Returning to the same venue three times within one year has to be a sign of a hard-working band.

It's only been two months since they last rocked State College, and before that, they had played here just after the 2001 fall break, but Strangefolk will be returning on Monday to Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

The Vermont-based jam band with a folky edge is currently embarking on the first half of its 2002 fall tour, making stops in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland.

Strangefolk currently features guitarist/vocalist Jon Trafton, bassist/vocalist Erik Glockler, drummer Luke Smith, keyboardist Don Scott and the group's most recent addition, second guitarist/vocalist Luke "Patchen" Montgomery. This lineup has been playing together since 1999, when founding member Reid Genauer left the group.

Genauer and Trafton began singing and performing with acoustic guitars at the University of Vermont in the early 1990s. They eventually added Smith and Glockler as a rhythm section and spread their name around as "Strangefolk," playing bars and steadily increasing in popularity.

In 1999, Strangefolk found itself facing many problems and changes, including being dropped from their record label just after recording an album, Genauer quitting to pursue educational interests and the addition of Montgomery and Scott.

Though Genauer's crucial position in the group was difficult to fill, the band has pushed on without him. They released a live album, titled Open Road, last October, and according to a press release, are "armed with an arsenal of new material" for this tour.

But some listeners are still adjusting to the change that Genauer's departure brought the band. With open minds, however, many fans see that the roots are still there.

"For a veteran fan, their new stuff is a little disappointing because of the fact that they're not the Strangefolk of old when Reid was around," Strangefolk fan Ben Linsky (junior-psychology) said. "But there's no reason why the new fan can't have a good time at a show, and they still have a vibe that's hard to top."

This tour follows Strangefolk's successful summer tour, as well as the group's seventh annual Garden of Eden Festival, held over Labor Day weekend in Wilmington, Vt. The festival featured such upcoming jam bands as the Aaron Katz Band and Addison Groove Project, as well as several Strangefolk sets.

The second half of the band's fall tour will extend to the Midwestern states in October.

Doors for Monday's show open at 8 p.m., and the show begins at 9. It is for all ages, and tickets are $8.