Alt-country singer-songwriter Kris Kehr isn't one for cheesy idioms, but sometimes the situation is just too perfect to put up a fight.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Kehr drawled, chuckling at his own corniness.

Kehr, who moved to State College in 1994, used to dominate the local scene with his solo acoustic act and with the now-defunct Stone Poets. When he joined bluegrass jam band The Recipe in 2001, Kehr left State College for North Carolina, but returned for semi-frequent performances at his former watering hole, Zeno's, 100 W. College Ave.

Now that The Recipe has gone on an extended hiatus, Kehr has refocused his solo efforts with a northern tour.

"Now that I'm out of town, it's almost better," Kehr said. "I come in once in awhile and the bar is full. I couldn't always count on a full house before. A lot of the people who come see me are old friends. I miss those people."

Bill Stetz, one of Kehr's longtime pals and an original Stone Poets member, will back Kehr's instrumentation and vocals with bass.

"We had a connection from the moment we started playing together," said Stetz, who performs regularly around town with Andy Tolins. "As a bass player, your main function is support, and we have a great interaction."

Stetz described Kehr as highly influenced by Bob Dylan and Neil Young, lending the artist a dense sound, layered with country, blues and rock, and easily defined as alt-country, a classification Kehr finds ironic.

"The whole term alt-country comes from marketing," Kehr said.

"It came from record companies trying to sell records to people and giving them a term they could relate to. It is barely used down here in North Carolina. Music is more a part of people's lives, part of their social aspects. It's not defined by MTV, but by families and friends."

Dave Staab, general manager of Zeno's, defined Kehr's sound more broadly than Stetz, calling it a highly personal amalgam of bluegrass, old time and Appalachian Mountain music. Staab said Zeno's had a singer-songwriter series several years ago, which Kehr used to play. "He used that as a springboard to start off other time spots and nights," Staab said. "He was always very successful."

Kehr produces albums through his own indie label and has no plans on pawning himself to the majors, but this intentionally small-time artist has some big-time experiences. He has opened for roots rockers The Drive-By Truckers, jammed with Phish's Mike Gordon and produced his first record with Lenny Kravitz's sound engineer.

"I got the clear picture of what that level of the industry is like," Kehr said. "It was an interesting and educational time, but daunting. It's overwhelming because you get the feeling that you're caught up in the rush of things rather than having control of your own destiny. ... There's a lot more pressure to be something other than what you want to be on your own free will."