“Make me sound handsome,” suggests Tyson Markley, keyboardist for The Red Hot Valentines. Markley is relaxing at a Barnes and Noble Bookstore in San Antonio, Texas, while reading a book from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

The Red Hot members are waiting impatiently while a tire is replaced on their van.

This unexpected stop in San Antonio leaves them 90 minutes of driving time before reaching the night’s destination – Beer Land.

The Red Hot Valentines will open for Mates of State along with Dear Nora and Senator Kelly on Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Maintenance Shop.

There’s one thing to be said for touring across the country – there are many weird things to see, and not just at Beer Land.

“We were fascinated with these weird-looking grasshoppers,” Markley says about driving through New Mexico. “They were like, yellow, blue and red. There’s not much to say other than they were huge.”

The Red Hot’s classic new wave-meets-modern day power pop sound has garnered them much attention in the Illinois music scene, and also caught the attention of Champaign, Ill.-based Polyvinyl Records, home to bands such as Rainer Maria, Mates of State and American Football.

The Red Hots were also recently featured in the July 25 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, where their album was listed as No. 2 on the Local Favorites top 10 list. The album, a split CD with Retro Morning, sold more copies at Record Service in Champaign, Ill., than David Bowie, Our Lady Peace and New Found Glory during the week ending June 23.

And with a name like The Red Hot Valentines, the members also get attention – not just for the music.

They were named “Crush of the Month” on girlzone.com, a Web site dedicated to teen girls and issues that affect them – like crushes on musicians.

“Whatever band was chosen would need to be cute, write good songs and somehow be themed with Valentines,” the site reads. “Lucky for us, we encountered The Red Hot Valentines, a yummy boy band from Champaign, IL.”

This “yummy boy band,” and its association with Valentine’s Day, has garnered them more than crush of the month, says Markley, who is also front man of The Amazing Killowatts.

The band has appropriately been booked to play shows on Valentine’s Day.

“Well actually, The Killowatts actually booked The Red Hot Valentines a couple years ago on Valentine’s Day for a show with that kind of in mind,” Markley says.

“You know, `Ha ha, Valentine’s Day.'”

Markley has only been a member of the band since April, after asking the Red Hots if he could fill the vacancy behind the keys.

“I had like 10 days to learn 10 songs,” Markley says. “We didn’t have a chance to rehearse, we just went on tour. It was stressful, but it was fun.”

So why did the new guy, with only about six months of Red Hot experience under his belt, get stuck with the interview?

“We’re all pretty shy, but the rest of the people never want to talk,” Markley explains. “I still have the front man in me from being in the other band.”

Although Markley has no plans to drop the Killowatts, he is enjoying his role in The Red Hot Valentines.

It’s a nice change, although Markley doesn’t seem to be able to interpret the distinction in exacting terms, just analogies.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just different,” Markley says. “I think of the Killowatts as being more like the Pixies, and the Red Hots more like the Cars – just a more rehearsed band.”