Although Big Head Todd and the Monsters are often referred to as a jam band, drummer Brian Nevin offers a different view.

"I always thought of us more of a straight-ahead rock and roll band," Nevin said.

"We're more a song-oriented band than a jam band. [Todd Park Mohr, the band's frontman] writes pretty traditional rock songs."

The three members of BHTM originally met while in high school in Colorado and were roommates at the University of Colorado. While in college, they began playing together, and they had their first shows in 1986.

BHTM are currently touring to support Riviera, the band's most recent album released last March after their label of six years, Giant Records, folded.

Riviera was released independently on Big Records with distribution help from Warner Brothers.

Nevin said the combination was "the best of both worlds."

"We really enjoyed the freedom of recording it by ourselves," he said.

For this tour, BHTM are drawing on all six of their studio albums. Nevin describes the show's set list as "a pretty thorough study of those records."

Since the band is not touring with an opening act, they will be playing two sets and the show will last about two-and-a-half hours.

For Riviera, BHTM returned to the three-man lineup from which it had departed in its previous album, Beautiful World.

"We consciously chose to go back to being a trio," Nevin said.

"I think we all like playing as a power trio. Everything is critical. The songs have to be good to pull it off as a trio."

Dave Wells, director of operation for the Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., said BHTM is a band he's been pursuing for a while, so much that he begged them to perform.

"They're a really, really great college band," Wells said. "We're just really lucky that they're coming through the middle of Pennsylvania and we were able to pick them up."

Nevin said he embraces the "college rock" label.

"I take pride in that label," Nevin said. "You're getting attention from college radio, which I have a lot of respect for. They play some of the most original and cutting-edge stuff out there."

This is not the first time BHTM have played in the area. In February 1995, they co-headlined a show at Rec Hall with the Dave Matthews Band.

"It was back before they were big," Nevin said, adding that great crowds characterized the tour.

For this tour, BHTM are playing mainly smaller venues, which Nevin said the band enjoys because they are more intimate.

Tonight's all-ages show will be their only date in a college town, Nevin said.