The duo originally played with The Bullet Parade and the two groups hit it off so well that The Method invited them to play at a show with them.
"They brought us to Philly for their CD release party which was really generous," said Roustabout! organizer and Bullet Parade member Jeff Van Fossan. "They're great people and a great band. A lot of people liked them so it was an easy decision to bring them back."
Hitting the State College arena for the first time is Mandarin. While its Web site describes its music as "the brightest bloom from the blackest black, with all the fitful colors in between," frontman Jayson Wortham puts it in simpler terms.
"It's definitely moody," Wortham said. "It's got some rock elements in there and your dreamy side as well, but it's pretty up tempo underneath the moodiness."
The Method's outfit is one of indie pop mixed with electronic constructions as well as some less than conventional instruments.
"We've taken trips to places and recorded sounds and brought them into the studio," Wendell said. "There's one song where we went to a cave and recorded water, rocks, echoes. We recorded a cappella in the cave too. We once recorded a busted light bulb which we made a hand drum beat -- with a little compression, of course."
Mandarin has cited such musicians as The Rolling Stones and Nick Drake as influences while The Method mentioned a gamut of artists including Rufus Wainwright and Fugazi.
Both bands have released new albums within the last six months with Mandarin's being two years in the making.
"I'm excited it's finally out and people are hearing it," Wortham said. "We've been getting some pretty good reviews and we're hoping to build up a good fan base and get another album out a lot sooner. In the next five years, I want to have another four records out. I know I'm going to stick with it. I think we all are."
That kind of dedication is twice as important to the married members of The Method.
"We've been in bands together since before we were married," Wendell said of his wife, Megan Wendell. "It's never been a real issue for us. We're pretty much always on the same page and we've got strikingly similar tastes in music. We just really like being around each other as much as possible. Going on tour for a month just isn't a problem."
The night will start with a set by local artist Adam Bugaj, who complements the other two acts nicely, Van Fossan said.
