summer tour. (Hint: It's Korn-fed.) By the time fall rolls around, the second EP should be out and the Vanished hope to be, well, much more visible. But still unpredictable. And spooky.

"That's one of the things that I loved about David Bowie," Mr. Kirkwood said, "You never knew what he was going to do. That was part of the deal to incorporate into our live show, to give fans something to look forward to.

"When there's no more excitement in it – once we start kind of seeing Groundhog Day again and again – we'll need to step back and re-evaluate it. But that'll be a while, I think."