Problems with egos, lack of commitment, distance and other unpleasantries can plague the best local band.

However, Krypto-jet, hailing from Red Bank, seemed to have avoided those trappings, and have gone on to produce their own release and be nominated in the Asbury Music Awards, all while constantly playing up and down the Jersey Shore in an atmosphere of camaraderie.

"There's a friendship aspect,'' said drummer Andreas Schwarzlaff. "The hardest thing for a band is finding the right guys.''

Lead vocalist and guitarist Mark Rudolph agrees: "This band has a chemistry. There's no ego maniacs.''

That chemistry may not just refer to the band interrelationships, but the electricity Krypto-jet hopes to spark with its guitar-driven, melodic music, whether in its recent Brighton Bar performance last Saturday.

The two singles from the band, "Drew Barrymore" and "Goin' Nowhere" are some of the highlights of a Krypto-jet live set, which is characterized not only by the group's high-energy songs, but some energetic theatrics as well, as it was in Long Branch Saturday.

Brighton Bar patrons saw the drumstrick-twirling skills of Schwarzlaff, coupled with the guitar-pic juggling of Rudolph, all mid-song.

"We let it all go and have a good time,'' said Rudolph, who demonstrated this throughout the set by moving about the stage in the classic rock musician fashion.

"We just try to draw ourselves and the audience into it,'' he added.

A cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf'' also entertains as part of the Krypto-jet live act.

"We were rehearsing a song, and 'Hungry' worked better over what we were trying to create for some reason,'' said Rudolph. "We tried it for fun. and it just fit.''

The song has become a regular part of the act, an act that's shared the stage with 3 Doors Down and Fountains of Wayne.

Krypto-jet admits that despite being well-received at a recent gig at the Birch Hill in Old Bridge, it's the Brighton Bar stage and other such venues that keep original music alive.

"Without these places, we'd probably all be in cover bands,'' said Schwarzlaff.

Krypto-jet have won acceptance into an upcoming showcase and music festival in Harrisburg, Penn., and plan to return to future Birch Hill and Brighton Bar gigs.

Catherine Galioto is a Staff columnist. Contact her at ms.matilda@rockzone.com.