Shooting promotional shot for band..help!!

Ok, I need help I will be shooting the promotional shots for my husband's band this weekend, and I'm stressing. I have a Canon Rebel Xti and I'm not that familiar with manual mode. I can end up shooting to get the subject in focus and the background blurred, etc. It's just going to be some group photos, nothing perfect. I'm used to photographing landscape and architecture so the people thing is scaring me! I don't want to let anyone down and need some advice as far as any websites with different poses, etc. I don't have an external flash so the shoot is going to be outside (think alley, front of tunnel) and I know I can do some editing in Corel Paint Shop, but I guess I need that little "push" or information that can help me!

Anything at all would be appreciated!

Get out with those guys and just goof around. They will probably have some ideas. Since you don't have an external flash Try to get them in the shade and light them with sunlight bounced off of a white wall or something. Don't face them into the sun or they will all be squinting and will look awful. If the sun is behind them, make sure you add some exposure compensation so they will be visible. Use wider settings on your lens so they are more likely to all be in focus. (Don't zoom in too far)
There are a lot of possibilities. You can just shoot them or do a composite in photoshop. You could take a close up of each one and do floating heads. You could just shoot the band playing. On this shot, you could use a higher aperture number and a low ISO so that you get a slow shutter speed. Shoot them when they are really active and you will get blur.
Instead of worrying, start thinking about the possibilities. The more different things you try, the better your chances of coming up with something great.
Think about what their music is about. If they are all about eco stuff, then flowers and grass and flowering trees...or show them in front of a desolate refinery.
I could go on forever.....
Relax, you will do well.

Exactly what he said!

The most important thing is to loosen them up! Trust me, they will be just as nervous as you are so the main objective is to get them looking not so nervous in the shots. Everything else will flow I've shot a few bands if you want you can check out their myspace pages. Just go to my profile to get to my myspace page and I've shot all of the bands on my "top friends" list and I have some in my myspace gallery as well. Have fun and let it show in the pictures, they will love them! Promise

This will help with exposure. Take some test shots before the weekend.
First set the f-stop & shutter speed you need. Then adjust the ISO. Need an exposure crutch?
More on how the subject affects the exposure & why manual keeps me worry free: Post # 47

This may be cool for you. After your planned shots during daylight, wait for sundown and get them outside somewhere interesting and shine some car lights on them from different directions. That would be neat with the alley; also have another car way in the background backlighting them (just for the alley shot). Just an idea.

If you time it right, you can still have a bit of light in the sky so it isn't all black.