For Scott Bailey, frontman of Tycoon Dog, questions about the style of music his band plays are best tackled with some wisdom from comedian Steve Martin.

"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture," Bailey quoted.

Tycoon Dog, which will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Tall Shiva Hookah Lounge, 224 W. College Ave., is commonly lumped in with the jam scene because of its proficiency at improvisation, the cornerstone of that community.

Bailey, however, said the genre's reputation for noodling around onstage without focused songwriting separates Tycoon Dog from the typical jam band.

Rather than specializing in lengthy improvisations, Tycoon Dog is most concerned with crafting memorable lyrics without sacrificing the rock element, similar to artists such as Paul Simon, Neil Young or Tom Petty, Bailey said.

Still, that which cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced can find difficulty gaining exposure. So Bailey and bandmates came up with the tag "hypnotic rock" to describe their sound, suggesting the captivating, trance-like state it produces in listeners.

Bailey isn't too hung up on genres, though. Above all, he considers music a way to make people feel something, regardless of the particulars.

That might explain why Tycoon Dog has been in the game since 1996. The members made the decision to follow their passions with everything they had, even taking day jobs to survive in New York City.

"We're willing to lose money and go through that long period of frustration it takes to be successful," Bailey said. "I guess we're not too bright."

But Tycoon Dog defines success in terms other than platinum records or MTV rotation. At the end of the day, the band is most interested in its philosophy of doing what it wants, and if the members can help it, getting paid to do so.

"Our primary goal is to have a good platform for making great celebrations and good music, and keep doing it," Bailey said.

To that end, there are certain aspects of its live performance in which Tycoon Dog simply will not cut corners. Last weekend, 15 years finally caught up with band's PA system, so Bailey and his bandmates scoured Usenet groups for replacement speaker cabinets to bring to State College.

"We're pretty fussy about sound," he said.

The band tries to optimize the amount of gear it uses at shows with the high-grade sound that is its standard. This makes Tall Shiva the perfect place for these audiophiles, Bailey said.

"I like comin' down to the old Hookah Lounge," he said. "I really like the acoustics down there. If your drummer doesn't play like a lunatic, it can sound really pretty."

Tall Shiva customers also recognize it as a music venue. Megan Conklin (senior-psychology) regrets missing one example of the its sonic capabilities.

"I really wish I'd gone there for that Flaming Lips CD party," she said, referring to last semester's listening party for The Lips' four-disc album, Zaireeka.

Students who did attend that night seemed to find the atmosphere quite satisfying.

"I thought it was a nice chill scene because it wasn't as crowded as I had anticipated," Andrew Shearn (senior-management information systems) said.

But if you're going for an intimate setting to curl up with your valentine, you might want to look elsewhere.

"I hope that we can generate a larger audience than last time to try and turn it into a full-on blowout," Bailey said. "That's why I had bands as a kid, and that's why I'll always have bands."