After six semesters of weekly shows at The Brewery, 223 E. Beaver Ave., local jam band Alchemy is packing up and leaving State College behind to see how far their talent will take them.

"The tentative plan is to move to Philadelphia and tour for a while," said Stanton Custer (senior-geosciences), vocalist and guitarist for the band. "We're on the right step to play at other places, and we have some promising connections."

Alchemy has recently been branching out beyond The Brewery, playing at several venues in Philadelphia, and will be opening for Lotus tonight at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

The band got its start in 2001 when Custer randomly met up with fellow freshmen Josh Dominic, singer and guitarist, and Ben Thonus, singer and bassist. Drummer Todd Evans and bassist/vocalist Paul Rennie were both recent additions to the Alchemy makeup.

After spending a year playing at parties, Alchemy got its first gig at The Brewery in September 2002, where they've played almost every Thursday since and developed a loyal fan base.

"We see a lot of the same people week in and week out," Custer said. "After three years they still come week after week."

Alchemy's songs range in length from five to 45 minutes, as they leave open plenty of opportunity for improvisation.

"We write strictly composed parts, but we have sections of our song that we leave open for interpretation," Dominic said. "It's always different."

"With improv, you can always do better than you've done before," Thonus said. "It's more about the energy than the sound."

To make the set list fresh each week, the band chops up and combines songs, starting out with one and ending with another.

"Chemically, alchemy is radioactive, as one element changes to another," Thonus said. "Our music is constantly changing. ... We start with one thing and end up with something completely different."

Besides having an impressive repertoire of original songs, Alchemy is also known for performing a variety of covers.

"We cover some electrified bluegrass to '80s to classic rock," Custer said. "We cover all bases."

Though the band has enjoyed its time in State College, members are ready to move on to the next phase of their career.

"It's been difficult balancing it with schoolwork, so I'm excited to concentrate on just the band," Custer said. "I've always been held back by school."

Even though it's been difficult to work around conflicting academic schedules, the band still manages to play solid shows that often get the crowd dancing.

"Last semester, especially, we didn't practice much," Rennie said. "I'd show up for a gig not knowing what I'm playing, ... but we just have these pinnacles where we all seem to connect."

With Alchemy leaving, Brewery manager Scott Sheader will have to find replacements for his staple Thursday performers.

"We have a lot of bands in town to pick from, but it will be big shoes to fill," Sheader said. "Alchemy will really be missed. ... They better remember us little guys."