Jam band. Electronic band. Rock band. Electronic-jam-rock band.

Critics have shoved Lake Trout into these and many other categories throughout the group's career, but guitarist Ed Harris doesn't think any of them fairly classify its sound.

"It just shows what association does to people," Harris said. "We've never seen ourselves as having anything to do with those [categories]. It's hard because we've been straddling these different genres."

Listeners can decide for themselves at 9 p.m. Monday, when the Baltimore-based group returns to Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave. Tickets are $10 and the show is all ages.

Together since 1996, Lake Trout consists of Harris, guitarist/vocalist Woody Ranere, bassist James Griffith, drummer Mike Lowry and keyboardist Matt Pierce, who also occasionally plays saxophone, flute and an electronic drum machine.

Evidence of the quintet's diversity does exist. All one has to do is examine the band's history of double billing with artists of various genres to see an example -- the group has shared the stage with acts like Blues Traveler, alternative popsters They Might Be Giants, and funk-metal rockers Clutch.

Still, the group is commonly referred to as an "electronic jam band," comparable to the Disco Biscuits. But except for the presence of some special effects, Lake Trout has relied more on creating live music with the sparse textures of drum and bass than trying to sound like computer-created electronic music, Harris said.

"I never really saw us as being electronic. It was more like we heard sample-based music and started mimicking that," he said. "It's become more abstracted, somewhat minimalistic, like the music going on behind a hip-hop song."

This description is subject to change at any time, however. The group's Web site explains that the members "consciously seek to redefine and reshape their music, successfully transcending categorization, while sustaining a solid and expanding fan base."

Even right now, the band is going through a transitional phase that might surprise fans, Harris said. And though Lake Trout does fall into the category of "Crowbar regulars" -- Monday's show will be the band's third concert at the venue within the past year -- there might even be clear changes in the group's sound since last February's show.

For example, followers might notice that the group has been moving away from some of the saxophone-driven, slower funk grooves the band used to perform.

"There aren't many songs left that have sax, and I imagine they're going to move even further away in the future. It's going to be weird for some fans," Harris said.

Instead, Lake Trout has been bringing a harder indie rock influence into its sound. Harris said the drum and bass music the group has enjoyed in the past is no longer enough for its continuously evolving sound.

"It seemed like it wasn't going anywhere, like it plateaued," he said. "Now we're into more underground rock, and also classic rock like Black Sabbath."

The group has also released a new studio album, Another One Lost, since its last State College performance. Perhaps due to the more standard rock influence, the record has a more basic feel than the group's past recordings, which has also affected the live sound, Harris said.

"I think there's going to be a big shift in our band, focusing on our music in recorded form and then touring based on that," he said.

This concept might not fit in with the average "jam band" mentality, but Lake Trout still manages to incorporate elements of improvisation and instrumentals into its show. And regardless of all the style modifications and press stereotyping, the band still recognizes the significance of satisfying its varied audience, which is perhaps the best indicator of the group's variety.

"We want to make sure that anyone feels comfortable at our shows. If you look at the audience at our shows, and the different types of people represented there, you can see that we're totally misrepresented in the press," Harris said.

"We've been lumped into a category, and it was kind of the last category we ever wanted. It's hard being Lake Trout sometimes," he added with a laugh.