Standing together on the cramped stage of Abilene, a small bar on South Street in Philadelphia, the members of My Name is Rossmer (MNiR) are appropriately introduced by Mark Landgraf of Modern Records as "the inspiration for this rock carnival."

"We didn't know how to describe our style," said frontman David Rossmer, Class of 1996, of the group's "carnival rock" tag. "It just didn't fit neatly into any category."

Borrowing equally from Broadway as it does from Elvis Costello and Ben Folds Five, the style, like the band itself, is characterized by lots of zaniness and color.

"Rock music is most fun when it has a sense of theatricality, and you can make the live experience part of the fun. We're not trying to say we use a calliope or that it's something you'd hear on a merry-go-round," Rossmer added.

The idea for MNiR and carnival rock was born in 2002 when David Rossmer met guitarist Nathan Roberts while working together at a theatre company in Syracuse, N.Y. The two soon discovered they had similar musical interests and decided to take the next step.

"I've found the man who's going to help us save pop rock," Roberts said.

Rossmer recruited George Konidaris, an old friend from grade school, to play horns. Roberts brought in drummer Kevin Adams, whom he had been playing in bands with since they were 15 years old. And rounding out the lineup was Brian Crotty as bassist, whom Roberts and Adams had previously known.

"We're a perfect fit, our own distorted heaven," Rossmer said.

Having performed on-and off-Broadway, Rossmer quickly emerged as the group's principal songwriter. Tom Waits was a huge influence, and like that artist Rossmer believes the coherence of the songs stands out because they tell stories.

In the world of the theatre, Rossmer was interested in writing rock musicals, "more like The Wall than Rent."

"I grew up loving Pink Floyd since I was really young," he said. "And the minute I heard Steely Dan I went nuts."

Rossmer was also inspired by a familiar jam band he discovered during his time in State College.

"When I was at Penn State, Phish was the big band I listened to," he said.

Of all its influences, he said MNiR emulates Phish in that the band isn't afraid to take all styles of music and throw them in a blender, isn't afraid to write songs longer than three minutes and never plays the same show twice.

With a self-titled album already released, Rossmer is taking it upon himself to divvy up the songwriting duties more with the group's forthcoming EP and full-length releases.

"The first album is a great showcase for the songwriting while the second is a great showcase for the band," he said.

Relatively inexperienced in the studio at the time of the first album's recording, the group has since gelled into a stronger unit. The EP in production was recorded in more of a live fashion, with as many instruments as possible playing at the same time.

The idea was to capture the live experience of the band with a polished studio sound.

That live feel, as it soon becomes apparent to the crowd in Abilene, is pure rock. Rossmer pounds on the ivories of his keyboard and demonstrates the strength and range of his voice. Konidaris is ferocious on his alto sax. And Roberts plays the guitar with his whole body, waving his arms and jumping around the stage, grinning unceasingly.

The shared vocal duties also make up a large part of the performance.

"The harmonies are something we really try to hit," Crotty said.

Surprisingly, the largest stage presence is the most subdued when the music's over.

"When I get on stage I'm playing the role of the crazy rocker," Roberts said. "Connecting to the audience by going psycho allows me to not focus on myself."

Following the show, MNiR sold out of its CDs to excited patrons at the bar. The band is hoping to do the same in State College, where its self-titled release will be available at City Lights Records, 316 College Ave., beginning this week.

"We'd love to get up there [State College]," Roberts said.