Local band Uncle Traveling Matt likes to have a good time, and, in the process, it rocks harder than granite.

The three piece heavy metal band has been together for three and a half years, playing shows in and around State College to crowds of enthused patrons looking for a fix of hard rock from this System of a Down- and Dillinger Escape Plan-influenced band.

Named for a character on the children's television show Fraggle Rock, the band consists of Dan Johnstone on vocals and guitar, Greg "Mudzo" Mudzinski on bass, and Chris Goodwin on drums.

Johnstone has been an avid fan of most music for as long as he can remember. In between classes he walks with a Discman he said, which gets him through the day.

"I don't really listen to the radio but I listen to music all the time. If I'm not watching TV or playing guitar there is music playing somewhere nearby."

The members of Uncle Traveling Matt pride themselves on writing their own songs. On their forthcoming album, Non-Ferrous Metal, they fuse their passion with driving instrumentation to concoct a sound that is one all of their own.

"We're heavy, we blend a lot of stuff," Johnstone said.

Mudzinski said that they draw from a variety of different sources, but most of their inspiration is derived from their own fervor for playing music.

"We go more on instinct rather than set-in-stone music theory. We go for what feels right, to make the best songs possible that way, rather than fitting into a structure," he said.

Mudzinski said that the songwriting process differs from song to song depending on what kind of mood they are in.

"The guys in the band all add their different touches and take the songs in different directions. Two songs can start off with the same feeling and end up in completely different places," he said.

Johnstone uses his songwriting for a dual purpose.

"The songs we write help me express myself creatively, and they're also an outlet for all that energy," he said.

Music has become an integral part of the lives of these musicians. Mudzinski said that all his dreams are in music. Without music, he said, he'd just be doing the same old stuff every day.

"It's what gets me up in the morning, every aspect of my life filters into music," he said.

The highest priority for Uncle Traveling Matt is having a good time. Johnstone said that in the end that's what it is all about.

"At the end of my life, I want to be able to look back and say 'that was fun,'" he said.

Mudzinski added that unlike most "hardcore" bands, Uncle Traveling Matt does not like to reside in the usual zip code of gloominess that has become the trademark for similar bands.

Johnstone agreed that the band likes to stay more upbeat.

"We are extremely into it, and all passion about what we are playing. We are serious about the music without taking ourselves too seriously," he said.

The mixture of intense drumming, loud amps and rocking for fun has made them favorites to many hard rock fanatics but has given them some breaking into the local music scene. Johnstone said that they have played Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., half a dozen times in the past but it is hard to schedule there because their intense style is not always welcome.

Mudzinski attributes the stalling of their success on the local scene.

"It's tough in State College, primarily because of general business bands that keep playing covers. People these days just want something to listen to as they drink rather than going to the bars to enjoy music," Mudzinski said.

Uncle Traveling Matt has aspirations to tour nationally and to someday get signed but they see the difficulty in achieving this because of what they play. Their genre of extra-heavy music is often left out of the mainstream and is forced to dwell in the basements of house parties or venues willing to turn up the intensity for a night.

"There isn't a huge scene for underground music, there are lots of bands and people into it but not enough venues," he said.

Johnstone said the new state liquor laws are also taking a toll on the already-hurting scene.

"We're losing a bunch of people to the new laws, people can't get into shows and it sucks," Johnstone said.

There are a few exceptions to the standard of venues imposing near impossibility of bands taking stage locally. Uncle Traveling Matt has recently graced the Thursday open mic nights that the Rathskeller All American, 108 S. Pugh St., hosts. Johnstone was pleased with the scene there.

"It was really cool, an open mic, no cover and we got to have people check us out. We're all about it," he said.

In addition to the open mic night at the Rathskeller, Uncle Traveling Matt will also appear at a show sponsored by The Asylum, at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Pollack Rec Room.

The Asylum is a Penn State student group that focuses on establishing a platform for bands whose styles fail to coincide with Top 40 standards. Asylum President Lisa Marusak is dedicated to keeping a venue for underground music.

"We work really hard to do the best we can, we want to keep the scene going," Marusak said.

The group was founded as a rebuttal to the lack of underground music venues. When Asylum secretary Andrew White arrived at Penn State, he felt that there wasn't a lot going on as far as an underground scene.

"The whole sense of community punk rock provides is a great thing, everyone is on the same level. Hopefully kids will just keep coming out to support independent bands and maybe the University will notice that there are other interests here," he said.

The Asylum is an alcohol-free environment that hosts all-age shows. Admittance is free to PSU students with ID's and $3 to the general public.

On Saturday Uncle Traveling Matt will play with several other bands including The Twirpentines, Trunk Full of Dead Bodies, Albert React, and Samarras Betrayal.

To contact Uncle Traveling Matt, visit their Web site at www.geocities.com/utmband.

For more information on The Asylum, visit their Web site at www.clubs.psu.edu/TheAsylum.