Some might say summer in State College is neither tropical nor exotic, but rather muggy and dreary. For those who could use a blast of Caribbean-themed entertainment to spice things up, The Island Boys Steel Pan Calypso Band will take the challenge Tuesday evening at Central Parklet, the third installment of the Downtown Summer Concert Series.

"We thought it was a perfect fit for a warm summer evening," said Teresa Sparacino, Downtown State College Improvement District executive director.

Willy "Cruz" Shaughnessy, Island Boys founding member, said the group's main focus is performing authentic calypso music, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago. The Island Boys perform traditional calypso and reggae music, which, to the untrained ear, might be indistinguishable.

"The main difference [between calypso and reggae] is where the music was born out of," Shaughnessy said.

Calypso emerged during World War II in Trinidad, Cruz said, when some "brilliant creators" transformed discarded oil drums into steel drums; the drums are now the staple instrument of calypso music. As a form of political satire, the upbeat calypso became a way for people in Trinidad and neighboring Tobago to express themselves, said Shaughnessy, who plays lead tenor pan and assorted other percussion instruments.

Reggae, on the other hand, was born out of the roots of poverty in Jamaica; its tempo is more laid back.

The Island Boys play, as its full name would suggest, primarily traditional calypso, as well as soca, a faster and more soulful variation of the style. Its set list includes calypso tunes from Harry Belafonte ("Day O"), soca songs from Lord Kitchener ("Sugar Boom Boom") and reggae classics from Bob Marley ("I Shot the Sheriff"). The band also gives a Caribbean twist to popular crowd pleasers such as Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" and Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al."

"This style of music is for young and old," Shaughnessy said. "There's no age category."

Based out of New York City, the Island Boys book gigs everywhere from college towns to the Hamptons to Italy. The band can perform as a one-person act and up to a six-piece band, complete with Caribbean dancers. Tuesday's show will feature four musicians and three dancers.

"The band is like a family," Shaughnessy said of the Island Boys' varying lineup. "Like a marriage, actually, with divorce."

Island Boys co-arranger Azouhouni Adou said each band member brings music from different directions of the world -- his, in particular, being West Africa -- and they all blend together with the steel pan.

Adou and Shaughnessy said that calypso music, especially live calypso music, is something not many people get to hear every day. Thus, they encourage the crowd to take advantage of the opportunity and get into the performance by dancing along with the music.

"We'll leave some space before [the audience members] lay down their blankets, so they can get up and get going," Shaughnessy said.

Adou added that certain songs throughout the Island Boys' set, some soca tunes in particular, are impossible to remain seated for.

"That's what it is all about," Adou said. "It's not a concert, it's a party."