Some of the biggest names on the Irish music scene came from the small folk clubs tucked within the side streets of Dublin. Damien Rice, Damien Dempsey, Gemma Hayes and Paddy Casey are just some of the stars that have sprung from this green folk revival.

Showcasing unsigned musicians since 2005, the Zodiac Sessions run every Wednesday evening downstairs in Dublin bar Bruxelles, located just off Grafton Street. Watched over by the statue of legendary Thin Lizzy lead singer Phil Lynott, Bruxelles is the kind of club that provides the launching pad for the next Damiens of the world.

Their "open mic" Zodiac Sessions have produced two volumes of an acoustic compilation called The Potential Collection.

Most of the tracks have nothing more than an acoustic guitar, giving the melodies plenty of room to breathe. While some artists on this disc may not want to quit their day jobs anytime soon, you would likely throw a few bob in each of their guitar cases if you passed them by in the subway.

Still, there are some diamonds in the rough in this gem of a collection, which was produced by Zodiac Sessions organizer Barry "Jazz" Finnegan.

"I started working in that bar and I knew some of the musicians," Jazz explains. "I worked in some other pubs before where we did showcases of new music and was able to bring some of the musicians here.

"I went to the owner and thought there might be something mutually beneficial. There are three bars in Bruxelles, and one of them was not being used of a Wednesday night. We started it and then it got to be some huge crowds showing up and from there it snowballed."

Finnegan is not only producing music for the bands on the stage; he has an elaborate promotional system that makes the most out of online marketing.

"I built a website for Zodiac Sessions, recorded video of the performers and uploaded them. We have up to 200 videos there now. The artists can then upload their videos on Myspace or their Youtube pages. It is as much a benefit to me as it is to them."

The Zodiac Sessions have become one of the premier showcases in Dublin within a very short timeframe, and has even drawn the attention of the international community.

"We have musicians from Europe and Canada drop by as well," says Finnegan. "The back drop is the Zodiac Sessions, so when the artists in those countries show it to their fans back home we get visibility.

"We get between 150-200 people in the shows, which is a nice crowd for midweek. Every week we get journalists and label scouts, so it is becoming a scene to get noticed."

The scene is thriving because of people like Finnegan. There are so many musicians and not enough gigs, with all of the people from other parts of Ireland coming to Dublin to get noticed. There are also tons of local people playing, so there is a lot of competition.

Finnegan reports that Irish musicians are doing well in other countries, playing in places like Italy and France. Some of them are getting picked up by the labels straight away.

"There are a lot more open mic nights out there now," he says. "I like what I run, and I am hoping my gig will lead to bigger gigs."

Despite the competition between artists and the musicians themselves, Finnegan reports that the music scene is a friendly community.

"From what I've seen, everyone is there to help one another out," he says. "You'll see artists trading backing musicians with one another. The more famous the musician and the higher the scale, it does get competitive. Then, it's who you know."

Many of the tracks appear to be recorded live, with many of the artists saying something like "ready, let's go" before strumming. It adds immediacy to the listening experience, turning any room into your home into a coffee house.

The collection opens with "Bad Seed" by Jezzebelle, winners of the Clonmel National Song Contest last year. Most promising is Tyrone Relph, whose "Permanent Shade of Undress" is a humid, sexy affair.

"Do you remember a permanent shade of undress/my name was put under your breath/no one can hear you/my hand working under your address/I can't ever drown and I'm living on memories now," he sings in a tone that falls somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas and the drowsy sexuality of Dave Matthews.

"Tyrone wouldn't be one of the younger musicians we have, he's been at if for a while," says Finnegan. "He's good with a crowd, his songwriting skills are phenomenal. He has three albums with this type of talent and he is still not signed. That blows my mind."

"Off My Chest" has galloping bass and driving bongos propelling the acoustic strumming to create a caffeinated delight delivered by GDC (Gra Don Ceoil).

John Murphy has a pleasantly gruff voice on "Black and Blue," which has a funky bass line running through it.

Within the liner notes of this CD are small biographies and links to the artists' web sites, which allows you to dig in deeper with those who tickle your fancy.

"That's the reason we have these compilations," says Finnegan. "We want to get the music out there, all of the musician contact details are in there, and it gets them mentioned in the papers."

The CD is available on the ZodiacSessions.com website. You can also see a number of the artists perform live on the YouTube channel that Zodiac has set up.

While no one can predict who will be the next big thing out of Ireland, the Zodiac Sessions have many bright stars that will light up any CD collection.