Remember that Violent Femmes song, the one that goes, "Do you like American music?"

Do many people actually know what "American" music is?

Probably not.

But according to the Latin American Student Association (LASA), plenty of Penn State students stereotype all Latin music as sounding the same, and the club hopes to change those views by cosponsoring a concert at 8 p.m. Thursday at Rec Hall. The Multicultural Music Series organized the event.

The bill includes local group Original Soul Project and has hip-hop luminary KRS-One headlining. Sandwiched between those acts is a band LASA recruited for the show, Volumen Cero, a Spanish rock group whose music is far removed from Enrique Iglesias' or Ricky Martin's.

"My goal is just to bring a little bit of the Latin American culture," said LASA president Jose Molineros (graduate-computer science). "Salsa and meringue aren't the only styles of Latin music, but they are what people think of when you say 'Latin music.' There are different styles played all over South America. There's a movement called 'Rock en Espanol,' or 'Rock Latino,' and it's important to bring other, alternative forms of music to the community here. Maybe by having a show like this, having people hear Volumen Cero, we can break the stereotypes."

Molineros described Volumen Cero as an alternative rock group with members from Peru and Chile. He said the band sings in Spanish and claims The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins as its biggest influences.

Juan Nino (graduate-material science) said those influences, and not salsa, are common for a Latin rock band.

"The rhythms (played by Spanish rock bands) are different from salsa or meringue," Nino said. "They play rock music with techno or electronica instead of meringue. It's more danceable music and more modern."

Nino said the lyrics of Spanish rock bands are often political in nature, dealing with Latin social issues. Molineros echoed that opinion and said the subject matter has kept many Latin radio stations from playing rock music.

"Latin radio hasn't been open to Spanish rock bands. They play salsa and meringue and pop, because that's where the biggest audience is. Spanish rock bands come from countries dealing with oppression and other real issues, and they sing about these things."

Molineros said that although Latin radio has been slow to embrace bands such as Volumen Cero, those bands, and not American-marketed Spanish acts, are what people are listening to in Latin America.

"Ricky Martin isn't what you'd listen to in South America," he said. "Ricky Martin was extremely popular in South America for a very long time, and now he's just overplayed. He's pop. Let's face it, Ricky Martin is a Backstreet Boy."

Molineros said that while he is not a fan of Martin, he respects what Martin has accomplished in the United States and hopes Spanish rock acts can follow his lead. His only fear is that Martin and other pop acts are the only Latin artists who will reach a North American audience.

"I have nothing against Ricky Martin," he said. "He's made a lot of people aware of Latin music and for that I have nothing but respect for him. It's good that people are aware of some Spanish music now. But there are a lot of modern artists, and they're not all pop. They're playing alternative rock, reggae and techno. Ricky Martin has opened the door for all of these bands. Now, the question is, how much more will the American people accept?"