Ground Zero became an official housing option in Fall 2001, with its residents populating the first floor of Nugent Hall. The basement was renovated by the next fall to fit its new purpose as a concert venue and now is home to multiple couches, chairs, and a coffee bar.

By far, the most popular event held in said basement is the biweekly Open Mic Night. The performers sign up starting around 7:30 pm, often making up band names on the spot, and proceed to treat the diverse crowd to 10-minute (2-song) sets.

Any given night’s music may include every genre from heavy metal to Christmas carols to folk, and the session on September 24 followed true to form in this respect. Emcee and Ground Zero Co-President Chris Ryan starts up the festivities with his sardonic wit and off-the-cuff humor every fortnight.

It’s hard not to have a sense of humor in an environment where introducing the freshmen of the men’s cross-country team to sing a few carols as The Yuletide Elves is part of your job description. In this intimate and almost too-comfortable setting, a certain resilience is necessary to keep the show running.

A supremely experienced live musician like Bert Lannon, a.k.a. Horrible Herb, may be followed by a complete newcomer (Pete Paggi), then by a crowd favorite such as POTOTSOLATTTJ. All groups and all performers are received with ample applause and open arms by the Ground Zero community.

Lannon’s rendition of O Brother Where Art Thou’s “Man of Constant Sorrow” blended well with Paggi’s Elliot Smith cover and offered sharp contrast to POTOTSOLATTTJ’s high-energy romp about the stage.

This past week’s Open Mic featured a newly-formed group known as The Rat:o, most likely due to their composition of two male guitarists, one male harmonica player, and one female cellist. This unique instrumentation led to highly intriguing arrangements of Semisonic’s “Closing Time” and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”

Ben Mayer thrilled the crowd with an impressive acoustic version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and _______ [The Line] offered some easygoing Guster. Hat Trick and Yoshi & Drew treated the crowd to the essence of an open mic jam session. Hat Trick’s comeraderie was obvious in their perfect communication during their two “jam-style” songs.

While Yoshi & Drew actually covered Cream’s “White Room” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” these two songs were somewhat randomly picked as the two collaborated to figure out what songs they knew in common and had never rehearsed before their performance.

On the other side of the preparation spectrum are bands like Corona of the Sun and performer Jesse Newman. Corona of the Sun is an obviously well-rehearsed and established band specializing in classic bass/drums/guitar/vocals rock. Jesse Newman prefers to delve into what he describes as “eclectic experimental electronica,” performing songs in which he (on his electric violin) is accompanied by a pre-arranged track playing through his computer.

According to crowd comments, Ground Zero’s Open Mic Night is a world where “the underground art world meets the light of day,” and where “expression is not only allowed, but encouraged.” It’s an amazing chance to be exposed to some of the best musical talent on campus and both admission and the coffee are free. After all, what RPI student can pass up free caffeine?