Surrounded by posters and tapestries in a basement on East Hamilton Avenue, a band begins one of its four practices per week. The tight space forced the speakers to be set up directly behind them, but no one seems to mind the volume.

The high-energy rock, three-man-band, The Electric Lemonade Stand, got together this past summer and started making music

And people are listening. Over the past few months, the group has successfully booked gigs and now is beginning to talk about a summer tour. Drummer John Dubosky (senior-journalism) and guitarist Eric Goeller, Class of 2005, met through mutual friends and started jamming on the streets of State College.

But it wasn't until bass player David Pfister (senior-journalism) joined was the band complete.

Before the group was established, the musicians were in different places and unable to form a band right away. At the time, Pfister was still involved with another band, making him skeptical of joining a second group.

Goeller was known as "the guy always with a guitar," Dubosky said. And after the two jammed together a few times, Goeller met Pfister and spent time convincing him to join the band.

"Friends had a bunch of friends over and Dave was there," Goeller said. "I was up in my bed because I had work the next day and I heard this really awesome bass player downstairs."

Goeller said he got up and went downstairs, and saw it was Pfister and said he knew instantly he wanted him in the band.

"That's how I met Dave," Goeller said. "I was trying to sleep. And then we jammed until 5 in the morning."

Pfister said he has been immersed in music since birth. Raised by parents who met in a rock band, he grew up going to band practices and hanging out while watching his parents make music in the basement.

Pfister, who has been playing the keyboard since he was 6 years old, said he was given a bass guitar for Christmas when he was 13 and soon learned to play the guitar, drums, mandolin and accordion.

"I feel like being around musicians and music as long as I have, it's easy to comprehend music," Pfister said. "I have a vocabulary to express that people might not know how to use."

The band performs a variety of music styles: country, rock 'n' roll, dance, folk, hip-hop, and punk rock.

"I think a lot of people go through different stages in their lives [with music], all of us are some of the most open minded people when it comes to music. We will listen to everything," Dubosky said. "Because we are intrumentalists, when you start opening up yourself to learn new instruments you start listening to that type of music."

The uncommon name the band chose was created after a lot of thought.

"Dave was joking about calling us The Lemonade Stand, and John was like, 'I don't want to get beat up for being in a band called The Lemonade Stand,' and I said we should call it The Electric Lemonade Stand. That spiced it up," Goeller said.

Goeller added the band's music is just as original as its name.

"I used to try to write songs and never got super involved with girls, so I tried to be idealistic and write songs about peace, but it didn't stick. And then I dated and broke up with this girl and it was real emotions and I started writing these songs," Goeller said. "I didn't want to play music at the time and didn't want to write, but it was the best time."

After graduating in 2005, Goeller said he stayed in State College to write and work on his music. Now, Goeller writes the majority of songs and the other group members are involved with other duties to keep a band together.

As for Pfister, he said he has a number of resonibilities.

"I sort of oversee the music, construct a set list, am a vocal coach, make suggestions on songs -- that's my strength," Pfister said, adding that Dubosky serves as the guiding and motivating force behind the band.

The band is planning on playing gigs around the East Coast during the summer of 2009. As of now it does not know where it will be performing, but with the help of connections, it expects to have plenty of gigs.

"It's a do-it-yourself thing. We do everything ourselves and we do everything for basically zero money," Dubosky said. "If someone doesn't help the resources are out the door."

The band members said they started performing at The Brewery, 233 E. Beaver Ave., at the beginning of fall semester this year, and have been playing other gigs on the side. The band had its first Saturday performance at the Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave., on Dec. 6.

Next semester the band is hoping to begin playing at the Phyrst in addition to playing out of town gigs on a regular basis.

Each of the members said they aspire to find a career in music and use their degrees too.

"I would like to do both journalism and music. I can't see why I can't do both," Pfister said, adding the thing that stops someone from doing something they want to do is not having the drive to do it.

"It's all about being happy," Pfister said, "and that's what makes me happy -- music."