This Harrisburg-based quintet loves to have fun. And what could possibly be the harm in that?

"That's why we're together, we like to have fun. ... We were all in serious projects before, but our main goal here is to have fun," says bassist Sam Bartorillo. "Even (the name) brings a smile to people's faces, and that's the reaction we want."

According to Bartorillo, 2 Stuck Dogs puts on a "fun rock show" throughout Central Pa. packed with modern rock and '70s/'80s retro hits from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Joan Jett, Kid Rock, Papa Roach, and Creed. "We wanna have a lot of people dancing," says Bartorillo, "and we try to keep our stage show as high-energy as we can. We make sure our lead singer doesn't play any instruments - his job is to sing and keep the crowd going." Bartorillo is joined on-stage by cohorts Jeff Berndt on lead vocals, Brad Fagnani on guitar, Paul Pennsinger on guitar, and James Yurko on percussion.

The band's current album, Hippopotamus, has been in circulation for over a year; the guys plan on releasing a follow-up in 2002. "On our first CD, we touched on a variety of styles and let all our influences show," says Bartorillo. "It was a very diverse CD. The second will be more rock-oriented, with more of one style on the CD."

Two Stuck Dogs is presently self-managed, but Bartorillo says they wouldn't mind securing a manager, or "making it." And who wouldn't? "If we make it, we wouldn't be disappointed," says Bartorillo. "But we're all realists and happy to be doing what we're doing. It's hard enough to get shows, the way the live music scene's going."