Viewfinder: The Friday Groove

There's more than coffee brewing at , a new establishment at 1403 Sulphur Spring Road that describes itself as an acoustic coffee house. A standup piano, drums and various stringed instruments entice customers to play.

The coffee is the finest around, claims proprietor Ben Penrod. But coffee is just the pretext for music, says Penrod, a professional flooring installer from Elkridge who opened Ben's Beans last April.

"We're just trying to keep music alive," says Penrod, who works his electric guitar behind the counter between serving customers. "It's hard for musicians to find a place to play."

Customers are welcome to play any of the instruments at Ben's Beans, or bring their own.

On Friday evenings, after the usual 7 p.m. closing time, Penrod pulls the drum set out from the corner and musicians from around the area crowd in the coffee shop for a spontaneous jam session. Musicians of all stripes are welcome to sit in, acoustic or electric.

Professional musicians are likely to sit in as well as amateurs. "Some of them are phenomenal," Penrod says.

Ben's Beans is starting a drum circle on November 12, and invites anybody with any kind of drum to join in. "Drum circles are one of those things anybody can do," says Penrod.