Growing up under the traditional musical influence of her grandmother and grandfather (a singer for the Benny Goodman Orchestra and the composer of the Christmas standard “The Little Drummer Boy,” respectively), Laura Stevenson spent her teenage years as a pick-up player performing within the punk collective Bomb the Music Industry. All the while she composed songs that leaned toward her own folk-pop arrangements. Eventually filling out a backing ensemble, the New York-based songwriter and her band, the Cans, have established themselves as noteworthy new presences with their recently released sophomore effort, “Sit Resist,” a record highlighted by Stevenson’s sweet vocals and a smattering of horns, banjos, accordions and glockenspiels for accompaniment. Laura Stevenson and the Cans perform at Gallery5 on Wednesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. 644-0005.