The Fishbowl, the student lounge located a 2145 G st., will be hosting an open mic night on Friday from 7 to 11 p.m. E-mail liveatthefishbowl@gmail.com if you want to perform.

Well, here’s your chance:  MTV is holding auditions for the next “Real World” cast Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Town Tavern. Roommate hopefuls should bring a photo ID and a recent picture, and be between the ages of 18-24.

Although the next “Real World” location has not yet been released, past seasons have been set in cities as diverse as Key West, Denver and New York.  And don’t forget: “The Real World: D.C.” will premiere on Dec. 30.

To fill that gap, we’re happy to launch a new blog today called Beyond the Books. It’s designed to focus on exactly what it sounds like – what you do at GW outside of classes, internships and work. It’s what you read. What you do. What you live.

Our Life, Arts, and Web editors will be its main contributors, though others may chime in from to time. If there’s something you’d like to see on BTB – a recurring feature on fashion, a roundup of local government activity, whatever – go ahead and let us know in the comments.

1. “The Time Warp” – Rocky Horror Picture Show

2. “Rap-zilla”- Rappers Delight Club

3. “Don’t Fear The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult

4. “Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon

5. “Living in the Sky With Diamonds”- Cobra Starship

6. “Chillin’ (Feat. Lady Gaga)” – Wale

7. “The Monster Mash” – Bobby “Boris” Pickett

8. “Young Forever (Feat. Mr. Hudson)”- Jay-Z

9. “Psycho Killer” – Talking Heads

10. “Little Secrets”- Passion Pit

-compiled Amy Rhodin and Caroline Coppel.

So how do you keep your visiting parents occupied during the dark, rainy weekend? Take them to any of the numerous student and professional performances happening on campus through Sunday. It’s a guarantee that you’ll be entertained and stay dry.

Acapellapalooza

Performers include the Troubadours, the Vibes, Sons of Pitch and the Sirens

The Marvin Center Grand Ballroom

Friday at 9 and 10:30 p.m.

The New Plays Festival

Presented by The Department of Theatre and Dance

The Marvin Center’s Betts Theatre

Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Foreigner

Presented by Fourteenth Grade Players

The Lisner Downstage

Friday and Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m.

Jon Stewart

Colonials Weekend 2009 headliner

The Smith Center

Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m.

Colonials Weekend Jazz Brunch

Sponsored by WRGW

Columbian Square in the Marvin Center

Sunday from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

University Yard transformed into a Cuban oasis during the first annual GW Cuban Music Festival, on Saturday. The event, hosted by Students for a Free Cuba, had entertainment and food to get students immersed in the rich culture of the tiny Caribbean island. 

Rudy Mayor, president of Students for a Free Cuba, said that the group began planning the festival last spring. The event aimed to “educate the public about the political situation in Cuba” through the use of traditional Cuban culture, said Mayor.

Brittney Morrett, vice president of the student group, said that University Yard was the perfect location for the festival.

“We were looking to book spaces in D.C. that were family friendly and would provide a space for a cultural exchange,” she said.

Music played a big role during the event, with several groups making appearances throughout the day. The Spam Allstars, a Cuban jazz group, played a set, as well as rapper mikiflow. Other acts like Delexilio combined funk, rock and Latin musical styles to create a uniquely Cuban sound.

Mayor said the festival was a success, and hopes that it becomes a permanent fixture on the group’s events calendar.

Sophomore Alyssa Hart plays guitar Sunday at WRGW's student showcase. Photo by Kendra Poole.

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Kendra Poole.

While GW’s music scene often takes a backseat to interest in politics or international affairs, WRGW’s first-ever student showcase this weekend proved that there is no shortage of talented musicians on campus.

Student musicians and listeners  gathered in University Yard Sunday afternoon to celebrate WRGW’s 80th anniversary and kick off the radio station’s Octoberfest.

“[WRGW is] just trying to get as many people on campus as they can to come perform together, since there’s not really a venue for [student musicians],” said sophomore Alyssa Hart, who sang and played guitar and harmonica for the show.

Radio host and senior Greg Shapiro coordinated the event, hoping that it would promote both the station and student musicians.

“I figured [the showcase] would be a good time…as well as a good way to get kids out here to play music and see a different side of GW than you would normally see,” Shapiro said.

The scene was comfortably informal: spectators lounged on the lawn, enjoying free donuts and coffee, and performers prefaced their pieces with small, witty anecdotes about the song’s history.

Many students passing through the yard ended up staying as audience members.  Sophomore Emily Ottinger said she enjoyed the “low-key environment,” commending the event as a “really great way for amateurs to show off their moves and play their music.”

Kevin Duncan, a junior, also joined the small crowd.

“Every Sunday I like to come out here and read the paper, and today I got a nice little present in the form of live music to watch,” he said.

Shapiro said it is important for WRGW to showcase student performers.

“The music scene here in the city is great, but I think on campus there’s a lot of room for improvement and growth.  I think events like this should become more routine, and I’d like to put one of these on at least every semester.”

Performer Eshawn Rawlley, a senior, said he would like to see the showcase happen next year.

“More of this needs to happen.  More people need to come out and support their fellow students,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent on this campus, and I feel if people came and supported it…the campus would be better off for it.”

Photo courtesy of Bottles/Cans

“We were surprised at how quickly we tracked the songs,” said drummer Brendan Polmer, who works for CNN and wrote for The Hatchet, in an interview. “The whole album took about two weeks to make.”

Bottles/Cans has been playing together since college, and both Polmer and bassist Zach Pentel said that recording an album had been the group’s eventual goal; it was just a matter of finding the place, and the money, to do it. Funding largely came from the band’s biggest gig to date: opening for N.E.R.D. at Emory University. The Bastille, part of the Inner Ear Studio in Arlington, proved to be the ideal spot to record.

Pentel, a graduate student, said that making the album was completely worth the hectic schedule.

“We’d been waiting for this for so long, we didn’t mind the personal sacrifices,” he said.

The album, “Only, Please”, is a mix of freshly written songs and old band favorites. Pentel said that the group aimed to capture the essence of their live shows, rather than make just another slickly produced album.

“We wanted it to sound live, like you put a mic in the middle of the room,” he said.

Tracks like “Dodge” and “Tabitha” embody the band’s loose-and-rowdy rock sound. Singer/guitarist Kevin Eskowitz (not present at the interview) tears into the vocals with refreshing intensity, and Pentel and Polmer provide a solid backing track for both songs. Pentel’s nimble bass line on “Tabitha” is particularly good.

For now, Bottles/Cans is focused on “conquering D.C.” and promoting “Only, Please.” The group is hosting an album release party on Aug. 6 at the Rock and Roll Hotel; they’ll be playing with Kill Lincoln, a “high energy” ska-punk band.

Still, the band isn’t planning a grand bid for stardom; they have jobs, after all.

“We have to hedge our bets a little,” Pentel said. “We’re trying to live in the now, but we’re starting new things and we all have lives. We have no aspirations to tour for Fall Out Boy or anything.”

“Only, Please” will be available on iTunes Aug. 10, but here are some sample tracks:

Dodge

Tabitha