Those looking to shake off the early November chills can get a night filled with warmth -- along with a healthy dose of rock 'n' roll -- when Philadelphia bands Brothers Past and The Brakes arrive at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., tonight.

Brothers Past, which formed in 2000, has gained attention in the last few years because of its inventive sound, which bridges jam-band-style rock with elements of electronica and is a fresh new approach to the Pennsylvania music scene.

"We've always been a band that's prided ourselves in evolution," said Tom McKee, the band's vocalist and keyboardist. "[We] don't want to make the same record every time and be unhappy with the result."

McKee said that Brothers Past, which last appeared at Crowbar on Sept. 14, draws from a variety of different acts for inspiration to perk up its fans' interest at all times.

"We all have a pretty strong range of influences, from Pink Floyd and Radiohead to Smashing Pumpkins and Death Cab for Cutie ... there's a little bit of all those in all our songs," McKee said.

While the band has been around for several years, McKee said his band was recently signed to SCI Fidelity Records, an established independent label based out of Colorado, and played a show in the area shortly after the announcement.

"They just rolled out the red carpets and made us feel like rock stars," McKee said.

While every band strives to have an interesting and enjoyable live show, it's not something that comes easy.

Luckily for Brothers Past, it's something that the members built their reputation on, and it's paid off, McKee said.

"Our shows are different every night ... we've always invested the money we make back into our live shows," McKee said. "I think most of the people know what to expect; we've played at The Brewery [233 E. Beaver Ave.] two or three times a semester before."

Local resident Mindy Terpak said any band that is inspired by the legendary Pink Floyd should be one for people to get excited about and go see.

"Pink Floyd's music is timeless and classic ... so Brothers Past would probably be similar," Terpak said.

Those who haven't seen Brothers Past perform before should be ready for anything but a boring show.

"For the people who haven't [seen us before] ... expect a lot of electronic experimentation and expect to be visually assaulted and sonically assaulted," McKee said.

Matt Kass, guitarist and bassist for The Brakes, said his band is really looking forward to playing with Brothers Past, as this will be its first full show with them.

"We're looking forward to playing with some new people ... Tom [McKee] is a real nice guy," Kass said.

The Brakes look to bring a bit of self-described "alt-rock and soul" to the table tonight, and Kass said his band's main goal for the show is to see the Philadelphia fans show up to support both bands.

"There's a lot of Philly kids that go to Penn State, and we're just looking to pack the place and get a lot of kids to show up," Kass said.