Much of the music you hear today sounds the same -- artists struggle between the pressure of playing what they know people will like and playing something original. One solo musical artist doesn't find this decision hard to make; he dwells in the pride of being an originator.

Dave Metzger (junior-English) might be described as a different kind of artist, but that is exactly the definition he is looking for.

"I am a creative person; I try to be as original and subversive as I can," Metzger said.

Metzger sings and plays guitar, but said his best talent is on the piano. Metzger said a lot of his musical creativity came from his mother, who is a published classical piano teacher.

"My mom is a genius on the piano, far better than I am, but my goal isn't to be better -- it is to be different," he said.

With song titles like "Hard Rock Chicken" and "Ugandan Motorcycle," Metzger's musical style caters to underground music/indie rock music fans.

He records songs in the basement of his house or in a studio.

"I usually try and record when I feel something; I play off my emotions, so if I'm at a friend's house and I feel a certain emotion I will record what I'm thinking," he said.

Metzger transferred to Penn State last year from Boston University. While going to school in Boston, he played in a band.

Metzger likes the idea of band music but also likes the freedom of being alone. He said he likes to write songs for individual people.

"I have about five to 10 songs I wrote for specific people, and it's really fulfilling to see how much those songs mean to them," he said.

Metzger said he also gets a lot of satisfaction out of his own originality, especially when the music is "put on wax."

"In the art world, there is something called having your own stake, I feel the ultimate goal of an artist is to have your own claim in your art production," he said.

Robert Huber (junior-economics) said Metzger is like Howard Roark, a character from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

"Dave has certain artistic views that he doesn't compromise to please others," Huber said.

Metzger said one of his favorite parts about being at Penn State is his ENGL 413 (Advanced Poetry Writing) class.

Julia Kasdorf, director of the Master of Fine Arts program in the English department, teaches the class and said she is impressed with Metzger's sense of imagination.

"He has a quirky sense of the world -- a quirky sense of humor, it's surprising and unusual, it gives you odd slices of life," Kasdorf said.

She said Metzger is very determined and persistent in his work.

"To be a successful artist you need to be stubborn but also influenced -- you need to be strong in yourself but also open to conversation with the world," she said.

Metzger has not been playing live in State College because he was spending most of his time in the studio making his double CD he calls Dave Metzger's Songs from a Strange Romance.