Fifth Year Crush guitarist Guy Nicolette was not always sure he was meant to play music.

"I probably wanted to be a fireman or a bug or something," Nicolette said of his youthful aspirations.

Insect, guitarist or not, Fifth Year Crush will bring its pop-rock stylings, along with Mission 19, for Mountain Dew's AMP Tour, 9:30 tonight at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

Although Nicolette may have started out with different ideas, he and his band Fifth Year Crush began in the college town of Gainesville, Fla. The band is touring now after releasing its album, Wearing This Life, in 2003. The band has kept busy with its touring and has had a few interesting run-ins along the way.

"A radio station in Tampa wanted us to play July 4, so we said sure," Nicolette said. "Ashlee Simpson was there, and we met Hulk Hogan."

While the band most likely will not meet any famous sisters of pop princesses or professional wrestlers in State College, the band promises to bring an exciting live show.

"We try to take the essential elements of each song and work around those to give the best live show we can," Nicolette said.

Dave Wells, Crowbar operations director, said the bands are sure to bring liveliness to the Crowbar stage.

"They're high-energy bands, ironically," Wells said. "They're good bands with a good population base."

Fifth Year Crush can attribute its popularity to avid touring, Nicolette said.

"We spend our days, weeks, months figuring out how to spend our time promoting the band, and end up taking a more grassroots approach," Nicolette said. "We depend on a word-of-mouth style. Some people who get it and like it tend to spread it. It comes from word-of-mouth, our Web site, and frankly, hard work."

Mission 19 is also sure to bring a high-spirited performance.

Vocalist Ryan McConeghy said the band likes to get the crowd involved.

"I think our interaction with the crowd is one of our strongest attributes," McConeghy said. "We try to make each show a comfortable, fun place, because that's what music is really all about."

The band, which hails from Colorado, is touring in support of its latest effort, Five Days From Home, released in June.

"The lyrics are just personal, right from the heart," McConeghy said. "It's kind of like my dirty laundry, and it worked."

Both bands are accustomed to the college-town atmosphere that State College brings. Fifth Year Crush formed near the University of Florida, and has played at a number of universities, Nicolette said.

McConeghy and Mission 19 guitarist Joe Nolan met at Colorado State University and quickly took the school and the rest of the Rocky Mountain region by storm. They were voted best band at Colorado State by the university newspaper in 2003 and were named the runner-up in the Rolling Stone/Budweiser True Music Live competition.

"It was something we started in college on a whim, did an open mic night, and the owner of that venue got us to do our own show," McConeghy said. "We kind of started off from there, did it throughout college, and after college, we took our own 9-to-5 jobs and did this on weekends."

Currently, the band is touring the country and opening for acts such as John Mayer, Hootie and the Blowfish and Sister Hazel.

Now, the band moves onto the AMP Tour, opening for Fifth Year Crush.

"I think they have one of the best band names out there," McConeghy said. "I think those guys have a lot of energy."

Nicolette said one of the mysteries of the band is the meaning behind the name, Fifth Year Crush.

"If anyone hits it head-on, we've talked about giving out a prize," Nicolette said.