It had to count. The members of The Levar Burtones were set to open for Brooklyn-based ska heavyweights The Slackers last Friday night. The young ska band from Fairport hotly debated the set list. They only had time for six songs.

Whether coins were tossed or straws pulled - whatever the sextet did to decide - it worked. From the front to the back of its brief set The Levar Burtones owned the room.

They mounted the California Brew Haus stage night rather unceremoniously looking a little ragtag. But once the music kicked in the sextet brought the room to an immediate crescendo. It became apparent that the band's two demos are in high circulation as virtually everybody in the crowd knew the words. The fans bopped and bounced in a sea of pumping fists and bobbing heads, and they shouted along as the band blasted from the bandstand. Though the audience was exuberant and aggressive it never got out of hand. Everyone had a good time.

"There are no bad aspects to ska," says Burtones drummer Andrew Nittoli. "It's all fun music; it's upbeat. Everybody's dancing, having a good time."

"It's all about fun," says bassist Matt Filion.

I think it was politically and socially active British ska legends The Specials that encouraged fans to dance with their heads and think with their feet in the early '80s. The Levar Burtones seem intent on having everyone dancing with both - including themselves.

Formed a mere three years ago when most of the band members were freshmen at Fairport High School, The Levar Burtones dove face-first into ska. No excessive punk rock flirtations or pop whitewash; these boys set our to rock steady, period.

"Our dad's a big jazz buff," says Nittoli, whose brother Jordan plays guitar in the group. "Jazz is a big influence."

And for most of the band - the Nittoli brothers, Filion, singer Mike Butler, saxophonist Frankie Wenzel - outside influences are what will help them further develop what Jordan Nittoli has already coined "the Burtone sound."

He explains it as "just a lot of influences from a lot of different music put together in a way that works," he says. "Developing your own sound is the pinnacle for any band. Most of our songs are ska but we put our own twist on it."

Trombonist Zane Golia, however, has been accused of listening to only ska by the rest of the group.

"But I listen to all types of ska though," he says.

The six teenagers toyed around in other ska outfits before solidifying into this group. Since then The Burtones have released two demos, "Executive Producer" and "Say What?!", and picked up a steady following.

But sometimes it's tough to win classmate approval when playing shows at school. Golia writes these shows off to some degree.

"They're never good," he says.

Still Wenzel gets a kick out of playing for his peers at shows like the gig at the Brew Haus.

"You'll look out and it's like, hey, you see your buddy from math class or German," he says.

Peer approval aside, the band is young enough to tap into the lure and power of playing live music, but may not yet be fully aware of its significance and importance. And that's the charm of this band: the newness of it all, the camaraderie, the seemingly impenetrable bond of six musicians on a mission, the totally un-self-conscious way Golia dances with his trombone when he isn't making it honk, or the way Butler offers the mic freely to the audience. The excitement and wonder is palpable, and ska is the perfect vehicle with which to convey it.

The band started off playing shows at The Fairport Teen Center until, according to the band, the element attracted by other bands put the kibosh on shows.

"It attracted all the potheads," says Nittoli. "And they'd gather there on Friday nights."

The band still found itself in demand and branched out into clubs around town, and soon became a serious draw. It won first place the Water Street Music Hall Battle of the Bands in January and plans on hitting the road for a couple weeks this summer before its members head off for college (with the exception of Andrew Nittoli, who's still in high school).

This band is young. The kids obviously get the "Star Trek" reference in the name, even the "Reading Rainbow" allusion. But mention Kunta Kinte and they all just kinda look at you.

But there's no denying the energy and talent, and the potential for both to intensify as the band rolls on.

"We've been playing together so long that we've got this tight bond," Wenzel says. "We all know when we're locked in on stage. There's always a tight groove, so we always play our best each show."

The Levar Burtones play Saturday, May 19, with Kevin Jones & the Other Tones, The Bah-Tues, and the Spaztiks at Monty's Krown, 875 Monroe Avenue, 271-7050, 1:30 p.m., $5. For more information check out www.myspace.com/thelevarburtones.