Take a serving of blues, an influence of rock, a little bit of jazz, some swing and four musically talented and driven guys. Mix well and you'll get a nice heaving helping of Third Degree.

Third Degree — named after a song on an Eric Clapton CD — plays "less than typical blues."

The band members Brian Kucinski, Tim Cichan, Brad Engler and Josh Gwinn picked the name because they said blues bands with the word "blues" in their titles tend to be stereotyped into the swanky bar type of blues that follow the standard 12-bar rule. But this title allows blues music fans to relate the band to a blusey sound but doesn't limit the band in their style.

"We try to find some way to incorporate a contemporary feeling it what can be a standard-based genre," Engler said.

Third Degree is unique because, unlike many of the other bands that frequent bars in State College, this band plays their own original music and only a few covers that most people wouldn't recognize, Engler said. Third Degree plays at The Phyrst, 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave. every other Tuesday night.

But there are many challenges an original band faces, especially one that doesn't play "pop" music. And Third Degree has faced them from their first performance that unfortunately was on the day of the Columbine shooting. However, the band found performing that day was fairly "therapeutic" and noticed that its audience, although sparse, was "kind and appreciative."

The band still has trouble generating an audience that is willing to experience a new kind of music that deviates from the norm.

"In a college town people get into routines and get comfortable with doing certain things when they really should see what else is out there," Kucinski said.

And the band is not trying to limit their audience or attract only a certain crowd. While blues fans would definitely enjoy Third Degree's music, so would most rock music fans.

"But if you want Britney Spears, you're not going to come see us," Kucinski said.

Writing effective original music is also a difficult task for any band.

"Original music first has to have enough recognizable because you never know what people are going to respond to. What's going to make them want to come back," Engler said.

"It's extremely difficult [to write music]," Kucinski said. "Not so much getting ideas, but getting over the insecurity of whether it's good or not."

The band's music is heavily based on improvisation. While Kucinski and Engler compose the music and write the lyrics, Cichan, the bassist, and Gwinn who plays the drums, have free reign to make up their own music to accompany the melody.

"I fill in the bass parts," Cichan said. "I just play. Sometimes I settle into something but mostly I'm improving the who time."

He tries to be creative with his bass line, he added.

"I wonder what they'll [Cichan and Gwinn] play and if they'll play the same thing," Engler said.

But the band is musically talented enough that they can effectively "go with" any improvisations that come during a performance.

"We play with each other and can anticipate what rhythms are coming next," Kucinski said.

"It's how music should be -- it's right there as it happens," Kucinski said. "Music should not be extensively produced, it should be a connection and whatever happens, happens."

The band, which has already been together for about a year and a half, hopes to evolve musically through the years and play together as the same band while continuing to evolve.

The members want to stick together and move to a more "urban" setting like Philadelphia or maybe even Nashville, Tenn.

The band is willing to make mistakes in order to further their musical evolution and the members believe it goes hand-in-hand with good music.

"If you're not making mistakes then you're not playing hard enough," Cichan said.

The beauty of blues music is it allows for mistakes that are not obvious to the audience, Engler said.