Blame it on a slow weeknight. Blame it on the fact that a church coffeehouse isn't ideal for swaying hips to funk. Blame it on the local crowd's general apathy. Whatever the case, there was a huge disconnect between Arctic Summer's lively set and the lethargic crowd filling Abba Java on a typical Wednesday night.

Their half-hour show didn't skimp on energy.

Drummer Jason Martin (senior-mechanical engineering) and guitarist Nate Catania (senior-civil engineering) flowed from slow ska into blistering funk into explosive choruses with impressive fluidity.

Bassist Jared Cope (senior-electric engineering) didn't have a picking hand as much as a blur slapping away at his instrument. He even worked in a little pogoing alongside lead singer Charles "Chick" Hefele (senior-mechanical engineering), who was constantly swaying, jumping and flailing about the stage.

The crowd just wasn't hyped. This isn't a knock on Arctic Summer. The following bands got much the same response, playing good sets to people who are already into their own band while everyone else waits to see their own friends.

"It brings you down after the show. It's not like we go 'Oh, it's just Abba Java, we won't try,' Martin said after the concert. "We always put on our best show, but later on it brings you down." But a few hours later at Martin and Cope's place, the mood is one of celebration instead of defeat. A small pile of empty beer bottles is already rising up from the living room floor, and Arctic Summer is still excited from a Saturday night show at Alpha Sigma Phi. The band members agree it was the best show they've done, and focus on the energy from that instead of moping about the lame crowd earlier that night.

"It was the best energy we've ever had at a show. We just connected. It felt like they were all on stage with me," Hefele said of the band's set at the fraternity's charity concert.

The band members agreed on the importance of crowd interaction and how much they enjoyed a responsive audience. "When we look down and see the crowd, actually see people head-banging and dancing, we have more fun than we already are," Martin said.

The band members felt a little mismatched at Abba Java that night, part of which Cope chalked up to a stylistic difference.

Cope and the rest of the band agree a majority of local bands fit into two categories: the "funky" bands -- a title Arctic Summer shares with groups like Phantasm and The Man -- and the "poppy and punky" groups, like the others on the bill that night. "Look at The All-American Rejects and Starting Line show coming up," Martin said. "I might not personally like them, but it's a good fit. Tonight wasn't. That's why you have one posse rolling then, then rolls out, and the next posse rolls in."

Most of the band members agree uptight crowds are a problem. "It seems like sometimes people are afraid to show their emotions" Catania said.

"You can tell they want to," Hefele added.

"It's like, 'Oh my God, what is this? I feel like I wanna move my body.' They want to dance, haven't been exposed to it," Catania said.

The band has largely followed its own whims since the members met while attending Penn State-Berks. Martin and Cope met and began jamming, then Cope brought Catania over to join in.

They still needed a singer though. Enter Hefele, who came up to say hi to Martin and Catania while studying at the library. After chatting music, they popped the question.

"We all looked at each other, then said 'Can you sing?' The only reason he's in the band today is he said 'yes' and not 'maybe,' " Martin said. When asked who came up with the name, the other three quickly pointed to Martin to deflect the blame. No one quite remembers what his inspiration was, but they all agree on disliking it."We all hate it, that's why we keep it," Catania said. "We can't think of anything else."

Cope offered up 'Heatwave Winter' as an alternative, but Catania replied that it was only because he'd been drinking, and they moved back to discussing their sound. The easiest comparison is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, though it's not a carbon copy.

"John Frusciante is one of Nate's biggest influences and Chad Smith is one of mine," Martin said, going through the members of the Chili Peppers. "But we don't just sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's heavier, we're more reggae."

This extends to their other influences, as well. The band doesn't deliberately try to ape anyone's style, they are just influenced by the music they like the best. "We could go play what people wanna hear, and more people would like us," Martin said. "But we play what we wanna play and we have more fun."

Later, in the band's basement practice area/recording studio, the band goofs around about selling out. "That's our big joke," Martin said. "We're gonna go mainstream." Upon hearing these words, all four members of Arctic Summer pump their fists in unison while chanting "Money! Money! Money!" before breaking off into laughter.

Then Cope lowered his fist and got a bit more serious. "I'm kinda drunk," he began, "but you guys ever think about making it? I do all the time."

After a moment to think, the band responds cautiously but optimistically.

"We were watching 311 in '91, it was an Earth Day show outside. It wasn't even that good. It reminded me of our first show," Martin said. "Then two years later, they were playing in a huge stadium. It's a huge confidence booster. It took them 2 years."

Hefele agrees it would be nice, though the band isn't counting on it. It's nice to think about, though, he said.

"It's a fantasy. We all know the chances are so slim," he said. "But after something like Saturday night happens, you think 'What if?' I could do this my whole life."