A band known for battling through adversity will make a reenergized appearance in State College on Sunday.

The Ataris will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28 at SoZo. Joining the group will be Split Fifty, The Goodnight Anthem and Clarity. Tickets for the all-ages show are available in advance for $12 from City Light Records, 316 E. College Ave., or online at www.nittanybooking.indietickets.com. Tickets at the door will be $14. The show was organized by Nittany Booking.

The Ataris are a pop/punk band from Indiana that got its start in the mid '90s, toiling for the rest of the decade to build its popularity. The group's mainstream breakthrough came in 2003 with the album release of So Long, Astoria.

Since then, the group has endured a band breakup and a record company divorce, but has gotten back on its feet in the past year. Split Fifty guitarist Ted Felicetti said he could appreciate the band's tenacity.

"I love an underdog story," Felicetti said. "I love to see them working their way back up."

Ataris singer Kris Roe played at SoZo in February, which is how this particular show got off the ground. SoZo director Will Snyder said Roe was so pleased with the venue that he expressed an interest in returning to State College when the band's schedule allowed it.

"I feel like State College is a really cool place for them to play," Nittany Booking owner Garrett Bogden said. "A lot of students at Penn State grew up with the Ataris, while the band was getting established."

Snyder and Bogden agreed that SoZo's intimate nature would give fans a chance to get close to the band.

"It seems like a lot of kids are already really excited about it," Bogden said. "It'll be cool for people to be able to see the band in such a small room. I've seen them probably 3 or 4 times, anywhere from club settings in Pittsburgh to Warped Tour. I know they put on a really good show."

Bogden said people who own some of the band's older albums would probably be just as pleased with the band's set list as many of the band's current fans who attend.

"The show is going to be a broad mix of older stuff and some new stuff," Bogden said.

A problem that members of the Ataris have at times complained about is the popularity of the band's cover of "Boys of Summer," originally by Don Henley. Bogden said despite reservations, Roe did play the song in his performance the last time he made a stop in State College.

"He said, 'I normally don't like to play this song,'" Bogden said. "But I would expect them to play it again. It's just that bands want to play the songs that they wrote, they don't want to be known for covering someone else's song."

Despite the band's popularity, Garrett Bogden said the show probably wouldn't sell out until Sunday.

"Tickets are still available, despite rumors that the show is already sold out," Bogden said.

SoZo director Will Snyder said the show's organizers expect the band to put on a good show, and Felicetti agreed.

"If they miss this show, they're missing the best show all year," Felicetti said.