Hyatt branches out from jazz, and brings a diverse lineup of musicians to the stage.

Monterey’s Hyatt Regency has long been a haven of jazz on the weekends. Directed by doctor-by-day and talented drummer-by-night David Morwood, the room has become the closest thing the Monterey Peninsula has to a live urban jazz club – not to mention its status as the unofficial home away from home for the after hours jams secondary to the annual September Monterey Jazz Festival and its stars, both established and newly-budding.

While the room will continue to celebrate live jazz on the weekends, there has been a movement afoot since the beginning of this month to infuse and energize the lobby with the addition of mid-week Wednesday and Thursday sessions of live rock, pop, country and classical guitar music featuring some of the Peninsula’s most accomplished practitioners thereof, like Razzvio’s electric and eclectic rock violin and Mark Banks’ smooth jazz/soul vocals, among others.

The new series is the brainchild of hotel General Manager Bently Kriewald and Sales and Marketing Director Heidi Bettencourt, and the trial run will continue through Labor Day weekend.

Singer-songwriter and blue-eyed soulster Austin Metreyeon steps up this week. The solo guitarist began when he was just 14, when his uncle gave him a guitar – and a route to the stage: “He was a terrific guitarist,” Metreyeon says. “And I was trying to impress a girl.”

Although there was no formal training, as a youngster Metreyeon says that he read a lot about music and practiced a lot. “Morning, noon and night for a long time,” he says.

His slick and smooth jazz inflected guitar work and even smoother vocal style has lifted him to be a solid solo act, in addition to occupying a special place in his emotional life. “To be honest with you, writing the lyrics is a coping mechanism for me,” Metreyeon says. “And the playing varies wildly from meditation to exciting, to occasional exhaustion.”

Metreyeon’s set list is as diverse as his life experience. Looking forward, the guitarist has dropped his day jobs to devote full attention to his music.

“In all honesty, just as with any line of work some days are better than others – there’s an ebb and flow,” Metreyeon says. “The thing that sets it apart is that with music you more or less bare your soul, so even on a bad day, it transfers more.”

AUSTIN METREYEON 6pm Thursday, Aug. 16. Hyatt Regency Monterey, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. No cover. 372-1234,hyattregencymonterey.com