Three bands from three different locations will converge Saturday night at the Roustabout! featuring bands from across the pond, across the state and just up north.
Oppenheimer from Belfast, Ireland, The Subjects from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Black Tie Revue from Pittsburgh will each put out their brands of pop/rock music at the all-ages show being held at Chronic Town Hookah Lounge, 224 W. College Ave.
Oppenheimer, a two-person indie pop band, is on the Bar None record label with the likes of noise-pop band Yo La Tengo and indie-pop band Of Montreal.
The duo, Rocky O'Reilly and Shaun Robinson, said that having only two members has its advantages and disadvantages.
"It's a very different experience, but I can't imagine it any other way," the band wrote in an email.
Oppenheimer has played the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas and said it was a unique experience.
"SXSW is like Disneyland for indie rockers," the band wrote. "It's a street filled with all your favourite bands, all playing at the same time. It's like nothing else we've ever been to."
The Irish duo has played State College twice, including once at Chronic Town in March.
"It's one of our favorite ever shows, a really energetic crowd, lovely promoters and loads of nice people who stayed up all night talking about music," the band wrote about the show.
Oppenheimer cites bands like Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, the Like Young and the Spinto Band as influences.
"I think we sound pop, with electronic influences," Oppenheimer wrote.
The Subjects are stopping in State College as a part of a larger summer tour that has already stopped in Detroit, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Nashville.
Guitar player "Cobra" said he's not looking forward to traveling through the rural parts of Pennsylvania, but is glad the band is a part of the show at Chronic Town.
"You could probably kill someone out here, and no one would know," he said.
Chronic Town promoter Jesse Ruegg said The Subjects should be noted for its sound that was honed in Brooklyn.
"Their songs are great. Brooklyn bands are usually pretty good," Reugg said. "They try to move from Brooklyn and break into the indie scene. It cultivates interesting music."
Cobra said the band has never been to State College, but tours often with Black Tie Revue.
"We've probably played with them more often than any other band. They're a lot of fun," he said.
Black Tie Revue member Anthony Badamo agreed in an e-mail message.
"We've been in a pretty sweet band relationship/crush with The Subjects and have been going steady since we met them in February," he wrote.
On the other side of the coin, Black Tie Revue has but a short distance to travel, coming from Pittsburgh. The band has played Roustabout! a number of times and refers to State College as "St. Awesomeville" on its MySpace Web site.
"Last Halloween, we played a poorly attended university show on campus, and our spirits were down," Badamo wrote. "We were invited to an after-party, and it turned into an all-night dance party that ended around 8 a.m.! Since then we've referred to PSU only as St. Awesomeville!"
The group has been together for about four years, he wrote.
"I'd say our sound could be described as a mix of Beach Boys/Ramones/Buzzcocks," Badamo wrote. "We mainly enjoy music that gets the party started."
Ruegg said the show should be very high energy and that the bands' music will keep the audience on its feet.
"I think all these guys will complement each other very well," Ruegg said. "We usually try to put together cohesive shows."
