The usually quiet Civic Space Park across from the Downtown campus will become a live music venue on Thursdays this semester.

“Lunch Unplugged,” an acoustic concert series by local bands, started Thursday and will run every Thursday until April 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The College of Public Programs, Radio Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix Partnership and others partnered to put on the show.

Local artists from the Phoenix area will put on two-hour shows just footsteps from the Downtown campus every week. Most of the music is indie, folk or classical from solo artists, but there will also be performers such as percussionists, violinists and Brazilian beat musicians, said Laci Lester, events director and community liaison for Karuna Village Fair Trade, a nonprofit organization.

Clinton Switzer, the lead singer of the band Amen Cowboy, was part of the process bringing the event to Phoenix.

Last October, Lester said she wanted to do something fun while also trying to engage the downtown community.

“ASU wanted to really integrate what the Valley has,” Lester said.

Village Fair Trade works with The College of Public Programs and helped Lester get in touch with the right people.

“They support all the crazy things that I’ve done in the park,” Lester said.

Lester contacted Switzer, who is an events coordinator for nonprofit Radio Phoenix station, to help contribute to the project and get people to use the park.

Lester and Switzer both said they hope ASU students will come out to the park and take notice of the local music scene.

“I want some of these local artists to get noticed,” Lester said.

Switzer booked most of the local acts for the semester.

“Basically since I work for the radio station … I just went out and asked musicians that I’ve seen play or played with,” he said.

Vanessa Atalanta, a two-piece act from Phoenix that has an indie acoustic sound, will perform this Thursday.

“We thought it was a good idea to try and … expose the college scene,” said Jesse Simms, the guitar player for Vanessa Atalanta.

Other upcoming acts include vocalist Ree Boado from the band Dearspeak, which will be playing keyboard on Feb. 11, and folk piano player Noel Barto will play on Feb. 18.

“Come out, see some live music and have a good time,” Switzer said.

Reach the reporter at mpareval@asu.edu