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LA Live Gets Percolating But Watch What You're Wearing

LA Live is the newest attraction to open in L.A. Essentially, it's a $$2.5 billion lure, designed to get more folks to downtown Los Angeles. (Sidenote: You know you have run out of room in LA when you are building something in downtown.) While the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels are still under construction as are some residential and office spaces, much of LA Live is now open including the Nokia Theater which anchors the new complex and offers up the Nokia Plaza, a sort of miniscule Times Square with scrolling LED screens and pretty much anything you can light up, including trees.

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Tags: Philadelphia-Music-Venues / Music Venues / Live Music / → All Tags

Philly Music Venues: Theater of the Living Arts

One of Philly's best mid-size concert venues, this (not-too) renovated movie theater is smack in the middle of South Street's always-on nightlife scene, and attracts an appropriately young and rowdy crowd.

Like a growing number of mid-size venues across the country, the 800-capacity Theater of the Living Arts has been recently acquired by Clear Channel spinoff Live Nation, much to the chagrin of local indie rock fans, but it should be noted that they haven't done much to corporate the place up as of yet.

In addition to local indie and hip-hop bands, upcoming shows at TLA include Ice Cube, Sonic Youth with The Hold Steady and "Crash" star Terrance Howard, who, if you didn't know, is apparently an "urban country" singer now.

Shows for national acts are often sold out, so it's a good idea to get tix beforehand.

Related Stories:
· Theater of the Living Arts [Official Site]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: pleonasticism]

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Philly Music Venues: The Manhattan Room

For a city that's constantly trying to distinguish itself from NYC, it's unclear why Philadelphia went with the name The Manhattan Room for its newest hipster bar and music venue.

Whatever the reasoning, the spot has quickly established itself on the Philly music scene. Set in the increasingly hip-but-still a little sketchy Fishtown neighborhood, "The M-Room" is a new go-to spot for the city's indie rock fans.

The venue hosts live events every Tuesday through Sunday. The schedule is heavy on local acts like Johnny Action Figure and Red Ox, but also includes DJ dance nights, art openings and indie film screenings. In addition to a healthy roster of cheap brews, there's also a dinner menu of burgers, sandwiches and full plates.

Related Stories:
· The Manhattan Room [Official Site]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tommy Draper]

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More Music Travel: Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Nothing quite says summer like traveling to your local pavilion, shed or whatever you want to call it, and parking yourself on a piece of green lawn to experience the sounds (and smells) of a concert. And if you're looking for a full concert experience with a healthy dose of nature thrown in, then look no further than the Red Rocks Amphitheatre just outside of Denver.

Situated between Ship Rock and Creation Rock, Red Rocks is arguably one of the world's most unique and stunning musical venues. These natural walls, each of which is taller than Niagara Falls, provide excellent acoustics as well as a natural beauty that is distracting no matter how talented the act. Playing on nature's stage this summer are acts ranging from The Police to Willie Nelson. (Speaking of concert smells...)

If you have grown tired of the more mainstream musical acts, the Monolith Festival may be more your style. Celebrating its second year at Red Rocks, the festival features two days of indie rock groups with headliners DeVotchKa and Silversun Pickups on day one, followed by Justice and TV on the Radio closing out the weekend. Tickets for both days start at $110, and the festival runs from September 13-14 this year, just in time to get in and out of Colorado without needing your skis.

Related Stories:
· Red Rocks Amphitheatre [Official Site]
· Monolith Festival [Official Site]
· Music Venues coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Uriah Welcome]

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Buffalo Music Venues: Nietzsche's

Friedrich Nietzsche famously proclaimed "God is dead," and nowhere does his statement feel truer than along the abandoned-factory-lined waterfront of Buffalo. But the city embraces its darkness in black humor films like "The Savages" and "Buffalo 66," where neurotic, blue-collar intellectuals suffer the existential crises that Nietzsche invented.

