Improvisational music typically brings to mind bare-footed, patchouli-drenched people with long, scraggly hair wearing tie-dyed clothes.

This stereotypical view also tells us the fans and musicians of this musical genre all use drugs, especially marijuana and acid, and they are all space cases who have no futures.

Ekoostik Hookah has been shattering this myth since its formation in 1991.

The band hails from a small town in Ohio, which is not exactly the psychedelic scene one would expect to fuel an improvisational group.

More likely settings would be San Francisco or New York City.

But even though the group lives far from Haight Ashbury, the legendary San Franciscan street that nurtured Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead during the ’60s, the spirit of the music remains the same.

“We are prone to improvisational jams,” lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist Dave Katz said.

Along with Eric Lanese (drums), Ed McGee (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Cliff Starbuck (bass) and Steve Sweney (lead guitar), he tries to play different music every night.

“The main theme is feeling good,” Katz said. “I’ve noticed that in our crowd everyone is a few notches happier than the people outside.”

Katz has had plenty of opportunities to share in that happiness. He has watched sales swell on the band’s previous releases, “Under Full Sail” (’91), “Dubbabuddah” (’94) and ’96’s live double-disc set “a” (the actual title is a symbol which looks similar to the lower case letter).

Since ’91, sales have more than tripled for the band. Ekoostik Hookah is planning to hit the studio in the middle of December or possibly early January to begin recording its fourth CD. “Where The Fields Run Green” is the tentative title.

“The band’s general feelings are that the previous recordings are too studio sounding,” Katz explained. “They are really inferior to our live performances. But I’m amazed that the recording process is so much fun.

“I’d thought that it would be a very sterile and scientific atmosphere,” he continued. “It ended up being like a boy’s camp. We just played music and hung out.”

It is very important for that atmosphere to be present in Ekoostik Hookah’s music. Private recording allows the group a degree of independence and freedom the group’s members feel would be stifled by a major record label.

“We are very concerned about keeping our rights as far as our music direction and performance rights.” Katz said. “Once you sign something, people tell you when and where to play, when to record, when to tour. It’s very inhibiting.

“Signing with a major label would limit the freedom we’re enjoying as independent musicians,” he continued. “Unless we have some amazing deal which promises to mix financial backing with personal choices and complete freedom, we won’t sign. I don’t see anything that sweet coming along anytime soon.”

The sacrifices for freedom in this instance are less exposure on radio and television, smaller concerts and fewer gigs to name a few among many trade offs. But Katz believes that the trade off is worth it, especially since it is working to the group’s advantage.

Every Memorial and Labor Day weekend the band hosts “Hookahville,” a three-day event that attracts almost 8,000 people. There have now been eight of them, each one growing in size and fervor.

“It started on property that we own,” Katz elaborated. “We would have all these people coming to the concert, and they could feel comfortable about whatever they were doing. They didn’t need to be scared of the police or anything else. There are no hassles or bad attitudes. They would just come and have a good time.

“Basically, it is two nights of camping,” he continued. “People show up on Friday night, the music is all day Saturday, and then they leave Sunday morning.”

The setup of “Hookahville” reminds some people of the festivals the Grateful Dead used to throw and that Phish occasionally still do. The band has come to expect comparisons to these two legendary improvisational groups. Katz does not wholeheartedly embrace the comparisons, even though he is a fan of the Dead.

“It is flattering that someone would say that we remind them of the Dead or Phish,” Katz said. “It’s nice for someone to lump us into that category. But it is also frustrating because as an artist you strive to be unique.

“We believe that we are a unique band, one that is incapable of being described. But those comparisons are just people’s explanations, their way of describing what we sound like.

“Really, it’s kind of ironic,” he continued. “We try to push the boundaries of music. We try to sound different than everyone else. Then we get compared to two other groups who are trying to do exactly what we are trying to do.”

Unfortunately, the drug-filled pasts of some legendary improvisational groups, the setup of “Hookahville” and the use of drug paraphenelia in the band’s name mislead some people into thinking that the group’s focus is solely on illicit substances.

“I’m not sure drugs play any role in our music,” Katz said. “Sometimes people see the name and think we are a drug band. But it’s not like that. We are concerned with people having more rights.

“There are references about drugs in our music,” he added. “But we don’t sit around and think of new drug songs to write. We don’t go on stage wasted because we don’t want to hinder our abilities. Our music always comes first, and we don’t want anything to interfere with that.”

Ekoostik Hookah will be bringing its unique mixture of improvisational folk, rock, jazz and blues to the M-Shop tonight for two separate performances at 8 and 11 p.m. Tickets are $6.

“The two sets will be different,” Katz promised. “We won’t repeat any songs for our own sanity and the crowd’s sake.”