Asylum treasurer Zac Chappell (senior-mechanical engineering) said the shows and the club itself provide a good environment for people into the punk/hardcore/indie scene but who don't necessarily like what's available to them in State College.
"It's a solid form of entertainment, and it's something to do other than just drink," he said, adding that the local music scene is improving.
Asylum vice president Tamara Abromitis (senior-telecommunications) said she agreed the scene looks like it is starting to come around but said that it's still lacking in some areas.
"There are no fire-hall or church-basement type shows," she said. "There are so many people to put on shows for here, but no one will give us [a venue]. Since the death of the Crowbar, it's gone downhill. No other indie venues will bring in larger acts."
Asylum secretary Austen Talbot (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said the process of putting tonight's show together was a long one.
He said the group chose As Tall As Lions right away because the band is pretty big and needed an answer quickly.
Then, members of Asylum had a listening session for the club to decide who else to bring to the show out of about 15 bands.
They decided on three of the bands, but all of those three ended up not being able to make the show for varying reasons.
"One never ended up e-mailing us back, one said they couldn't make it for some reason and the other one was actually broken up," he said.
As a result, Asylum held a second listening session of about 15 to 20 bands from which members selected the remaining four bands.
Abromitis, who is responsible for bringing As Tall As Lions to State College, said the band plays melodic indie rock that is easy to listen to.
"Their song 'Acrobat' absolutely blew me away," she said. "It starts real slow and builds to an amazing finish. It just hammers at your ears. In a good way."
As Tall As Lions lead singer Dan Nigro said the band is often compared to acts like Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Keane, among others. He said he found the last comparison funny.
"None of us even listen to Keane," he said.
The upcoming Asylum show will be the last stop on As Tall As Lions's tour, which Nigro said featured some of the nicest venues and biggest crowds the band has ever played for.
Nigro also said the band's live show is more aggressive than its recorded material and has a lot more energy.
"We like to go overboard in the studio, with extra vocals and percussion and stuff," he said.
"You can use overdubs on a CD, but not live. Playing live is more about capturing pure emotion and making a connection between us and the audience."
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