What do you get when you toss in a mouthful of pessimism, a mega tour that cruises all over the planet and an independent single that won the attention of R.E.M.? Why, once you beat it all together and bake it in an oven full of feedback, the result is piping-hot Grant Lee Buffalo. These three boys from L.A. will make a stop in Ames as the opening act for R.E.M., both of whom will grace the Hilton stage tonight at 8 p.m.

Grant Lee Buffalo, consisting of Joey Peters on percussion, Paul Kimble on bass, piano and vocals, and Grant Lee Philllips (gee, I wonder where they got their name) on vocals and guitar, are no strangers to sharing the stage with big acts. They’ve toured with Sugar, Paul Westerberg and Pearl Jam, and now R.E.M. is on the agenda. This monster tour stemmed from a blossoming bond between GLB and the boys from Athens, Ga., and maybe a few, uh, favors.

“We mowed their lawn for a year, all of us, and they’re letting us go on tour with them,” GLB’s Peters joked. “Really, it’s an extension of a friendship that’s been going on for a while. Friends of ours began sending copies of Fuzzy [their independent single] to them, and they started popping up at our shows. And I met Peter Buck a couple times. It’s a dream come true … It would be great to be on the road and just see them every night, but to share the stage with them is a real treat.”

While this particular tour with the Rock Monsters may gain the starring position on their resume, they’re definitely not strangers to the rigors of being on the road. Yes, they’re used to cramped studios, the repetition of songs over and over and the tedium of mixing and recording, but GLB thrives in the open air, where they reign supreme over their music.

“It’s fun and exciting on stage every night,” Peters said. “Every crowd is different. There’s too many variables that are out of our control: MTV, radio stations, things on the outside once the record’s done. What we do have control over is what’s on the album and what the show’s like. You can’t concern yourself with that [other stuff].”

And although the opening act has traditionally been the most thankless part of a show — how many times have you showed up late for a concert and not cared about missing the opener? — Buffalo is taking it all in stride.

“Surprisingly, it’s been great,” Peters said. “But you’re always up against a couple elements. One is playing for people who are not familiar with us. Two is that people aren’t always there. When you finish, it’s half to three-quarters full. It’s a challenge to sort of rise to the occasion and win people over. There are people who’ve been waiting five years to see R.E.M., and they’re tapping their feet in anticipation. And most [people at these shows] are smart enough and know enough about music that they appreciate us.”

R.E.M. fans who find themselves a little early to the concert will have the privilege of hearing Grant Lee Buffalo’s product, a frenzied, dark mixture of garage-y rock. Like Edgar Allan Poe if he played guitar in the 90s. “Different people really have different takes on [our music],” Peters said. “People accused us a little of being pessimistic, but that was way off the mark. We’re really happy folks over here.”

Catching these guys in the flesh will most likely be the only way that fans and fans-to-be will ever witness their tuneage. They hop all over the globe — mostly Europe — and are currently supporting Mighty Joe Moon on Slash/Reprise Records. TV jockeys shouldn’t hold their breath: no singles will splash across the airwaves any time soon.

“[MTV] can do a good job of playing something and getting it out so that people buy it,” Peters explained. “It’s a force to be reckoned with. People came to discover things through the music [on MTV], as opposed to listening to the radio in the 70s or how they found out about The Beatles or Zeppelin. I don’t know that you should be watching music. I wish there were more video channels. There are a lot of videos that get done, and they never get played.”

Meanwhile, Grant Lee Buffalo are basking in the glory of staying on the road and snagging a few new fans along the way. “We couldn’t not do this,” Peters said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. In the absence of us being huge MTV stars, this is a surefire way to get people familiar with Grant Lee Buffalo. And hopefully we’ll play a club and it’ll be 1,000 instead of 18,000, and that will be fine.”

Tickets to R.E.M. with special guest Grant Lee Buffalo are still available for $37.75 and $27.75; they can be purchased at the Iowa State Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 233-1888.