Fans of Dispatch lead singer Chad Stokes' voice do not have to wait for a reunion tour to see him perform. Stokes, along with his two other bandmates, who form State Radio, will be performing tonight at Crowbar, 420 E. Beaver Ave.

State Radio's vocals, a blend of reggae, rock and a little bit of punk, help the group create a sound distinct from Stokes' first band.

"They're like Dispatch with a kind of Pearl Jam-ish type, with a little more of a return to the heavy guitar instruments," said Andrew Hobson (junior-film and video), cousin of State Radio bassist Chuck Fay. "It's a definite depart from Dispatch."

While fans can hear a bit of the Dispatch sound in State Radio's music, Fay said it is not a conscious thing.

"The music and lyrics definitely separate the two bands," he said. "Chad's songwriting was a huge part of Dispatch, and the other members had their own style, too. Now, you can hear a bit of Dispatch, but it's something different and more reflective of where Chad is with his writing."

State Radio is currently touring to promote its latest album, Us Against the Crown, and bassist Fay is glad to bring the tour and CD to State College.

"We've been touring around for a while, and we missed out on the Happy Valley experience," he said. "Now we can play and bring our CD to the fans."

Any fan of State Radio can hear the powerful, positive messages the band tries to get out, Fay said, but the band also likes to talk a little politics while on stage.

"Fans can expect to hear a lot of music and have fun," he said. "But we're also going to talk about political things."

Fay said he and the other members of the band are not trying to be overbearing and lecture with their political talks.

"Politics are important to us, and it's important to increase dialogue and awareness," he said.

While the members of State Radio will be playing to their fans tonight, they also have a few fans opening for them. The Man, a student band, is opening for State Radio tonight, and bassist Ben Rothbart (senior-advertising) said his group worked hard to open for this nationally recognized group.

"We all liked Dispatch back in the day and really love State Radio's new stuff," Rothbart said. "We talked to the manager at Crowbar and told him we wanted to open for the group."

The Man, who performed earlier this month at Crowbar for the first time in a few months, got a chance to practice what will become a monthly show at the bar.

"We're going to move our monthly show to a better night in the future, but we're still going to open for national acts when we can," said Rothbart, who finished recording a demo tape with his band over the weekend.

While Rothbart and the other members of The Man won't be performing their normally long set, he said fans can expect 45 minutes of more structured songs and less jamming.

Finally, with the addition of American Minor, concert goers will get one night of eclectic music they are sure to enjoy.

While State Radio is known for its reggae-influenced music, American Minor is more known for its version of small-town rock 'n' roll.

The three different bands will give fans of the acts a chance to expose themselves to more diverse music.

"I saw [State Radio] at Irving Plaza in New York City over winter break," Hobson said. "They played to a sold-out crowd among other acts, and State Radio was the band the crowd got into the most."

As for the cousins Hobson and Fay, Fay said he hopes to play for his fans and spend time with his relative.

"We're going to try and have a lot of fun," he said.