The Alternate Routes' strong lyrics and superb guitar work permeate the duo's music. Upbeat choruses and engaging rock ballads have been described as passionate, earnest and organic.

The Alternate Routes play 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Levitt Pavilion, SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.

Tim Warren, vocalist, and Eric Donnelly, guitarist, met while studying at Fairfield University in 2002. They've played venues across the United States, Canada and Europe.

Alternate Routes released its debut album in 2005, "Good, Reckless and True" (re-released by Vanguard in 2007) This was followed by the ballad-filled and melodic "Sucker's Dream" in 2008 (Jay Joyce). The third studio album, "Lately," was an independent release recorded in Nashville in just six weeks.

In the summer of 2011, the Alternate Routes toured with Scattered Trees.

In an interview from their homes in Fairfield and Bridgeport, Conn., Warren and Donnelly say they'll be joined by three other musicians for the Bethlehem concert. "We're on tour with really talented people," says Donnelly.

Utilizing record labels, and releasing albums independently, provide pros and cons for the Alternate Routes, says Donnelly. "There are strengths and weaknesses to both. It teaches you how much you can accomplish on your own, and also gives you a healthy respect for the 'machine.' The big dogs are the big dogs."

As luck would have it, the band's break came by happenstance. After playing a show in New York City last year, a woman in the audience sent the song, "Nothing More," to several of her friends, one of whom was a head writer for the hit television series, "NCIS." "The writer, Scott Williams, went to bat for us," says Warren. "He wrote [our song] into the Christmas episode, the night before they were going to air it."

"Nothing More" struck a chord across the nation. The song was played during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The band performed the song on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" in March.

When asked why the tune resonates with fans, Donnelly says they weren't expecting it, but the success is karmic because the pair was asked to write the song as a favor for a friend's charitable organization, Newtown Kindness. "We took their concept and worked it into a song. So it was really for somebody else."

The band's tour began in July in Connecticut, and has included Canada, the Midwest and West Coast U.S. The duo drove from San Diego back to Connecticut, stopping at the Grand Canyon along the way, a stunning location they strongly recommend.

The newest album, "Nothing More," available exclusively on Pledge Music, is a non-traditional release slated for the end of the year.

The band enjoys a variety of venues: music festivals, wineries, nightclubs, casinos, outdoor pavilions and everything in between. "Summer tours are inconsistent," says Warren. "Every night can be extremely different. But you don't want to be a chameleon. You want to have an identity. Adapt, but not lose yourself."

Regarding their musical style, Donnelly says simplicity and diversity are very effective. "We're drawn to different kinds of materials. That excites us. We want to do a little bit of everything."

About songwriting, Warren adds, "It's a strange combination of a desire to write and a short attention span. I've always been about the sprint as opposed to the marathon."