The Clarks have been around for more than 20 years, but there are still some things they haven't done.

Tonight, for example, will be the first time the band has ever played the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave.

"We used to always play Crowbar," Clarks singer and guitarist Scott Blasey said. "I don't know what to expect from the State Theatre."

The band has been a big presence in the Pennsylvania music scene since the bandmates graduated together from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the late '80s. State Theatre programming coordinator Joe Apfelbaum said he remembers hearing them back when he worked in a record store.

"They're an institution," he said.

Blasey said the band typically plays in front of a few hundred people in rock clubs across the country, but in Pennsylvania and Ohio, where the Pittsburgh-based band is most popular, it often plays in front of thousands at outdoor shows. The band enjoys playing theater-style venues as well.

"The sound is always real good," Blasey said. "And you're not as close up in an outdoor show."
Guitarist Rob James said he preferred playing theaters.

"There's an element you miss, but you get to perform more," he said.

"You have people's undivided attention. No one is trying to buy beer or pick someone up or get into a fight."

For as long as it's been playing together, James said the band still plays songs from very early on in its career, although the rockers play and sing better now than they did when the songs were first written.

Overall, the band is especially proud of the fact that it's been together so long. As Blasey put it, a lot of bands that have had much more success have fallen by the wayside. James said there were a lot of keys to the Clarks' success, which included an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in August 2004.

"You realize at the time you're doing it that you may never do it again," James said in regards to the television appearance.

James said the band has been, on occasion, like a marriage, and the toughest times have stemmed from poor communication, even if the band was never truly in jeopardy.

"We're always 'glass half-full' kind of guys," he said.

"We're doing what we want to do and getting paid to do it. Not a lot of people get to say that."
James had a lot of advice for up-and-coming bands that might want to mimic the Clarks' longevity.

"If you're going into it, you've got to stay focused on what you're doing," he said.

"Believe in what you're doing, but don't take yourself too seriously. It's entertainment, man. You got to have fun with it and surround yourself with people that are having fun, too."