They may be five college students who all attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but they are not a college band.

That's the word from Stan McConnell, guitarist and vocalist of the band Santa.

He said the Champaign-Urbana-based band doesn't limit itself to performing on the college scene, and the members intend to continue long after they've received their college degrees.

"We really take our music seriously," McConnell said. "When we play, we get lost in the music. We just pour ourselves into the music. There's no better feeling than entertaining. That's what we want to do with our lives."

Santa, plus bands Clear the Temple and Canadian Customs, will perform Saturday as the opening acts for Decatur band The Fulcrum Saturday at Wake the Dead Cafe. "The Return of The Fulcrum" concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Members of Santa have already made decisions regarding their future.

McConnell, who will graduate in May 2009 with a major in creative writing, will make his home in Champaign and focus on writing songs for the group, while the rest of the members finish up their final year.

"Next year will be a transitional year," McConnell said. "I'm unsure as to what we'll have in store."

McConnell began Santa with his cousin Mack McConnell, who also plays guitar.

"We grew up listening to music," Stan McConnell said. "When we came to school together, it was the first time we had ever created music together."

The duo soon became a quintet, playing their first show in spring 2006.

The band endured hiatuses due to summer breaks and losing two band members, but Stan McConnell said things have been back on track since replacing the members in January.

The current lineup is Stan and Mack McConnell, keyboardist Tommy Trafton, Otto Stuparitz on bass and Steve Plock on drums.

"We kind of changed our sound in a natural way because of the member changes," Stan McConnell said. The band's music is influenced by the sound of the 1960s and '70s. "What Santa actually creates is a psychedelic rock thing. Our aim is at people wanting to hear pop music in a unique way."

The band plays in bars and clubs throughout Illinois and Indiana, with an upcoming November date set in Madison, Wis.

Santa released its first EP, "My Bones," with the two former band members. Additional recording work is in progress.

In the meantime, he said the band has finished mastering its collection of summer demos and plans to make the songs available on MySpace and at their shows.

WHO: The Fulcrum, with Santa, Clear the Temple and Canadian Customs.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4; doors open at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Wake the Dead Cafe, 1210 E. Eldorado St.

TICKETS: $6 in advance, $8 at the door; send ticket requests to canadiancustoms56@yahoo.com or contact the bands through MySpace.

ON THE WEB: www.myspace.com/meetthefulcrum; www.myspace.com/santamusic; www.myspace.com/canadiancustoms

aspates@herald-review.com|421-6986