People usually wander into Hot Topic looking for musicians' merchandise -- not actual musicians.

That will change tonight, when Hot Topic will sponsor an acoustic set with The Groundbreaking Ceremony, a band from McClure, Pa.

The Nittany Mall's Hot Topic has recently instated a company-wide trend of holding in-store shows and acoustic sets for national acts and local bands, store manager Natalie Nau said.

Jonnie Baker, vocalist and frontman for the band, said The Groundbreaking Ceremony is having trouble breaking into the State College music scene because the market for original bands is slim.

Hot Topic is "trying to bring the local music scene to their front door," Baker said.

"It's nice that the managers are trying to help us out, and by us, I mean the music scene," he added.

Hot Topic hosted The Whatleys on Jan. 16 and has been pushing for more concerts since.

Nau called herself a big supporter of the local music scene, adding that Hot Topic is "all about the music."

"Our district has been really proactive about getting local bands in," she said. "My store has been good at promoting that."

Hot Topic will take on any band willing to play acoustic, Nau said, and there's no need for the band to fall into a certain genre.

"I'd like to get some hip-hop in here. That would be fun," she said.

Baker also noted Hot Topic's willingness to expand beyond its scope.

"I'm sure if John Mayer wanted to swing through and do an acoustic set, they wouldn't refuse him," he said with a laugh.

Baker said playing an acoustic set with only his guitarist leaves him feeling vulnerable.

"The vocals are really important, the guitar is really important and the environment is really intimate," he said.

The band is marketing itself to labels as a pop punk or dance punk band, Baker said, and members write material for a broad audience.

The band is set to release a debut album, Thevelea, on Feb. 27. Baker said the album has been in the making for three or four years, since some of the band members were still in high school.

The band will put money earned from CD or merchandise sales toward turning its practice space into a studio, Baker said.

Nau said all of the money bands make from at the acoustic shows is theirs to keep.

"It's all about the bands," she said. "We don't really get anything out of it."