The Pickles – goofy name, great band.

It’s a name you’ll hear a lot. This weekend alone they are playing at Margaritaville in Atlantic City and the Lighthouse Tavern in Waretown.

“For the most part, it’s just silly,” Raup explains of their name. “It’s fun. It’s memorable. We take our music seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously. And fun is the name of the game. At every show that we play, we have fun and want to make the audience have fun.”

Don’t get the wrong impression. While the guys of The Pickles are happy to have a good time with their crowd-pleasing repertoire of songs, they are, first and foremost, professional musicians. Each band member has a long musical history, and for at least one of them, part of that history includes being a Pickles fan.

Raup has been with The Pickles for the past nine years, but prior to that, in 2004, he was on the other side of the stage at one of their shows.

“I watched them at the Lighthouse,” Raup says. “And they were so good.”

That earlier lineup of The Pickles included Boose as well as the original singer and band manager Brian Bozarth, who died unexpectedly five years ago.

“We rebuilt from ground zero,” Raup says of the post-Bozarth band. “In many ways, part of the reason we continued on is because of Brian.”

Each musician had to add to his original skill set. For Boose, that meant stepping into the role as frontman. For Raup, it meant building on his vocals and taking on a booking role. And for Berezansky, who came into the band just after Bozarth’s death, it meant coming into a band that was, in many ways, starting from scratch.

The past five years have seen tremendous growth for The Pickles, who are gearing up for their busiest summer yet.

“Audiences can expect to have a good time,” Raup says. “If you like music, you can hear it played well. The sound we produce as a three-piece band is a very full sound. I don’t know how it happens but we have a full sound and three vocals — you don’t see that a whole lot.”

A diverse setlist rounds out the band’s appeal. While they consider themselves a rock band, they play in a variety of genres. Songs range from “You Wreck Me” by Tom Petty and “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley to “Santeria” by Sublime and “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra.

“You have to stay versatile,” Raup says.

While they are adept at playing covers, The Pickles plan to produce a sampling of their original music as well. Fans can look for that this fall.

THE PICKLES

Who they are: Charlie “Chuck B.” Berezansky: drums and vocals; Todd “Turtle” Raup: bass and vocals; Boose Rutledge: guitar & lead vocals.

Contact: ThePicklesNation.com

Coming up: 7 p.m. Friday, March 25, Margaritaville, 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City.  7 p.m. Saturday, March 26, Lighthouse Tavern, 397 Route 9, Waretown. 7 p.m. Mondays, Old Causeway, 1201 E. Bay Ave., Manahawkin.