On Saturday nights, just around the corner from the eerie glow of the watering hole at Bar Bleu, 114 S. Garner St., there's a good chance you'll run into Andrew Jackson, maybe playing drums, maybe chatting up the crowd.

He's there every week.

"Nobody ever really said it'd be a regular thing, but that's what it turned into for the last three years," Jackson said of his gig that the Andrew Jackson Soul Jazz Showcase holds down every Saturday evening. "And one of the reasons we get to do this thing every weekend is, well, not to brag, but if you're good, people will support you."

Jackson, an almost 20-year veteran of the State College music scene, has played with virtually everyone, from his undergraduate days with the Penn State Blue Band to reggae mainstays The Earthtones.

But with his own group, Jackson's finally found a permanent niche in the State College scene -- and a way to pass the time on the weekends.

"Weekends go by so fast, but I look forward to them, kind of like a premium," Jackson said. "Knowing I get to play on Friday and Saturday energizes me through the rest of the week."

Jackson, who also holds down a regular spot every Friday at Tony's Big Easy, 129 1/2 Pugh St., has what most longtime musicians refer to as a "day job" -- he's an academic counselor in the College of Education. Years of playing around State College has shown Jackson the difficulties of making a career out of playing the bars.

"The bands are at the mercy of the bars," Jackson said, explaining how hard it is for new acts to break into the local scene. "Personally, I would never try to make a living playing around here. I mean, it's nice to get a bonus, a percentage, but I just like to play."

Saturday's set at Bar Bleu featured Jackson and his band running through funked-up takes on jazz standards, and even some impromptu singing by Mojisola Abiola (senior-petroleum and natural gas engineering).

Jackson enjoys the diverse makeup of his group and the spontaneity of the performances.

"Our band is eclectic," he said. "We've got old people, young people, gospel people, jazz people."

One would think Jackson's busy schedule would perhaps become a distraction from his other job, but the energetic drummer claims he's a lot better off because of it.

"I even did a dissertation while gigging every weekend," Jackson said. "The more stuff I have to do, the more constructive I feel."

Jackson says he does what he can to fill up the time he's got between sets.

"Weekends, I'll just try to go to the mall, maybe fix something," he said. "You know, piddle around."

Though onstage, the ebullient Jackson seems to possess an endless wealth of energy; playing until the wee hours of Sunday morning is often enough reason for him to call it a night.

"Sometimes people hang out after hours, maybe go to a party or something," Jackson said. "But me, I usually just show up, play and go home."

After 20 years around the State College scene, Jackson realizes it's the audience that really makes playing worthwhile.

"The main thing that feeds me to drag out my equipment every week is seeing people have a good time," he said. "I like the instant gratification of it. If people enjoy themselves, they'll come up and give you a hug, a kiss, maybe tell you that you made their night."

He went on to explain just what getting behind the drum kit every weekend has meant in his life.

"I was thinking about how I was going to make my life better, and I realized it's not totally up to me," Jackson said. "It's got a lot to do with what environment you're in and what people you're around. But if I get to play music every weekend and make people happy, I must be doing all right."