While Jack Trice Stadium will be packed on Saturday with Homecoming pride, spirits will soar as Life In General comes to campus on Friday for the Homecoming concert at 9:30 p.m. on Central Campus.

“Acoustic folk-pop” band Life In General hails from the Winston-Salem folk scene of North Carolina, but will more often be found on the road all over the United States — a place Jerry Chapman and Jason LeVasseur like to be.

“We have been [touring] since ’94,” Chapman said. “It’s funny, we sort of did it backwards, we started touring far away. One of our first tours was in Idaho, whereas most bands start close to home.”

The years on the road have brought the two to many interesting places, but LeVasseur said Ames and Iowa take the cake in some ways.

“Life In General is normally a wholesome band, but as soon as we cross that line into Iowa … ” he said with a grin. “My memories of Ames usually involve a hangover — Iowa State students are nothing but bad news.”

The two having so much fun in town could also be attributed to the fact that the boys in The Nadas, one of their favorite bands and good friends, are always here to take them out.

“We have a blast when we are hanging out,” LeVasseur said. “And that’s maybe why Ames is so dangerous for us, because there are so many bands we’ve played with in the area who like to stay out late.”

However through talking about the night life, LeVasseur has more to say about the town.

“I definitely like the whole area, and just walking down that street. And those mystery geese that never die,” he said. “You know something else about you guys [at Iowa State] that is crazy? You guys eat porkburgers that are made from rendered meat from your lab pigs. I’d prefer not to know where my processed meat comes from. You guys know you are eating pork that has been tested on.”

That easy-going attitude of LeVasseur and Chapman transfers to a busy schedule for the band that allows for each to expand on his solo projects and other interests.

“I’m actually working on a solo record [today],” Chapman said. “Because we’ve been together so long we sometimes do our own things, just to sort of maintain our own sanity because we like each other and we don’t want to ever stop liking each other.”

Not to fear, both say there isn’t any bad blood between them — as long as the other doesn’t touch that radio dial.

“There was a point where we were living together, and we were on the road together and sharing one hotel room,” Chapman said. “Every fall we would break up; we would do these big tours and come back all angry. Fifteen minutes later we would forget it and be back to normal. We’re sort of like an old married couple. We’ll get mad at each other for no reason and you don’t know why. I’m not big on grudges, though.”

With six albums together and from 100 to 200 shows per year, Life In General has gained some popularity. The band is on Musician Magazine’s list of Top 100 unsigned bands and it has seen extensive airplay in Australia. The band also has won the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Campus Entertainment Award for “Contemporary Music Artist of the Year.”

The title is put to good use, as Life In General sponsors a scholarship for small-school students to attend the National Association of Campus Activities conferences.

“We were looking for a way to give back, so we started it. There are a lot of schools that are looking to go to these conferences but don’t have the funding,” Chapman said. “Say they wanted to go and book people for their school, they would go to these conferences and sort of see what is available and make an educated decision.”

Now that Life In General is booked at Iowa State, Chapman warns that, depending upon the students’ mood, Life In General might disappoint.

“If they are coming to mope, then too bad, because we are going to have a good time.”