Finding a Place for the Innocence Mission : Pop Music: The band is drawing attention for its uncommon sound. Its first national tour will include stops at the Roxy on Monday and Bogart’s in Long Beach on Tuesday.

The innocence part of the band the Innocence Mission is pretty easy to figure.

The young quartet of clean-cut friends who went to Catholic high school together in semi-rural Lancaster, Pa., certainly looks innocent, and the tone of the band’s songs is one of poetic simplicity. Singer-songwriter Karen Peris even makes her own plain, Amish-inspired clothing.

But what’s the group’s mission?

“The mission in the name is a place to us, as opposed to a crusade,” said Peris, 26, sitting with her husband, guitarist Don Peris, at A&M; Records’ Hollywood offices recently. The group was preparing to launch its first national tour, which will include stops at the Roxy on Monday and Bogart’s in Long Beach on Tuesday.

“The name is just something I thought of one day and we liked it,” Karen continued. “It made me think of the giant houses in children’s books where you might find a refuge.”

It’s an uncommon attitude for a band with an uncommon sound. The Innocence Mission’s recent debut album has drawn comparisons to the haunting, dreamy styles of Kate Bush, the Cocteau Twins and Joni Mitchell (whose husband, Larry Klein, produced the record). At the center are Karen’s ethereal vocals and keyboards, with support from Don’s guitar and loping rhythms from bassist Mike Bitts and drummer Steve Brown. But most noteworthy are her vivid lyrics, with imagery and emotions that conjure the spirit of Emily Dickinson.

“I have all her records!” joked Don, 25, when Dickinson’s name was mentioned.

But Karen said, “I haven’t read much poetry, accept for Rilke, a German poet and writer--really simple, beautiful language. But that was only recently.”

And while many reviewers have suggested that her songs reflect the aura of their hometown, pop. 54,000 and in the heart of Amish country, Karen is less certain.

“It’s hard to say how the environment affected us,” she said. “I’ve never written about the area or the people. But I’m sure we’ve been affected by seeing our parents act out their faith. Catholics are not often very vocal about their faith, but I learned it through their actions, the way they treated people and did things.”

For all that, the group’s history is your basic American band saga.

“I met Karen and the other guys in high school and put the band together after we graduated,” Don said. “We played in Steve’s garage while we went to college until ‘86, when we started putting most of our energy into the band. Through the help of an attorney in New York we got a tape around to people, one of whom was with A&M.;”

From there it was a fairly standard series of events: signing a record contract, coming to Los Angeles to record, getting a fair amount of college and alternative radio airplay and some video airings on VH-1 and MTV.

Needless to say, this is not a band that slots nicely into the fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll world.

“I think about it sometimes,” said Karen, taking a long pause to contemplate how the forces of show biz might play on them. “Things are definitely getting busier and at times it’s hard to take. But for the most part we try to be what we always have been.”