The State Theatre will be busy tonight, considering the venue is hosting two separate shows simultaneously.
While Punch Brothers play in the main theater, Scranton punk band The Menzingers and two special guests -- opening acts The Tweeds and Rob, Lately and the Tiny Heart Band -- will put on an intimate acoustic show in the Theatre's second floor "attic" area.
The show is hosted by The Asylum, a Penn State club that books shows with student interests in mind. Jessica Nambudiri, treasurer for The Asylum, said the show is acoustic to avoid interfering with the concert that will be occurring at the same time downstairs. She added, in the past, the club booked attic shows during other theater functions, and the soundproof nature of the room has allowed such bookings to be successful.
"Mike [Negra, State Theatre executive director] never has a problem with it," Nambudiri said. "We never hear anything from downstairs."
Nambudiri said The Asylum booked the three bands as a result of suggestions from club members. She said an Asylum member had a friend in contact with The Menzingers, which resulted in the band's inclusion on the bill. Similarly, The Tweeds had submitted a demo for consideration for The Asylum Battle of the Bands earlier this semester, she said.
"They [The Tweeds] said they would be interested in playing a show, so we said we'd keep them in mind," Nambudiri said. "We try to book a local opener for our shows."
The band is based in Malvern, Pa., but Derek Sheehan, the drummer, is a junior at Penn State.
Sheehan described his band's sound as "shoegaze meets math rock." Two of his bandmates are unable to attend the show, resulting in a lineup that would be more conducive to an acoustic set, he said.
"We're not really an acoustic band, but we have some acoustic songs," Sheehan said.
Tom May, guitarist and vocalist for The Menzingers, said his band would use the acoustic show as a chance to play some different music from its normal concert repertoire, including some covers. He said the band's roots are in acoustic music, despite its inclination toward punk.
"Our music has a strong folk influence, and we write most of our songs on acoustic guitars," May said.
Rob Malloy, frontman for Rob, Lately and the Tiny Heart Band, said he originally intended to be a solo musician, so an acoustic show is familiar territory for him.
"When I first started out, my songs were mostly acoustic," Malloy said. "I haven't gotten a chance to play acoustic for a while."
The Asylum president Andy Pool said he expects the low cost of tickets and mix of bands to draw a good turnout.
"I think it's going to be a successful show," Pool said. "Every show we've had at the State Theatre was sold out, so I recommend people get there early."