So it makes sense that the epicenter of this angst-ridden city's counterculture culminates at Nietzsche's, a music venue for people who like their musicians local, talented and gimmick-free.

Located along narrow Allen Street, lined with bookstores and bars where owners still stand behind the counters, Nietzsche's authenticity is the antidote to faux-dive music venues where the mirrors are intentionally hung askew. Its trademark cobweb-covered candelabras have lit the venue for decades, with the exposed wiring to prove it. Get there soon--before the fire department shuts the place down.

Related Stories:
· Nietzsche's [Official Site]
· Movie Set Travel: The Savages [Jaunted]
· Buffalo Hotels [HC]

[Photo: Linden Tea]

Tags: Music Venues / Best-Music-Venues-in-the-US / Music Travel / Live Music / San-Francisco-Music-Venues / → All Tags

San Francisco Music Venues: Cafe Du Nord

Built in 1907 in San Francisco's Upper Market district, Cafe Du Nord once served as a notorious Prohibition-era watering hole. Now, it looks the same inside with its decorated paneling, wainscoting and 40-foot mahogany bar, but you can swill cocktails without a reservation and catch live music seven nights a week.

The lounge attracts local and lesser-known indie bands, as well as bluegrass, jazz and singer-songwriter acts. Upstairs from Cafe Du Nord you can find Swedish American Hall, where the Cafe holds bigger concerts--this Saturday, Nada Surf will play an acoustic set.

Related Stories:
· Cafe Du Nord Music Calendar [Official Site]
· San Francisco Music Venues Map [Jaunted]
· Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Thomas Hawk]

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San Francisco Music Venues: Paul Schreiber's House

Paul Schreiber's shows sound like the fantasy of high school kids yearning for a bit of rock. He invites musicians to play in his living room, brings over some friends and lets everyone party. That's how his House Concerts work--though they're a little different than your typical 11th grade rager. First, Schreiber is well out of high school (he's a software engineer at Apple), it's legal for him to serve wine at the shows and performers are more mellow acoustic than hardcore rock.

Capacity is about 30 people, so you'll need to RSVP on his website before dropping by. All shows begin promptly at 8 pm and end around 10. From there, guests are invited to stay and hang out. Sound strange? Not so much: At least 10 other towns around San Fran host house concerts.

The city's alternative paper, SF Weekly even gave Schreiber's makeshift venue the award of "Best House Concerts" in its 2007 "Best of San Francisco" awards issue. Probably because, as Schreiber says:

It's a wonderful way to experience music. You hear an acoustic sound in an intimate setting. There's no smoke, no drunks and no obnoxious suits.

Now that rocks.

Related Stories:
· San Francisco House Concerts [Official site]
· Best House Concerts [SF Weekly]
· San Francisco Music Venues Map [Jaunted]
· Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Sam Shaber: Paul Schreiber]

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San Francisco Music Venues: Hemlock Tavern

San Francisco's bar and music venue Hemlock Tavern had to take a risk when it opened for business in 2004. At the time, the Tavern's location in the city's Polk Gulch neighborhood was barely on the hipsters' radars. But, after years of hosting bands five to six nights a week, the Tavern's gamble has paid off, and it's quickly become one of the city's most successful start-ups.

Though it hosts bigger acts, the Hemlock's main draw is its roster of up-and-coming local bands, and regular DJ nights hosted by locals. If live music isn't your thing, and you don't mind harassing your ear drums for a few hours, we recommend heading to Hemlock every Monday for the Punk Rock Slideshow from 10 pm-2 am.

Playing punk from the 20th and 21st centuries, the DJs on the decks won the San Francisco Bay Guardian's "Best of the Bay" award in 2004 and often host free shows that start at 9 pm.

Though entrance to the bar is free--and they serve hot peanuts on the house--there's usually a small cover to see the bands. Great news for smokers: the Hemlock has an adjacent, heated outdoor smoking lounge for its tobacco-loving clientele.

