The Crystal Method wants to give students a study break and a chance to get their groove on when the group makes a special appearance Tuesday night at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

The Crystal Method's co-members Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland will perform a special DJ set in support of its latest album Community Service II.

Jordan said Community Service II is a mix CD but it's not like a typical mix CD because the band mixes in its own music and remixes that the band does of other bands' work.

"It's one continuous piece of music, no gaps between the songs and is very different from our regular studio albums," Jordan said.

Jordan said that the idea for the Community Service projects came from a tour the band did years ago with a DJ that it liked. He said that now the band uses the Community Service name for any kind of side projects they do, such as the DJ albums and the bands' weekly Los Angeles-based radio program.

He said that The Crystal Method has stayed afloat through having its music featured in commercials, video games and films over the years because in the United States, electronic music isn't really played on radio.

Jordan said that mainstream radio is so bad these days because two companies own all of the stations. He said that it's really a drag that bands like The Crystal Method or any other kind of alternative sound are left off of the airwaves and forced to pursue other avenues of having their music heard.

"Electronic and dance music is always pushed underground [in the United States], everywhere else it's part of the mainstream and is respected," Jordan said. "So we try to keep our bases covered and do whatever we can. The record industry isn't the same as it was five years ago; it's a lot harder to sell records."

Jordan said that the band is having fun on its current tour playing a lot of different sized clubs. He said that even though his band has played big festivals and other larger scale shows in the past, he prefers ditching the huge barricades and being closer to the fans.

"This tour has us acting as DJs, so it's not like our live concert show that we normally do," Jordan said. "It's just more a dance club type thing than a concert."

Jordan said that after the tour concludes, The Crystal Method will spend the remainder of the year doing some score works for films or TV shows and possibly a video game. He said that fans of the band's original music and live concert tours should just be patient as another studio album from the band will be released early next year with a tour to follow.

Crowbar Operations Director Dave Wells said that The Crystal Method has appeared at Crowbar before.

"The bottom line is that they enjoyed the room, so we decided to have them back," Wells said. "It certainly is a high energy show that has received a very positive response."