Sitting on a brown couch inside a cavernous studio at Downtown Jersey City's artsy 111 First St. building, I spent a few hours with Yuengling beer bottles and Doritos bags strewn on the carpet at my feet and rock and roll rumbling through my ears. And, to tell you the truth, I'm damn glad about it. OK, I couldn't help myself - that "damn glad" reference represents nothing more than a cheesy play on words. Two times a week inside the fourth-floor studio, the trio of rockers who make up the group Damn Glad gather to practice. If the members had their druthers, 111 First St. would be transformed into the area's next big music venue. "Uncle Joe's (a nightclub Downtown) is great, but Jersey City needs a much larger venue," says Jeff Baker, Damn Glad's drummer. "Every day, you see so much activity down here, all the people with guitars on their backs heading to New York City. That's only because there are so few places for musicians to network here. "It would be nice if someone would purchase 111 First and turn it into a rock venue. For some reason, many people oppose that." Baker says some sort of compromise should be hammered out between the concepts of commercial development and the retention of a creative and artistic community Downtown. "Some sort of deal should be struck," Baker said. When you look at the massive size of 111 First St., a music showplace seems like a no-brainer. Especially when you hear a talented band like Damn Glad, which tends to play primarily at New York City clubs because of the lack of venues on this side of the Hudson River.

Before changing its name to Damn Glad, the group was called Immoral Fibres. Under that moniker, they were picked to be one of the emerging bands to play at the Woodstock 1999 festival, which band members cite as the crowning achievement of their careers so far. "We left before all that mud stuff, which to me was annoying," said Matt Kurzban, who leads vocals, plays guitar and pens the songs for the group. "But it was an honor to be there."

Currently, the band is on tour to promote its debut album, "And That's That," a 14-song disc that contains a blend of rock that can almost simultaneously touch the heartstrings with sentimentality and force you to rise out of your seat to get your groove on. The band, which also features the bass grooves of member Doug Shank, believes its strong suit lies in composing lyrics and creating melodies. "We have a niche, I think, because we're versatile," Shank says. "We can do both rock and ballads. And the strength is that we write good songs with melodies that stick in your head." Baker, the drummer, said he would describe the band's music as digestible and radio-friendly. "We're not a soft music band," he says. "But we can be." The consensus favorite on the album for the group - which describes itself as somewhat of a cross between the popular bands Foo Fighters and Matchbox 20 - is the song "Flight Delay," which tells of people working their way through doubt. "That song is energetic and captures the feel of our album," Kurzban said. My personal favorite, however, is the tune "Lighten the Load," which possesses a carefree vibe that brings to mind jazz singer Bobby McFerrin's happy-go-lucky song "Don't Worry, Be Happy." I can envision listening to "Load" - especially Kurzban's smooth as silk vocals - while cruising around in a convertible on a sunny summer day, preferably near a beach.

Well, it's not a beach, but the band is expected to perform tomorrow at Hoboken's Sinatra Park for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life benefit. Their appearance on stage is slated for 6:30 p.m. Next month, the band will perform at another Cancer Society benefit at Giants Stadium, at which Kurzban is scheduled to sing the national anthem. "We're really excited about that one," Kurzban said.

One thing the band is far less pleased about is the recent departure of guitarist Mike Sanchez. Kurzban said Sanchez returned to his native California because of "personal issues" and now the band is in the market for a replacement. "The person we're looking to replace him should have a strong background voice and a lot of money, preferably big bills," Baker joked. More seriously, Kurzban said, the new member must know how to fit in like Sanchez did. "In the end, we're all slaves to the songs," Kurzban said. "We want unselfish ball players, people who want to be part of a team." Each member of Damn Glad holds down a day job. Kurzban deals in real estate, Shank works in music publishing, and Baker builds music studios. In the future, the band, whose album can be found in such music stores as FYE and Coconuts, hopes to broaden its base. ----Jeff Theodore