Anyone could tell you that labels and appearances can often be deceiving. But local quintet Bluestring might know just how frustrating labels can be.

Combining elements of bluegrass, Southern and jam rock and an understated pop sensibility, the band fights being pigeonholed into one particular genre.

"We’re not a bluegrass band just because we have a mandolin," said Ted Pennington, mandolin and fiddle player for the relatively young act, comprised of students in their third and fourth years at the University.

Two years ago, Pennington and guitarist Clay Evans began playing as an acoustic group, later adding drummer Bakari Brock and playing regular gigs as Goodbye Mr. Z. Pennington said much of the band’s catalogue still dates from this time.

The band built up a following in the last year after adding bassist Chuck Thomas and percussionist Nick Prince.

Doing its own publicity and booking its own shows, Bluestring split time between playing private parties and venues like the Georgia Theatre.

Eventually, they began taking the weekends to travel in hopes of spreading their name throughout the Southeast.

"We want to start in other towns what we did here," Pennington said.

The group plans to play locally only about once every six weeks, according to band members, as they take weekends to travel to college towns in the region.

As a band, Bluestring few actual roots in bluegrass. With a live sound characterized by Pennington’s bluegrass-infused touches and plenty of vocal harmonies, the band has a sound that could only be described as infectious, a good thing for a band that said it hopes to start the year by getting any newcomers hooked on the band’s sound and vibe.

Tonight’s show at the Theatre marks the band’s first appearance in town since AthFest in late June. Much of the summer was spent either taking time off from touring or writing new material, Pennington said.

Currently, excitement runs high among Bluestring’s members as they look forward to a new year.

The band doesn’t mind playing private gigs, but agreed that playing clubs was preferable. Pennington even gives a nod to the necessity of splitting time.

"A lot of times we’ll play a party, and then people who like us will come see us at a club, and that gets us more parties," he said.

As students in a relatively young band on the scene, Bluestring is also working against those who, as Brock puts it, say bands "must pay their dues" and the inevitable time line of the band finishing school.

As for the former, Pennington said the band understands what it means to "pay dues" and that Bluestring is "doing our damnedest to hasten the process."

As for the latter, timelines don’t bother bassist Chuck Thomas.

"I think all of that’s irrelevant right now," he said. "Our priority is making good music. Two or three years from now is two or three years."