Los Angeles: Live music
LA has an overwhelming choice of venues for live music . Ever since the nihilistic punk bands - Circle Jerks, X, Black Flag - drew the city away from its laid-back west coast country-folk scene in the late Seventies and early Eighties, LA's rock music has been excellent, with up-and-comers traditionally getting their first break in clubs on the Sunset Strip. Authentic country music is also fairly prevalent, at least away from trendy Hollywood. Jazz , too, is played in a few genuinely authentic downbeat dives, though more commonly found being used to improve a restaurant's atmosphere. Reggae , though popular with many, is much less common. Salsa is pervasive among LA's Hispanic population, and is found in the male-oriented bars of East LA and increasingly in some of the clubs of the Westside. In many of these clubs, cover charges can vary widely, depending on the prominence of the headliner and the night of the week, so call ahead.Babe and Ricky's Inn 4339 Leimert Blvd, South Central tel 323/295-9112. One of LA's best venues for blues, where nationally known acts drop in on occasion.
The Baked Potato 6266 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood t323/461-6400. A small but legendary contemporary jazz spot, where many reputations have been forged.
B.B. King's Blues Club 1000 Universal Center Drive, Universal City tel 818/6-BBKING. Get past the garish exterior of Universal's CityWalk mall, and it's all catfish, deep-fried pickle and Southern hospitality. The club room called Lucille's features acoustic blues at the weekend.
The Conga Room 5364 Wilshire Blvd, Mid-Wilshire tel 323/938-1696. A high-profile celebrity investment results in a surprisingly appealing feast of Cuban food and Latin music, heavy on the mambo and salsa.
The Derby 4500 Los Feliz Blvd, Hollywood tel 323/663-8979. Swing, rockabilly and bebop, with dance lessons to get you up to speed. Drinks are club-pricey, but the circular bar, domed wooden ceiling and swing are hard to resist.
Doug Weston's Troubadour 9081 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood tel 310/276-6168. Less heavy metal than of old, featuring a newer blend of acoustic and alternative acts, but still a good place for heavy riffs and shaggy manes.
El Floridita 1253 N Vine St, Hollywood tel 323/871-8612. Don't let the mini-mall setting deter you; this is a prime spot for Cuban and salsa acts, and also has good Mexican food.
The Foothill Club 1922 Cherry Ave, Signal Hill tel 562/984-8349. A glorious country dance hall from the days when hillbilly was cool. Punk, surf and roots-rock Thurs to Sat. Also offers the occasional dose of garage bands and dance music.
Gabah 4658 Melrose Ave, Mid-Wilshire tel 323/664-8913. Located in one of the truly abysmal corners of the city sprawl, this eclectic spot mixes reggae, dub, funk and rock - fun despite the surrounding gloom.
Golden Sails Hotel 6285 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach tel 562/596-1631. Has some of the best reggae bands from LA and beyond on Fridays and Saturdays. Located in an anonymous Long Beach hotel setting.
House of Blues 8430 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood tel 323/848-5100. Incongruous mock sugar shack, with excellent but pricey live music nightly. Good local-name hip hop, R&B and blues. Always very popular with tourists.
Kingston 12 814 Broadway, Santa Monica tel 310/451-4423. Reggae tunes on periodic weekends in a nice and small venue.
Largo 432 N Fairfax Ave, Mid-Wilshire tel 323/852-1073. Intimate cabaret venue with some of LA's more interesting rock bands.
Luminarias 3500 Ramona Blvd, Monterey Park, East LA tel 323/268-4177. A hilltop Mexican restaurant where the live salsa is as good as the spicy food. Fri and Sat shows.
McCabe's 3103 W Pico Blvd, Santa Monica tel 310/828-4497. The back room of LA's premier acoustic guitar shop; long the scene of excellent and unusual folk and country shows.
Opium Den 1605 1/2 N Ivar Ave, Hollywood tel 323/466-7800. A strip club turned nightclub with an array of upcoming rock and punk acts taking turns on the overly small stage.
The Roxy 9009 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood tel 310/276-2222. The showcase of the rock industry's new signings, intimate and with a great sound system.
Rusty's Surf Ranch 256 Santa Monica Pier tel 310/393-PIER. Loaded with out-of-towners, but still good for live folk and country, along with karaoke and, of course, surf music.
Whisky-a-Go-Go 8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood tel 310/652-4202. Thanks to the Doors, for many years LA's most famous rock'n'roll club, nowadays featuring mainly hard rock.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.
Copyright © 2006 United States.biz
