Kent State students no longer have to travel to the crowded bars of Kent or Akron to hear a lot of music.

Kent Student Center Programming will present the kick-off of the semester by bringing the first night of Audio Refreshments to the Rathskeller. This free show will take place tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight and feature musical acts such as Unicron, Aviatik and Old School Perverts.

“Live music is just better wherever you go,” Programming Manager Stacy Stewart said. “Even if you’re just sitting eating pizza or drinking a beer, live music is better – always. We think students agree, and we hope that they will enjoy themselves.”

Event supervisor Mahlon Rhodes took the reins last semester as main coordinator for Audio Refreshments. Working closely with Programming, Rhodes said he tried to think of ways to get more people to attend the shows.

Rhodes said he finally settled on maintaining genre nights where the type of music played would range from show to show.

A lover of a wide variety of music himself, Rhodes said he made sure there was no bias concerning bands chosen to play each semester.

“We listen to a lot of demos,” he said. “After listening, we get opinions and feedback. We always try to pick out stuff that everyone will like despite having different tastes.”

Audio Refreshments is an on-campus entertainment that has been offered to students every semester for more than three years. In the past, it has brought a slew of talent to the Rathskeller with bands including Akron trip-hop favorite Racermason, Kent State students’ First Act and the pop/punk hit Punchline.

Keeping with tradition, students 18 and over will be treated to a ranged buffet of sound this week.

Unicron recently invaded Club Khameleon with a mixture of food, talent and pornography. The band’s tunes range from the solely instrumental to covers of classics such as the Ghostbusters theme.

Alongside Unicron, the five members of Aviatik will change the tone by offering straight-up alternative rock, jamming out anthems like “Premonition” and ballads like “Dead Man’s Float.” Old School Perverts will also take the stage to offer covers, audience requests and acoustic elements.

Rhodes said that he expects an awesome show. He added that a great deal of consideration is given to each musical act after they’ve been chosen.

“I’m in a band so I know how it is,” Rhodes said. “We try to make it better here for bands than if they were to go play at a club, and we try to make it better for the audience, as well.”

The next Audio Refreshments will take place Feb. 15 and feature blues singer Billy Smith.

Event Coordinator Katie Wallace said she definitely plans on attending, whether she’s emceeing or not.

“Audio Refreshments offers live performances to satisfy every musical taste from folk rock to rap and everywhere in between,” Wallace said. “I love it. If you’re bored, come on down, and shake your groove-thang.”

Contact on-campus entertainment reporter Ally Melling at [email protected].