Local musician Jeff Sabarese has been around long enough to know how tough it is for State College musicians to find a platform to launch careers or even a soapbox to showcase anthems they've been penning and playing in solitude.

Sabarese, a guitarist for local band Sona, said he is working to provide a venue for these budding artists. He can be seen every Thursday with a variety of other acts setting up amps and tuning guitars in the grungy basement bar of the Rathskeller All American, 108 S. Pugh St.

Though he is in a busy band of his own, Sabarese still sees the need for new bands to appear on the music scene.

"Bars have set bands on weekend nights, which is good for business, but it makes it hard for new bands to get shows on these high-traffic nights," Sabarese said.

Sabarese said his main motivation behind setting up the open mic night is that a college town should have more of an original music scene.

"It is just a matter of getting them out of the woodwork and into the spotlight," he said.

In addition to his affiliation with Sona, Sabarese had been playing an acoustic duet with Adria Vitlar at the Rathskeller. However, Sabarese said artistic differences forced them to split, leaving a void on Thursday nights. After vigorous brainstorming, Sabarese and bar manager Chris Rosengrant agreed there was a plethora of talent in the vicinity from which they could draw.

"It's really a good thing for everyone -- the bars get business, the crowd hears a variety of new music, and the bands get to play," Sabarese said.

Rosengrant added that the Thursday open mic nights are a great way for bands to get feedback from audiences they normally wouldn't get a chance to play for. The open mic nights are good for the bands as well as the bar, he said.

"[The bands] are nice guys and good people, and I like having them here," Rosengrant said.

The Rathskeller's open mic nights are attracting acts from across the country, all looking for a platform to display their talent.

"Now we have people calling in from Louisiana asking to play. This thing is really taking off," Saberese said.

For more information on the Rathskeller's open mic nights, visit www.sonamusic.com/openmic.