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This story was updated on March 4, 2010. An explanation follows the story.

The Lloyd Dobler Effect will hoist its proverbial boom box high above the crowd come Friday when the eclectic band returns to Frederick for a gig at Old Towne Tavern.

The D.C.-based band, so named for John Cusack's committed, yet lighthearted romantic in "Say Anything," is no stranger to downtown. According to front man Phil Kominski, when the band launched some seven years ago, jaunts to Frederick were routine. In recent years, the rockers have played the Fourth celebration in Baker Park and for the Downtown Alive @ Five summer series, though their success of late has led them far from the confines of Maryland's state line.

"I'm looking forward to the venue," Kominski said of Friday's appearance at Old Towne. "We used to play that place quite a bit. We developed a nice little following there, before we started spreading out to other areas. By no means did we mean to neglect Frederick, we just began touring abroad."

And abroad.

And abroad.

In addition to tour stops in over 40 U.S. states, the band has racked up an impressive list of overseas, headlining 2004, 2006 and 2007 tours of the Pacific and the Middle East with AFE.

"It was an eye-opening experience," said Kominski. "For one thing, the Armed Forces places a limit on how much equipment you can carry. You can only take 20 pieces and no more than 60 pounds. You can imagine it takes a lot of creative thought to get your weight and size down. [During our first tour], September 11 [2001] was still fresh on everyone's mind. I remember taking a case of microphones through the metal detector. They take apart everything, you know – just in case there was, I don't know, plutonium in there or something. But it was definitely a learning experience."

Not to mention one that further proved music is a universal language.

"The last time we were overseas was in 2007," Kominski said. "We toured the Middle East, Bahrain, parts of Africa. We've been to Japan twice. Those are such fantastic tours. We've met some great friends and attracted a great following. It's funny, we'll come back home and we'll perform somewhere in Kansas, and four people show up that we met in Kyrgyzstan. "

Such devotion, says Kominski, keeps the wheels turning.

"Some of our closest friends started out as fans," he said. "When I think of who's in my cell phone – it's people who started out as fans. We've had our little tragedies with the band. We had our little trailer stolen in Chicago, with [thousands of] dollars of equipment inside. If it wasn't for our fan base stepping up with donations ... I don't know if we would've pulled through. So they've definitely lifted us up as far as that goes."

It helps that the Lloyd Dobler roster —Donnie Williams, Rusty Williams, Chris Bruno and Patrick Hughes — are a close knit group.

"I think being in a band is very much like being in a family," said Kominski, who founded the band with Donnie Williams. "We're very close. At the same time, if we're on the road for a long time, sometimes we'll come home and we won't talk to each other for a few days. We've been through some difficult situations together. A lot of things hit us, you know – but we've worked our way through it. It's made us stronger. We have our disagreements. Our little spats. But nothing that festers. Beyond that, we're always about the music."

The question of the band's name comes up often. According to Kominski, Lloyd Dobler — the character — embodied the overall tone the band hoped to achieve; intensity, spontaneity, and a good dose of goofiness. "That's something we wanted to strive for in our music."

It's a balance the band hopes its forthcoming CD "A Mute Reminder" continues to achieve. Even then, says Kominski, there's always room for something more.

"In my opinion, songs –even when they're released on an album – are never done," he said. "They grow as you tour and perform."

The new version clarifies that "A Mute Reminder" is the bands forthcoming CD.

The Lloyd Dobler Effect

When: 10 p.m. Friday

Where: Old Towne Tavern, 325 N. Market St., Frederick

Tickets: $3

For information:

301-695-1454

www.ottfrederick.com

www.lloyddobler.com