Sharing a stage with such rock ‘n’ roll names as Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers, Violent Femmes and Goo Goo Dolls make up some great memories for Johnny Clueless frontman Steve Brown.

But his favorite performance does not involve sharing a stage with a band, rather with a machine.

“Being on the Jumbotron,” Brown explained, “that was pretty kick-ass.”

The Minneapolis foursome Johnny Clueless formed in 1992 as the brainchild of singer/songwriter Brown.

After recruiting bassist Stacy Machula, guitarist Todd Smith and drummer Eric Guse, Brown set out on journey that would, five years later, find him and his bandmates on the mainstage of a major music festival.

But it has not been an easy journey. In the fall of 1994, Smith made the decision to depart from the band. With half of the major songwriting core absent, the future of the band was unsure.

“I was afraid,” Brown said. “Things were very topsy-turvy — it was probably the hardest thing the band has gone through.”

Then, Brown met Los Angeles native Scott Miller, who not only played guitar, but was an experienced songwriter and singer. “Scott was perfect for the band,” Brown said.

Two hundred shows a year and two and half years later, Johnny Clueless hit another pot hole on its road to success, only this time the road conditions were not as kind.

In the winter of ’97, the Johnny Clueless tour van and trailer went off the road and flipped on its side in a serious accident. Luckily, no one in the band was hurt and neither was any of the equipment.

“Ironically, we just had everything insured that day,” Brown said. “It’s a good thing we didn’t have to report it, or it would have looked pretty fishy.”

The members of Johnny Clueless did not let something as trivial as a car accident slow them down. The band went right back on the road and has been touring in support of its latest release, “Too Late, Too Proud.”

Although the disc has been out for over a year, Brown said the songs still have that “fresh feel.”

“It takes a little while to get into a groove coming out of the studio,” Brown said. “You start playing the songs really well after a while and they actually become better than the version of the CD.”

“Too Late, Too Proud,” the band’s third release, was the first time Johnny Clueless recorded with a producer, and according to Brown, will not be the last.

“Having a good producer behind it definitely makes a difference,” Brown said. “It’s someone, aside from the band or the record company, to keep an eye on everything and guide the record.”

Since the band’s debut, “Kissed In Kansas,” Johnny Clueless has kept a tight focus on honest, original rock.

“Our basis is totally on rock; as soon as we start to stray from it, we know it,” Brown said. “Bands like U2, who have already established themselves as rock musicians, have the luxury to grow into other forms.

“But we’re all still nurturing musicians. We’re still in the process of establishing our sound,” he said.

And what better place to establish a rock band than Minneapolis, a city which has produced Soul Asylum and The Replacements, among others.

“It’s been fantastic,” Brown said. “The crowds are fantastic — people just go out here. And the press has treated us fairly, which is better than most bands. Usually, once everyone likes you, you’re not cool anymore. But we’ve managed to avoid that.”

With three new songs under his belt, Brown approaches his favorite season of the year with great excitement. And although he has long graduated from college, the feeling is still the same.

“I miss it so bad,” Brown said. “But I get to play colleges a lot and so, essentially, I’m still a part of it. I just love the fall anyway.”

Brown and cohorts will be in Ames on Saturday along with Tim Mahoney at People’s Bar and Grill. The performance is scheduled for 9 p.m. with a $4 admission charge.