When Jerry Kannas and Rich Kneifl decided they needed additional musicians to complete Six Speed Universe, they took the selfish approach to recruiting.

“We used to go scoping out other bands,” Kannas said from his home in Omaha, Neb. “If we saw someone we liked, we would ask them if they wanted to join our band.”

Did Kannas and Kneifl’s recruiting process create any hostile feelings with other bands on the Omaha circuit?

“No. We went to bands that we knew were not in it for the long haul,” said Kannas, who plays the sitar, six- and twelve-string guitars and electric bass.

And that is what playing in Six Speed Universe is all about — the long haul. Kannas even went so far as to say commitment and willingness to build relationships with other band members is just as important as possessing musical talent.

“I don’t mean to sound cruel, but if they’re dickheads, there’s no way,” he said.

Six Speed Universe has gone through a handful of line-up changes since its formation in 1995, most recently being the release of frontman Kent Pendarvis and the addition of flute virtuoso Tina Waugh.

Kannas said Pendarvis’ blues-oriented influences often brought negative energy into a band that prides itself on creating a positive energy vibe.

“We want to get our crowds dancing — not piss them off,” Kannas added.

So after two years of shuffling musicians, Six Speed Universe has finally settled on a line-up it hopes to take on the world with.

“This is perfect,” Kannas said. “We have everything we need.”

Although he described the band members as top-notch musicians, Kannas said they spend up to four nights a week practicing.

“We try and write one or two new songs a week,” Kannas said. “We are also working on bringing the jam back into our music.”

Six Speed Universe is preparing for studio time in late October during which the band hopes to finish the upcoming release “Experiments In Space.”

Experiment is a good term to describe Six Speed Universe, which explored a variety of rhythms and sounds from around the world on Kannas and Kneifl’s self-titled release which debuted in 1995.

Classical cellist Becky Hamilton, violinist Anthony English, bassist Bryan Scherbring and improvisational wizard Waugh will add to Six Speed Universe’s already diverse sound on the upcoming record.

“[Six Speed Universe] is a lot mellower than what we do now,” Kannas said. “We sound more like Rusted Root meets Dead Can Dance meets Ravi Shankar with maybe a little Jethro Tull thrown in there.”

Although Six Speed Universe’s “new-world groove,” as Kannas explains it, does not fit into a particular genre, the band’s music has worked its way into numerous radio stations in the Omaha area, including college, jazz and alternative formats.

“[Omaha] is awesome. It’s so underrated,” Kannas said. “It’s probably one of the best scenes around. Radio is really nice.”

As nice as Omaha has been to Six Speed Universe, Kannas said the band has realized it is time to reach out to other cities.

One way the band has gone about touring has been jumping on the road with the Chicago celtic band The Drovers. The two bands played together at the M-Shop in September.

“They are super cool guys,” Kannas said. “What I have learned from them, basically, is how to be a better road musician. It’s amazing how they can make it so long on the road.”

Six Speed Universe will bring what it has learned about going on the road to Ames tonight for a 9 p.m. performance at the M-Shop. Tickets for the show are $5, $4 for students and will be available at the door.