Since reopening nearly one year ago, the State Theatre has been attempting to liven the local music scene with more student-centered concerts. This past fall alone, the theater's stage was home to several large shows, featuring well-known groups like Illinois, Andrew Bird, and the Spinto Band.

Thursday, the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., plans on welcoming students to their spring semester with help from the indie rock group, Band of Horses. The sold-out show will start at 8 p.m., with Cass McCombs and the Middle Class, and Tyler Ramsey as openers.

The State Theatre can seat up to 571 people, and with each event, it usually puts out about 550 tickets for sale.

As the theatre continues to gain a local reputation for bringing these desired acts into town, more and more shows are expected to sell out, said Kristy Coyne, the State Theatre Marketing Manager.

"Don't think that you can walk up on the day of the show anymore, because it won't happen," Coyne said. "Especially when these bands are falling into the 'independent' category. They sell really well."

In fact, this particular concert sold over the weekend. Coyne says that those who missed out on ticket sales must have, unfortunately, underestimated the popularity of the up-and-coming band.

"I looked on Facebook, and it was very surprising how many people had Band of Horses listed as an interest," Coyne said. "We've had them on our booking radar for quite some time."

Although Band of Horses hails from Seattle, one would never know it from listening to their folk-inspired music. The lead singer, Ben Bridwell,has a beard and slight southern drawl that may have some people confusing him for a mountain man, but his fans know differently.

"It's the lead singer's twang that makes his voice interesting," said Jennelle Barbiche (junior-secondary education). "But I also love the guitars and instrumentals. There are certain songs that seem very nostalgic, and the band in general just reminds me of summertime."

It will be Barbiche's first show at the State Theatre, and she said that although she's excited, she's a bit concerned about attending a seated show.

"I hope everyone doesn't sit there, like, afraid to stand up," Barbiche said. "With Band of Horses, I would have probably liked the freedom to move around and fully immerse myself in the music."

While students shouldn't be expecting a change in the seating arrangements anytime soon, they can expect an upsurge in indie rock concerts. Coyne said that the State Theatre is trying to incorporate every genre into its event schedule, without necessarily sticking to one fashion over another.

"We're really trying to get a balance," Coyne said. "In our first year, we were seeing that we had too much jazz or folk concentrated into one month, so we wanted to make sure we were bringing a variety of shows and spacing them out. Indie rock was a category that we had looked at before, and now it's a little more noticed."

Coyne said that there would definitely be a trend with the indie rock sound in the State Theatre's future, because it only makes sense to bring these sorts of groups back when they sell seats so well.

"It's nice to find them on their way up to being huge, because then the band doesn't cost as much, and indie rock is always a great category for that," Coyne said. "Like with Band of Horses ... there are just certain bands that once you say their name, faces start lighting up, and we say, 'Hey, wait a minute, we hit the nail on the head here.'"

Justin Caffier (junior-business) said that he had practically given up hope on the State College music scene, but he's glad that "the State Theatre is trying to do good things."

Caffier, who has front row tickets to the concert tonight, said he was immediately drawn into Band of Horses' southern-rock style.

"They have a different sound," Caffier said. "To put it bluntly, they don't sound like those Fall Out Boy bands. They're not part of the post pop-punk generic bullshit. They don't have to scream to make good music. They're different, and that's good."

Barbiche, who has been obsessed with Band of Horses since last fall, said she went into a panic when she learned they were coming to State College.

"I just couldn't believe that my favorite band was coming into town," Barbiche said. "I'm probably going to cry at the show, I'm so excited."