Fans of the alternative audible arts shouldn't feel left out during the 37th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts this year -- but they might have to seek out their sonic satisfaction in a "Roustabout!" way.
The Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave., and Tall Shiva Hookah Lounge, 224 W. College Ave., will be hosting two special, back-to-back Roustabout! events tonight and tomorrow, respectively. The shows will feature a total of five bands -- four from outside of State College -- and two DJs.
"What I try to do is bring in high quality bands from out of town that are original but keeping with the theme of the Roustabout!s," said event organizer Jeff Van Fossan.
As represented in Roustabout!s of the past, the event's "theme" includes underground, independent music and Brit-pop rock, among other styles. These shows give local fans an opportunity to be exposed to new music without having to travel to a bigger city, while at the same time giving bands that wouldn't normally be able to play in State College a chance to perform, Van Fossan said.
Tonight's Roustabout! will be held at the Darkhorse Tavern. The show features a headlining set from D.C.-based group The Washington Social Club.
"It's kind of poppy, but not sugar pop," said Social Club drummer Randy Scope on his group's sound.
"It has an edge, and lots of energy. It's good music to blow off steam to."
Local band The Bullet Parade will also be performing at tonight's show, as well as at tomorrow's-- no strange coincidence, considering that Van Fossan provides vocals and guitar for the group. He described his group as "lo-fi psychedelic space rock" combining 60's British Invasion influences with contemporary inspiration.
Also performing at tomorrow night's Roustabout! at Tall Shiva will be New York trio The Blood Group, a band that has been receiving a sizable amount of press, according to Van Fossan.
"It's our version of pop music, filtered through years and years of record collecting," said Blood Group drummer James Toth.
The Snow Fairies, a Philadelphia-based group, are also performing tomorrow night. Astute local music fans might recognize drummer Justin Staller as a member of The Red Light, an instrumental experimental rock group that got its start in State College. Staller said he is looking forward to performing in the area again.
"It's like returning to your old home," he said, "and after a while, [performing exclusively in Philadelphia] starts to get repetitive."
When asked to describe his band's musical style, Staller emphasized its energy and feel-good vibe.
"It's like 30 minutes of a really fun time ... Exuberance really wears off on a crowd," he said.
Each Roustabout! also includes sets from its own DJ, with DJ KB spinning tomorrow and DJ Chris Baronner tonight.
Although Baronner is now based in Chicago, Staller commented that the turntablist was at one point, "responsible for keeping indie music alive" in State College, often having obscure but national acts performing in his own basement, if necessary.
But aside from providing alternative music as a genre, one of the main goals of the Roustabout!s seems to be to offer an alternative scene to the more well-known Arts Festival music.
"People realize they can come to a Roustabout! and hear some really good music," Van Fossan said. "They know they won't be inundated with John Mayer covers."
Even the bands themselves seem to have an unconventional mindset.
"We're always trying to expand our audience without compromising," Toth said of his band's philosophy.
Staller agrees with the Blood Group's credo.
"If you're a college student and you see a band like this, it's just so different from seeing the bands you'd expect from the bar scene," Staller said.
Van Fossan also said past summer Roustabout!s have had surprisingly large turnouts, and for this week's shows, he is expecting an even larger turnout, due to Arts Festival.
If the events receive a positive reaction, he hopes to make the Roustabout! a regular weekly occurrence.
"There's really something for everyone at these Roustabout!s," Van Fossan said.
Tonight's Roustabout! begins at 10 p.m. The show is for ages 21 and over only, and has a $3 cover. Tomorrow's all-ages show also begins at 10 p.m. and has a $4 cover.
