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Foxboro - Tim Peters performed in a variety of rock bands while at Foxboro High School and played "for a case of beer and a pizza" with his buddies under various band names at UMass Amherst. Now, he and his current band, Taxpayer, are about to headline the storied Paradise rock club in Boston.

"It's really exciting for us to see our name out front this time," the self-taught guitarist said. "It's our favorite club, where we've seen our favorite bands, and they've been supporting growing local bands for years."

Taxpayer has performed about a dozen times at the Paradise but never had top billing, said Peters, the band's bassist who moved back to Foxboro two years ago after getting married.

This Friday night, the band is on the top of the bill as it releases its second full-length album, "Don't Steal My Night Vision," which hit stores and online music outlets such as i-Tunes, emusic and Amazon on Tuesday.

The album was three years in the making, as Peters explained that he and his bandmates - Rob Adams (drums), Mike Jones (guitar/vocals), Jay Marsh (vocals/guitar) and Maclaine Diemer (guitar/keyboard/vocals) - make songwriting a "collaborative" effort. "It's a democracy, so it takes us a lot longer," he said with a laugh. "Some of us are good at creating that initial burst or chorus or medley, and the others are good at taking the idea and turning it into something more.

Peters, 29, said the band has many influences, from classic rock to a host of current groups, but their biggest influence has been the English alternative rockers Radiohead, who have been around since 1992.

And he says they are proud to note that their albums, released on the independent Lunch Records label out of Newburyport, were recorded with the producer of Radiohead.

Taxpayer, a name Peters takes credit for, has been together since 2004 and has gained a following on the East Coast, notably in New York City and especially Boston. Their music can be heard on Boston radio stations WFNX, where it's been part of the rotation, according to Peters, and on WBCN, where it is highlighted on local specialty shows.

"Boston's been great to us," Peters said. "Unlike most cities, Boston has an intertwined music scene where bands all get out and support each other. Local bands will play for four or five-hundred fans - more than some national bands get - and you don't get that in many cities."

Marsh, Jones and Adams have been playing together since they were teens growing up in West Newbury. They met Peters a decade ago at UMass and have been together since.

Peters said the four of them "grinded it out" for a long time before joining with Diemer, getting a manager and a record label, and becoming Taxpayer. But they don't yet make their living with the band.

"We all have day jobs, although some of us work in the music business," said Peters, who works a sales job with the Deluxe Corp., which provides printing services for financial instituions.

Fortunately for Peters, he works out of his Union Street home which affords him the flexibility to travel, play with the band, and spend time with his wife, Kate, and their 1-year-old daughter, Ella.

After years of living in cities like Somerville and Quincy, Peters and his wife wound up back in his hometown after deciding to start a family. "It's a great town with a great school system," he explained. Peters admits that he never took advantage of the well-known music curriculum at Foxboro High School, where he graduated in 1997.

"I was never part of the jazz band or any of those great bands - I always played on my own," he said. "One of my biggest regrets is that I never tapped into the music program there."

Still, he can say his band is headlining the Paradise.

Listen to Taxpayer's new album at www.taxpayermusic.com/album.html