all photos by VenueMaps.net
The volume of Rock and Roll’s heavier varieties, from punk to metal, has often relegated their live performance to dingy basements, back rooms, attics and garages. The venues on this list fall in that vein echoing the varying degrees of grunginess in the music played within their walls.
Over the past few years VenueMaps.net has traveled the country photographing the ins and outs of many American live music venues. Here are the top ten favorite rock venues from the photographed venues list.
10. Bar XIII
Bar-XIII-Delaware
Bar XIII in Wilmington, Delaware, hosts local bands and holds 200 rock fans on weekends.
8. Gabe’s Iowa City
Gabe’s in Iowa City, Iowa, brings local, regional and national talent to either its full upstairs venue or more intimate downstairs bar.
6. Victory’s Live
Classic's Victory's Sports Bar Columbus
Victory’s Live in downtown Columbus, Ohio, holds a vague mystique in an otherwise bleak nightmarish universe.
5. Rudz
Rudyard's British Pub / Rudz Houston
Rudz is the upstairs venue over Rudyard’s British Pub in Houston, Texas. It has since undergone a facelift adding a green room and new stage.
4. The Winchester
The Winchester Music Tavern Lakewood
At The Winchester Music Tavern in Lakewood, Ohio, the stage is nearly as large as the rest of the room. Proper tribute is paid to the likes of Johnny Cash, The Beastie Boys, and Prince on the walls.
3. RiffHouse Pub
Riffhouse Pub Chesapeake
RiffHouse Pub in Chesapeake, Virginia, has its own secret recipe for what makes a great live music venue. One ingredient is clearly lots of band stickers.
2. Globe Hall
The well-worn dance floor at Globe Hall in Denver, Colorado, tells the tales of a million dancing feet.
1. 924 Gilman
924 Gilman in Berkeley, California, is a punk rock DIY mecca venue and nonprofit community center.
