Jim Keaveny is a traveler by choice and a musician by nature. He began traveling right out of high school, and this restlessness is reflected in his music.

"I try to keep things moving," Keaveny said. "I like some kind of medium, a good rhythm that I can tell a story over."

Keaveny will bring his particular brand of folk music to State College tonight at Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave. Tickets are $5.

Café co-owner J.R. Mangan said he expects a decent-sized crowd. Even though he was not familiar with Keaveny prior to listening to his latest album, Keaveny's music was enough to convince him that the musician was right for Café.

Mangan said that Keaveny's well-traveled nature was also part of the reason why he picked him for Café.

"I enjoy acoustic music, and in particular national artists -- people from outside the State College scene," he said.

Songs such as "Rainin' Here in Austin," "The North Padre Island Lullaby" and "Goin' to Arizona" show the connection between Keaveny's songwriting and his traveling.

"I guess I just find traveling interesting," he said. "It helps to come up with material to write about. I do a lot of autobiographical stuff."

Keaveny said he has always wanted to understand the everyday walk of life. In his newest album, Music Man, released in July, Keaveny has compiled a collection that reflects this desire, event organizer Mark Ross said. Keaveny will bring something different to State College, he said.

"It isn't commercialized, glamorized music," Ross said. "This is real stuff."

While Ross said that Keaveny's music often prompts comparisons to the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, he cites Jimi Hendrix as one of his biggest influences. Though music is his passion, Keaveny hasn't limited his work experience to that of a musician -- he's been a dishwasher, a firefighter and a graveyard maintenance man.

"I gravitate towards music. I sort of considered myself a job-adventurer for a while, but I always knew music was where I would end up," Keaveny said. "The other things were just sort of efficient ways of filling in time."