The group calls itself "emaneht," which is "the name" backwards. Five years after its formation, emaneht's alternative-rock style has been picked up by San Jose radio station Channel 104.9 as well as MTV and VH1. But even as superstardom is imminent, the band's members still play many of their gigs close to home: on June 19, emaneht will perform at San Jose Skate for an all-ages show.

This kind of performance isn't out of the ordinary for the quartet, which has played for students on campus at Homestead High School and recently played at "Music On A School Night," a party for high school students winding up the school year. According to Vin Penugonde, the band's drummer, young people identify with the band's positive approach to rock. "Our music is energetic and upbeat. We're not about sounding depressed," he says. "I remember listening to bands and feeling like they were reading my thoughts. I would like kids to feel like they're involved with something like that. It's such a great feeling."

The four band members, all in their 20s themselves, grew up in California. Penugonde and guitarist Dean Suko both now live in Cupertino after relocating from Southern California. Lead singer Renee Mikkelson and guitarist Chris Jacobson both grew up in San Jose. The foursome became acquainted through involvement with a local cover band, playing the songs of well-established musicians. "We got tired of doing cover music. It's not that satisfying, because it takes very little creativity," Penugonde says. "We decided to see what we could come up with." They broke off from their previous band in early 1999, and Penugonde and Suko moved to Cupertino to be closer to their San Jose­based bandmates.

Their unique name was something else that occurred through a bit of serendipity. When crafting publicity materials prior to a performance, emaneht would just leave generic titles as placeholders. "Usually, it was something like 'band name here,' " Penugonde says. "One time, the placeholder was 'the name,' and Dean just decided to flip it."

Over its five years, emaneht has released one album and has another on the way. Its "suburban alternative" sound has caught the attention of stations across the country through a campaign to get its single, "Look Back," on radio playlists, and emaneht has toured with such well-known rock groups as Switchfoot and Good Charlotte. On July 3, the group will perform at the America Fest sponsored by Channel 104.9 in downtown San Jose.

"Emaneht has all of the ingredients a band needs to break out of the

South Bay and into the national scene," says John Allers, program director at Channel 104.9. "They have a great sound, a great look, and they are doing a great job developing a loyal following of fans."

This growing fan base has started recognizing band members in public. Penugonde was once visiting a local music store in Cupertino when a man approached him. "He was practically ranting and raving about how much he liked us," Penugonde says. "We ended up chatting for a full hour. It was too cool."

The band will soon embark on a tour to promote its new album. The lack of musical venues in San Jose has kept them traveling to Los Angeles at least once a month and playing for more unusual events, like the event at San Jose Skate. "We can't play at the same place every weekend," Penugonde says. "We have to think outside the box." Their tour will take them to various locations around the western part of the United States, and while the full tour will last about 3 1/2 months, emaneht will just embark on small legs at a time.

"We're always going to come back and play to the fan base," Penugonde says.

The event at San Jose Skate takes place on June 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. The cost is $6 and includes a free quad-skate rental. San Jose Skate is located at 397 Blossom Hill Road in San Jose. For more information on emaneht, visit http://www.emaneht.com.