If VH1 ever decided to dedicate an episode of Driven to a local act, the frontrunner among the throngs of potential subjects could very well be Boost.

An energetic cover band armed with an arsenal of original tunes, Boost dispenses high spirits in the form of popular songs at weekend shows across the state. And with a steady Friday night gig at The Brewery, 233 E. Beaver Ave., the band holds its own on the downtown scene.

As they approach their second anniversary, the members of Boost -- Jim Logrando (drums), Keith Niedermeier (bass and vocals), Matt Seno (lead guitar) and Bart Hipp (rhythm guitar and vocals) -- are getting ready to celebrate an occasion Logrando said many local acts aren't around long enough to see.

But a bumpy road led to the success the band revels in today, and its members make the distinction between "Boost then" and "Boost now."

The former existed pre-March 2002 and played "a really weird mesh" of hard metal and 1980s songs, Logrando said.

"When you play heavy music," he said, "people just stand there and nod their heads, maybe get into a fight."

So the band decided to shift its set list to more current, upbeat hits, producing Boost as it is known today: a band with an audience that "just wants to dance and have a good time," Logrando said.

Boost's transformation solidified in March 2002, when the band swapped one of its original members for Niedermeier -- who, at the time, was Logrando's marketing professor. For a band with big-time aspirations, adding Niedermeier to the lineup seemed to be a no-brainer; he had years of experience playing around town.

"He's helped all of us learn what it's like to be in a professional working position," Logrando said. "All four of us work together to form the rock phenomenon that is Boost."

The agenda at Boost's shows is pretty straightforward.

"We're all about having a party every night," Hipp said.

Niedermeier makes up a set list, Hipp said, and the band decides the song order at each show by gauging the crowd's reactions. The night usually starts off with slower, feel-good songs; perhaps a little Barenaked Ladies, Hipp said, "not 'get up and dance' music."

Not yet, at least.

Boost progresses into catchier music, what Hipp called "stuff people can listen to and get themselves drunk."

With the tempo cranked up, Boost enters its dance and rock-dominated second set. Songs range from Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" to Simple Plan's "Addicted."

And while belting out three-part harmonies, which Niedermeier said is done by few other bands in State College, Boost openly invites its fans on stage.

"We see people dancing, and we hand them a tambourine and let them shake it," Logrando explained.

Added Hipp: "A lot of times, they're very willing to come up."

Though Boost's shtick is covering popular music, the band is working on a CD of original material and usually mixes some of these songs into the set. Niedermeier said they have been getting good reactions from the crowd, which means a lot to Boost.

"Once people come out and see us, they become our friends," Niedermeier said. "There's no big 'rock star' thing going on at all."

But, he added, "That would be beautiful, being a rock star."