Some bands fit into State College like they do an old pair of jeans.

Sure, the jeans may be worn in, but every time they put them on, it's a perfect fit.

For perennial veterans The Clarks, State College is still that worn-out but cherished piece of denim after all these years.

"Certain groups have certain memories at certain places, and for us, that place is State College," said Clarks guitarist Rob James.

"There's certain songs we only play here, because we're just at that level of comfort."

Renewing its status as a continuing Penn State tradition, The Clarks will return to the Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., Wednesday along with newcomers Ari Hest and Stephen Kellogg.

"It's a rare and unique thing we have at State College," James said. "Our shows have certainly evolved over the years, but as a band, we're still able to connect with younger audiences."

The connection started 10 years ago, when The Clarks made its move from playing fraternity parties and dance marathons to performing in clubs and bars.

"Things really started to change when we made the shift to playing the Crowbar," James said. "Suddenly, people were driving out from all over the place to see us."

However, the band's fan base has not been the only thing to change during the past decade.

In addition to a newfound popularity and change of venue, The Clarks has also been subject to a change in sound.

"Before we were just this rock 'n' roll band with a country twang," James said. "Now we've evolved into this modern pop band."

And nothing is more apparent of this transformation than the direction of The Clarks' upcoming album, due for release in late June.

"There's a lot of extremes that we're dealing with in this new album," James said. "We're giving ourselves a lot of room to roam and to show people that we're not just this one trick pony."

That means old will meet new in the offset pairing of an alt-country acoustic ballad with a two-minute Ramones tribute.

"I think that just came out of nowhere," James said about the punk-inspired piece. "Basically we just wanted to turn the volume up to 11 and play really fast for two minutes."

Not the only one to embrace a new sound, James said that, like The Clarks, newcomer Ari Hest is also headed in a new direction.

"A lot people see him in the same vein as John Mayer, but he's really going with a different musical style," James said.

As a singer-songwriter, Hest said he feels the comparison to Mayer is warranted but that his own music style differs from the pop paragon.

"To be compared with someone that successful is nice ... but do I think I'm the same? No," Hest said.

Instead Hest said his influences tend to stem from more rock-based jazz genres, yet again, like Mayer, Hest is up for some big-time recognition by the way of a major record deal.

"Currently, I'm at a strange time because major record labels are starting to approach me, wanting to rerelease my old album," he said.

For a longtime independent artist, the apprehension of moving forward with a major record label can appear daunting, but Hest said he feels ready for the change.

"I know the power that these big record labels have, and I'm hoping to use that to my advantage," he said.

On a smaller level, Dave Wells, director of operations for Crowbar, said he hopes to give Hest some exposure via the upcoming State College gig.

"I'm really excited to have him play the Crowbar because he has such an incredible talent and I know that he already has a real loyal fan base," Wells said.