For the prehistoric rock band Caveman, life's a beach.

Unlike the rest of us who are stuck in spring-teased State College, the band has been relaxing at the Jersey shore (the real one, not the town).

"We're hanging out here for the winter rental," bassist John Buck said. "There's a lot of old people here. Cool little town, though."

But these guys aren't just sitting around like beach bums. With ocean temperatures averaging in the low 40s, Caveman has retreated to the cave, mixing tracks for its forthcoming album.

And yesterday, the band hit the road to promote the disc on an East Coast tour, which includes a stop at 9 tonight at The Brewery, 223 E. Beaver Ave., with local west campus group Alchemy opening.

This isn't the first time the two tribes have made contact with each other. Their similar musical styles, largely improvisational jam-based, landed them the same shared billing at The Brewery last semester.

"They're a bunch of really nice guys," Buck said of the younger band.

"They definitely have a great local following," Buck said.

Alchemy bassist Ben Thonus echoed the sentiments his bandmate Stanton Custer expressed the last time his group opened for Caveman.

"I think they're awesome," he said. "They're like nothing I've ever heard before."

In order to encapsulate that unique live sound in the studio, Caveman didn't monkey around.

Working at Third Story Recording in Philadelphia with Scott Herzog, who engineered The Disco Biscuits' self-released Encephalous Crime, Caveman cut the album in just two days.

It didn't stop there, though. The band also wanted to give the disc a "warmer sound," akin to classic recordings from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, Buck said. So rather than going digital, Caveman recorded entirely on analog tape.

"It's a little more expensive, but I think it was worth it," he added.

Alchemy is also conscientious about capturing its live sound. The band tapes every set it plays at The Brewery and usually circulates copies among their friends, Thonus said.

Alchemy's devoted local following makes up a large part of the crowd that converges at The Brewery for the band's weekly gig. The last time Alchemy opened for Caveman, the bar swelled with more than 200 hundred patrons and might sell out this time around, employee Brian Bethman said.

And for those without proper identification, don't beat yourself over the head with a club. Caveman will be returning to town on March 27 to play an all-ages show at the Tall Shiva Hookah Lounge, 224 W. College Ave.

"Anytime we can do an underage show, we try to do it," Buck said. "Get those freshmen to come out."

Regardless of the venue, Buck said the most important thing for Caveman is that people come out for the ritual of making music.

"That's what makes us tick," he said. "We get psyched about that."