Local hardcore band Uncle Travelling Matt will be performing with emo-punk band Outlet and the indie-punk outfit Marius at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Waring Commons study lounge in West Halls. The show is free to students.

The show is sponsored by The Asylum, a club that organizes concerts held around campus. The group caters to music and bands that are not of mainstream appeal, such as punk, hardcore, ska and metal. Tara Murtha (senior-biobehavioral health), secretary of The Asylum, said the club is very democratic. At each meeting, members bring in CDs of bands they want to see and then vote on which bands will perform.

Most of the bands that play are smaller-based acts, but the club does try to get larger acts if possible. Most recently, The Asylum brought in Sick of It All last April and indie favorites The Promise Ring and Burning Airlines in fall of 1999.

"We love to have bands that will draw a lot of people," Murtha said. "Unfortunately, that can't always happen."

The original formation of The Asylum occurred sometime in the 1980s with a very similar intent — to provide a venue for underground bands. At that time, it was the only club on campus that offered only alcohol-free events, and the only club that had an event every weekend.

Over the years, more groups appeared with the similar goal of getting bands to perform on campus. As Murtha said, this caused The Asylum to become lost in the competition to the point where now it has some difficulty attaining funds from the University Park Allocation Committee or even finding places to hold shows.

The Asylum, however, will keep the concerts coming, and averages about one per month — all of which are free to students. They also hold a "Punk Rock Prom" every year in the HUB-Robeson Center, with this year's prom tentatively scheduled for March 30. All in all, Murtha is thrilled to be a part of the club and what it achieves. "We just call it 'The Asylum for the kids,' because that's who we do it for," Murtha said.

Uncle Travelling Matt has been playing Asylum shows since they came together at Penn State in the fall of 1999. Guitarist Dan Johnstone (junior-English) started the band in high school with different members. The latest incarnation of the group has been together for the past two years, and has been building a local following. The band has performed several shows at the Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave. With the added shows courtesy of The Asylum, Uncle Travelling Matt is getting closer to where it would like to be.

"We just want to play out more," Johnstone said. "The scene isn't as large here, and it makes it more difficult to build a fan base."

Uncle Travelling Matt is currently working on its first full-length release, with hopes of completing the CD in October. The band will then send the album to record labels and try to find someone to distribute it nationally.

Information about future shows and ways to get involved with The Asylum can be found on the club's Web site, www.clubs. psu.edu/TheAsylum.