Best Club For Rock

Guided by the shrewd vision of local arts wunderkind Charles Levy, Nita's is a welcome midsize venue in a town with more than its quota of overpriced stadiums and cramped coffee houses. Ever supportive of local talent, Nita's has become a necessary rite of passage for Valley bands looking to graduate from dad's garage to Phoenix's club scene, but Levy's particular genius lies in bringing remarkable talents to the venue's intimate space. Performers who've graced Nita's indoor and outdoor stages in the past year include Mogwai, the Melvins, Joseph Arthur, Wheat, Built to Spill, Calexico, J. Mascis, and Mike Watt, to name but a handful. On one thrilling evening, the generations came together peacefully when Dr. Ralph Stanley played a two-show engagement. Mudhoney opened its (supposed) last set of live shows here while the big portrait of JFK looked on serenely, from its eternal post beside the men's room door. All this, plus the most eclectic jukebox in the Valley (and possibly the world), makes Nita's the place to bring visiting friends, when they ask what there is to hear in this burg.