Nick Haughton, a SF State literature junior and dedicated musician, is finally getting the chance to share his music with a paying audience. Performing under the name Letters and Numbers, Haughton has just completed playing the second of two shows at Edinburgh Castle on Geary St.

The local music scene has always been strong in the Bay Area. The birth of acid rock, an early punk-rock cesspit, and a harbinger of hip-hop, promises those who are willing to make the sacrifice a chance to share their art.

The first show, which took place on Thursday, August 30, featured fellow local indie artists The Father, J. O’Brien and Malloy.

The crowd of about 100 people was tense, and the dim light cast disturbing shadows in drunken eyes. The show began late. Haughton, who was scheduled to go on at 10 oclock, approached the stage at around midnight.

“It was my first experience dealing with San Francisco clubs,” said Haughton, 22, whose music sounds like a melodic merging of The Shins, The Beatles, and The Smiths. “That was pretty stressful.”

Josh O’Brien, otherwise known as The Father J., said the sound took a little while to get right but loved the feel of the show.

“We all had a great time,” said O’Brien, who has known Haughton for nearly a year and whose acoustic romps conjure Tom Waits. “A few audience members even played the solos to the songs on their kazoos and stomping feet.”

The Father’s response to Haughton’s set was simply that he sounded “grand, as usual.”

A show the following Thursday came as a surprise to Haughton, who was contracted by Edinburgh Castle to open for Sorry Mom and Dad and Two Headed Spy after some last minute cancellations. Haughton said he felt more relaxed the second time around.

“I felt a sense of alleviated responsibility,” said Haughton, who co-headlined the August 30 show and felt the pressure, “going first means setting the mood, not engaging it.”

Trent, the singer and guitarist for experimental local band Two Headed Spy, said that Haughton, as the opener, drew the smallest crowd. He was impressed, however, by his musical outlook.

“I could tell Nick felt passionately about his material,” he said. “I was impressed by his merchandising and general professionalism.”

For the second show, Haughton played an entirely different set list in order to “try out new songs in front of people and see how they connect.”

“You have to have recorded versions of songs and talk to in-house booking agents,” said Haughton of the effort involved in booking shows. “Volunteering at shows can also help.”

Underneath the grunt work, the songwriting, the promotion, the tireless hours fixing glitches, there remains one thing; desire.

“Just jump in and do it,” said Haughton.