by LORRAINE CARPENTER

“I sound like an old curmudgeon,” says Pink Martini’s Thomas H. Lauderdale, “and I’m only 35!”

The founder of the 12-piece, Portland-based ensemble, a Harvard graduate and pianist who made his symphonic debut at age 13, is wringing his hands over the state of his country. He uses adjectives like “depressing” and “appalling” to characterize the USA’s government corruption, its epidemic addiction to asinine entertainment and the decay of the public school system, as well as the ties that bind them all. And then there’s that “unsingable” national anthem.

“It’s all over the place, with clunky lyrics,” he says, naming “America the Beautiful,” “Home on the Range” and “Moon River” as superior alternative anthems. “But the country isn’t nearly romantic enough for ‘Moon River.’”

That’s where Pink Martini comes in. With two independent albums in their catalogue, 1997’s Sympathique and 2004’s Hang on Little Tomato, the band has wooed audiences the world over, particularly in Europe, where they have a real record deal (as they do with Audiogram in Quebec). Their blend of American swing, Latin rhythms and chamber arrangements, along with vocals in five languages, give their largely original material mass appeal.

“Our audiences consist of people who normally don’t sit next to each other,” says Lauderdale, describing scenes of hipsters and grandmothers, conservatives and liberals. Abroad, especially in countries such as Turkey and Lebanon, they strive to “put forth an idea of a different kind of America” to counter more prevalent American exports such as the army, porn, junk food and corporate bullying.

The band has also worked for change within the States, playing a plethora of benefits for such progressive institutions and causes as public broadcasting, libraries, clean rivers and what Lauderdale calls “anti-suburbs,” as well as a pair of shows in 2004 in support of Pink Martini singer China Forbes’s cousin, John Kerry. On cross-country tours with symphony orchestras, the band happily plays to arch-conservative crowds as well, but they draw the line at the feds.

“At one point, the FBI asked us to play their Christmas party,” says Lauderdale, who declined the offer. “That was… spooky.”

At Metropolis on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 20-21, 8 p.m., $36.50

>> Music Listings