While showcases like Roustabout! and Skellerpalooza have snazzy names and bands from faraway lands like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., local musicians still have places to show off their talent in downtown bars.

The Phyrst Inc., 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave., has one of the longest-running open mic nights in State College. Every Monday from about 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., bands and solo acts play for a half-hour each. Musicians play a lot of covers and some original music, mostly modern rock, Phyrst manager Michael Fullington said.

Even people with little talent can perform at the Phyrst's open mic night.

"Sometimes we have guys singing and dancing to music on the radio," Fullington said. "That's actually really funny to see."

Talent or no talent, playing at the Phyrst requires some foresight: prospective acts should call at 3 p.m. on Mondays to book a performance time for that night. Fullington warned that sometimes the night's schedule fills up within a half-hour, so musicians need to get on the ball and pick up the phone.

Bar Bleu, 114 S. Garner St., also has its open mic night on Mondays, but scheduling to play is a bit more flexible than at the Phyrst.

"It starts around 10, so you should come earlier and talk about when you want to play," bartender and occasional bar manager, Andy Rogers said.

"Sometimes you can play the same night, or you can set up for the next week."

Booking a slot a week in advance gives bands or solo acts the chance to advertise themselves by putting up flyers or just spreading the word to friends, he said.

Bar Bleu's open mic nights feature everything from acoustic sets to a cappella groups.

"We see all different stylesÃ~really, it could be anything," Rogers said.

Dr. K's Open Mic Night, Tuesday nights at The Brewery, 233 E. Beaver Ave., started last week.

This open mic night is "a little more casual than some of the other open stages in town," said Keith Niedermeier, aka Dr. K, a Penn State business professor and bassist for local band Boost.

Last Tuesday night was a little slow, with few artists but a big crowd, Niedermeier said.

"I played the whole time, pretty much," he said.

Niedermeier hopes The Brewery's open mic night will eventually become something like night-long acoustic jam sessions, with musicians playing whenever they want.

"People can come out with their guitar or just their voice and sit in with other people they haven't played with before," he said.

Musicians interested in playing at Dr. K's Open Mic Night can show up at The Brewery with their instruments Tuesday nights or send an e-mail message to keith@boostinfo.com ahead of time.