Carol Rider: "If you've gone for coffee in Italy, chances are you heard the band."

Since Carol Rider is the lead singer and guitarist of local Americana rock quartet Girl in the Middle, you might assume the name is referring to her.

You’d be wrong.

“The name is a concept that refers to the band as an entity,” Rider tells the Reader. “There is no actual person in the band that takes on that role. The name has a gender reference purely by chance. From my perspective, we’re all just musicians.”

Gregg Henning, the group’s drummer and lyricist, is willing to offer a more concrete explanation.

“We wrote the song ‘Girl in the Middle’ about a performer who could not get out of her own way,” he says. “We thought, ‘Wow, that applies so often to us all. What a great name for the band.”

Girl in the Middle has been together for about four years. The current lineup includes guitarist Tim Edwards and bassist Maria Neccari, who replaced Daniel Musser, who appears on the band’s recently released second album, Magnolia Street.

The Girl in the Middle sound is big, expansive roots rock, which has garnered more attention outside of the band’s hometown.

Three songs from the band’s debut, Requiem — “Together,” “Back in Love Again,” and the title track — have been used in Italy, Ireland, and India in commercial establishments.

“If you’ve gone out for coffee in Italy, chances are you heard the band,” Rider says. “One of our songs is being used on a Russian TV sports show.”

Henning says another song just missed being heard on the ABC hit series Nashville.

It might seem frustrating that Girl in the Middle is more likely to be heard in Italy or Russia than San Diego, but Rider remains optimistic.

“As with any project, the work can take time to surface to the public’s attention,” she says. “Ultimately, having the songs heard is my biggest goal.”

Girl in the Middle will be playing the Lemon Zest and Garlic Fest on July 18 at Waterfront Park downtown.