When the name of a band comes to you as a plant that you’ve made up, it can be assumed that there are creative juices flowing in the musical creation process, as most definitely are with the band Pünsapaya (who will play a show tonight at Mr. Robert’s).

While the band became official in 2000, Pino Farina, the guitarist and vocalist, Mike Poupko, the group’s second guitarist, and John Cwiok, the electric bassist, had all been playing together on and off at their high school in Lincolnshire, Ill. This past November, the band acquired its youngest member, 22-year-old drummer John Schiller. While most of the band has been playing or singing since their early teens, they attribute some of their influences to classic rock idols like David Bowie, Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

The band has discovered a lust for playing live. While the recording process is where they are the most creative, they feed off the energy from a live audience because they feel that the point of their music comes across better in a live setting. While mistakes can be made in the recording process, the adrenaline that emerges from knowing that you can’t take back mistakes that are made or by ad-libbing lyrics to words you may forget is an experience the boys have really come to appreciate.

“In the studio you can make a mistake, but if you play live, you’re putting yourself out there and any mistakes you make can’t be taken away,” says Cwiok.

What makes Pünsapaya different from most bands is its recording technique. Many bands will have a set of lyrics and melodies for songs on an album laid out before recording, but Pünsapaya wrote most of their debut album Prepare to Qualify in the studio during their two-week recording process. While most bands have one singer/songwriter, each member of the band has contributed something to this album.

Farina believes the band’s sound is unlike any other.

“When we sit down to write a song, we’re not trying to sound like anything in particular. You just let it come out, and that is what individualizes Pünsapaya — because we have our own sound.”

In playing live, the band members are not only trying to express themselves, but they hope that people will come to their shows and have a great time. The band hopes it allows for people to forget what is going on in their lives for a little while. If people can also understand what is going on in the lyrics and what they mean, that’s a further benefit of the group’s performance.

Pünsapaya’s debut album Prepare to Qualify combines intricate melodies with poetic lyrics. The album is innovative because the sound is fast but melodious. The band doesn’t seem to conform to the standards of having a constant set of chords or repetition of beats, which is something new and intriguing to the ear. Farina’s voice is versatile and well-tuned. It matches perfectly with the layers of guitar and bass, which are both very complex in their riffs and are prominently featured on every track.

In the song “No More,” Farina takes his voice to some impressive heights, not screaming, but not confining himself to low murmurs, a technique favored by too many current rock bands. As he sings the chorus, “It’s those little things you’ve got / You don’t even know you have,” the electric bass hits an elaborate string of notes at a fast pace that adds an unexpected but undeniably head-bobbing element to the constant beating of the drums. This song shows just how versatile Farina’s voice is, as he effortlessly harmonizes during the chorus and sort of chants other verses of the song.

“Better than This” is a frantic track that opens with an intense percussive pummeling that doesn’t ever seem to repeat itself, clearly displaying Schiller’s sheer talent. Then Poupko and Cwiok chime in and show off their abilities, playing powerful guitar riffs that resemble those of the Hendrix experience. Here Farina’s voice drops into a throaty rasp, (a technique that surprisingly never becomes annoying), striking intrigue as he sings, “It’s like trying to live forever / It’s like trying to stare at the sun / You’re not the only one.”

The band’s innovative techniques (with its unique instrumentation and Farina’s expressive voice) are evident in the harmony and the lyrics that inhabit the group’s songs. It’s not only about love and loss on this album, which is a refreshing break from most other bands out there.

They will play at Mr. Robert’s, near the Barrymore Theater, tonight. The music will begin at 9 p.m.