Related Stories:
· Hemlock Tavern [Official site]
· Punk Rock Slideshow [MySpace]
· San Francisco Music Venues Map [Jaunted]
· Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Virgil Ward Porter]

Tags: Music Travel / Best-Music-Venues-in-the-US / Seattle-Music-Venues / Music Venues / → All Tags

Seattle Music Venues: Neumo's

A reincarnation of the early-'90s Seattle music venue Moe's Mo' Rockin' Cafe, Neumo's returned to the city in fall 2003, picking up where it had left off the previous decade. Original Moe's founder Jerry Everard teamed up with another local venue owner to take back Moe's original space, which had been used as a disco, several clubs, and even a video arcade, since it closed its doors in 1997.

Today, Neumo's hosts bands like uber-hipsters The Teenagers and punk legends Neurosis and Converge. Despite a few unlikely appearances (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) on its calendar, Neumo's has stayed true to its underground rock roots: Moe's did, after all, play host to the Flaming Lips and Radiohead in its early days.

The venue, located in Seattle's Capitol Hill area, has gotten nothing but glowing reviews from Seattle's local press. In addition to praise for its layout (one writer claims you can get an unobstructed view of the stage no matter where you stand), the venue also scored props for its gig selection.

Local writer Geoff Carter summed it up:

Its bookings are among Seattle's most righteous and run the gamut from old-school punk to new-school power-pop with stops nearly everywhere in-between.

Related Stories:
· Neumo's [Official site]
· Seattle Music Venues Map [Jaunted]
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]

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San Francisco Music Venues: GAMH

The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco once again topped all the "Best Live Music Venues" listings in 2007. Despite stiff competition from legendary theaters like The Fillmore, it's dominated the scene since opening exactly 100 years ago. Ornate balconies, soaring marble columns and elaborate ceiling frescoes surround a giant dance floor and two bars.

Last week, Elvis Costello performed there and a show from Loudon Wainwright (papa to Martha and Rufus) takes place Sunday. More destructive acts, like The Hold Steady have plenty of turrets and protruding ornamentations to scale before diving into the crowd. Come to think of it, the venue's decor makes perfect sense: rock climbing for rock stars.

Related Stories:
· Great American Music Hall [Official Site]
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]
· San Francisco Music Venues coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: grenade]

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San Francisco Music Venues :: Mezzanine

At Mezzanine in San Francisco, hip-hop acts like Mos Def and Snoop Dogg rest comfortably beside rock bands like Whitey, whose groupies dress up in raccoon and rabbit costumes. (What will those crazy indie kids think of next?) The downtown venue brags about the diversity of its stage--with just cause.

Every month, a variety of rock, dance, hip hop, soul, jazz, salsa and world beat artists take the stage, with interspersed multimedia art events, fashion shows and video and film installations. The club says it caters to performances of all types, from hot shows with the newest buzz bands to intimate engagements with well-known artists.

Why pay $0 (or $100) for the latest Radiohead album when you can pay $15 to see Digitalism, an up-and-coming experimental Electronica duo from Germany perform live this Friday? Wait, don't answer that--just get to Mezzanine.

Related Stories:
· Mezzanine [Official Site]
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]
· San Francisco Music Venues coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: I'm Combing My Hair]

Tags: Live Music / San-Francisco-Music-Venues / Music Venues / → All Tags

From Fiona to Slayer: Live Music at the Warfield Theatre

If it's good enough for Al Jolson, it's good enough for the Grateful Dead: San Francisco's Warfield Theatre began as a vaudeville stage (where Jolson and his ilk performed) and, on its off nights, a silent movie palace where it was possible to gaze at gold leaf while munching on popcorn.

These days, the Warfield carries on as an all-ages concert venue hosting everyone from Fiona Apple to Coheed and Cambria. (In 2001 Slayer stormed the theater to film the concert video War at the Warfield.) Stand down in the pit or buy reserved seats in the balcony, which gives you a better view of the Victorian murals that frame the stage.

Related Stories:
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]
· San Francisco Music Venues coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: stevejohman]