All the performances are taped for broadcast over local public access television.

LISBON – In the vein of the old-style hootenanny, a group of volunteers in Lisbon have turned Wednesday nights into a chance to get out and hear some unique music.

The Lisbon Teen Center’s Coffeehouse, Open Mic and Showcase is becoming a destination point on Wednesday nights for talented local performers as well as featured musicians from the Maine Songwriters Association.

The idea of an open mic night at the center originated with local musician Brian Soucy and his wife, Dolly. Seeing a need for local young people to learn about music that wasn’t about Britney Spears or MTV-driven, they had a vision of creating a space for participatory music and involving youth in the production aspects it.

Since beginning in February, the Open Mic Night and Showcase has been going strong.

One of the unique features of the Coffeehouse is the taping of all the performances for broadcast over local public access television. “Musicians can come down and play and have a professional quality recording made of their performance,” said Soucy. One of his goals is to get the weekly broadcast on public access television channels in the area.

On a particular Wednesday, the sign-up portion included a roster of Lisbon musicians, including Jeff Vye, a longtime musical partner of Soucy’s, and Vye’s oldest daughter Shantelle played several numbers, including a duet with Kelsey Piche, a sixth-grade guitar student of hers.

The highlight every week comes around 8:20 p.m. when a featured performer gets up to play for about 40 minutes. With a goal of representing a variety of styles for the segment, Soucy partners with The Maine Songwriters Association to bring in some of Maine’s most talented and diverse performers.

Herman Leblanc, who performs as The Black Mountain Hobo, played 40 minutes of old-time country and folk.

“I call it back porch music,” Leblanc said.

From East Livermore, Leblanc has been playing music in Maine for some 50 years. Like the old Smithsonian field recordings of the past, Soucy and the young volunteers are creating a historical document to music that is part American heritage.

“I love having a guy like Herman come in and seeing our middle and high school age students improvising dances to a form of important American music that is being lost,” Soucy said.