The burgeoning music scene in Athens is comprised of both established and unknown artists, and the old and the new will converge at the Aquabear Legion Compilation Release Show Saturday at Casa Cantina.

The compilation album features songs from 19 bands based in Athens that span a wide variety of musical styles, from folk-rock to punk. The show will also feature sets from punk-pop band Machine Go Boom from Cleveland and the heavy Columbus band 1point3, as well as Athens indie rock band Casual Future and noise group Weedghost. The event begins at 10 p.m.   

Aquabear Legion is an art and music collective based in Athens that focuses on supporting independent and creative artists in the area. Brian Koscho and Todd Jacops, two individuals that wanted to create a network of Athens musicians that would support each other and increase the town’s reputation as a destination for talented artists, founded the Legion.

“Athens is already known for having a great music scene and being a great place for touring bands to stop and play,” said Koscho, who is also the bassist for Casual Future. “We just want to do our part in promoting that and encouraging this energy to continue.”

The organization is run out of ARTS/West and, apart from releasing compilation albums of local groups once a year, it publishes a quarterly magazine called The Aquabear Reader that discusses Ohio art. The Legion also runs the Aquabear County Fair every March to showcase art from Athens and the surrounding area.

The newest compilation is the fifth one to be released by the Legion, and according to Koscho, this album will give exposure to the eclectic group of musical artists in Athens.

“We hope to get a lot of this one out there and spread the word more and more,” Koscho said. “So, we hope that people buy it and listen to it, [because] some people do not even realize that this much great music exists in their own backyard.”

The four groups that will perform at the Compilation Release Show are stylistically different, and Koscho believes that these bands create dynamic and varied independent music that deserves to be heard.

“These bands perfectly exhibit the diversity within the Legion and also they could all be headlining a show so it makes for a great night of music,” he said.

As far as the future of the organization, becoming a nonprofit organization and providing a way for bands to record music inexpensively are priorities for the Legion.

“We just want to contribute in any way we can,” Koscho said. “To me, music is my life and we all love Athens. We just want to keep this thing going and keep getting music heard.”

The compilation will be available at the show and later through the Aquabear Legion Web site (www.aquabearlegion.com), as well as at Haffa’s Records for $5.