Jason Zbornek is the self-proclaimed “man in charge” at NEXUS, Cedar Rapids’ newest art and entertainment venue. For the year or so that he’s been in the business, Zbornek has been working toward giving under appreciated artists a place to express themselves and make themselves known.

“We [at NEXUS] wanted to create something that could support the independent artists,” Zbornek says. “Writers, musicians, painters, whatever it may be. We want our venue to be conducive to supporting independent art and artists that need exposure.”

One artist that NEXUS is helping to gain exposure is the Tampa, Fla.-based rock band Flat Stanley. The five-piece group will play Monday at the venue, along with Cedar Rapids’ own Waiting For Dean and regional act December’s Last Words. Although Flat Stanley is not an independent act, lead singer Jonathan Sands, known in the band and elsewhere simply as “Buck,” says it could still use some attention in the Midwest.

“This summer will be our fourth time touring the U.S., and we’ve toured Europe once,” Buck says. “But we haven’t been in the Midwest too much, and this is our first time in Iowa.”

Flat Stanley kicked off its latest tour on Wednesday. It will take the band around the states for a month and then back to Europe for another month, courtesy of its sponsor, Ass-Card Records. The U.S. dates include stops in several major cities, including New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and St. Louis, as well as a few smaller towns such as Oxford, Ala.

No matter what town Flat Stanley plays in, though, Buck says fans can expect the same thing — a rowdy, energetic show.

“When we open for another band, we usually do about 35 to 40 minutes,” Buck says. “It’ll be a mix of old and new songs, segued together, so it’s just a big, fat set of rock.”

Exactly what kind of rock it will be is hard to say. According to the band’s Web site, www.flatstanley.net, “their music can run the gamut from driving rock, to metal licks, to kick you in the balls punk,” and Buck’s description is similarly ambiguous.

“Our sound is straight-up rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s got some earlier influences,” he says. “It’s basically a bunch of guys trying to play rock and roll, but our old influences, punk rock and indie and that stuff, show through. It has a weird sound to it.”

Monday, that “weird sound” will be heard inside the newly renovated World Theater in downtown Cedar Rapids, which NEXUS calls home. The theater first opened in 1915, but was more-or-less unused for about 40 years until Zbornek and the rest of the NEXUS crew got a hold of it. Although the balcony and other parts of the theater still need major restoration work, the main floor is fully operable and holds up to 500 people. Zbornek says the venue has never had a crowd that large, since NEXUS primarily houses lesser-known acts. However, he’s thankful for the crowds that do come and expects a decent turnout for the Flat Stanley show.

“Usually on a show like this, I would expect anywhere from 30 to 100 people,” Zbornek says. “One hundred people; that would be an amazing show.”

Buck and his fellow band members don’t seem to mind the smaller crowds, either.

“I’m real happy with what we’re doing now,” he says. “We love touring more than anything else in the world, and to be able to do that on a regular basis is great.”