Stand Dean Roland in front of 20,000 people in a field and he's fine.

Get him up in front of 1,000 sweaty fans in a club and he's got butterflies in his stomach.

Go figure.

"I don't know why, but I get more nervous in smaller clubs," says Collective Soul's 28-year-old guitarist.

"People are right on you and they can see your smallest movements. I guess for me, it's more exciting. But then again, the energy of a large crowd is pretty overwhelming.

"There's definitely pros and cons to each."

The Atlanta-based rockers play the Stampede's Coca-Cola stage tonight at 8:30 p.m.

It's the second time Collective Soul has been through in support of its fifth and latest album, Blender.

Although it's a more melodic offering than its predecessor, Dosage or the band's major label debut, Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, Roland says little has changed about the group's approach to songwriting.

"We never really had one set pattern with how we write songs," he explains.

"It comes in different ways. Sometimes (Collective Soul singer and Roland's brother) Ed will come in with a complete song and a complete idea of what direction to go with it. Other times we have absolutely no idea and it will start off with a drum groove that Shane (Evans) plays. That might be the catalyst for it.

"We don't have any set work habit."

The group recorded 13 songs for the album, of which 11 made the final cut.

It's a small number, considering that many bands record up to 30 songs before deciding what will go on a CD.

"We put everything into a song," he says.

"We focus on an album, song by song instead of trying to worry about B-sides.

"If we don't feel comfortable with a song, we'll shelf it."

Last year the band travelled to Morocco to perform acoustic sets for the TV show, Music in High Places.

"We had never done all acoustic before," says Roland, who formed the band with his brother eight years ago.

"It was interesting. We went to the market in Marakesh and played. People had no idea what our music was there. I guess, it was more like kicks for us."