Best Rock Club 2008 | Joe's Grotto | Bars & Clubs | Phoenix
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Best Rock Club

Joe's Grotto

This long-standing north Phoenix rock club got a new, state-of-the-art sound system in the past year, allowing for concert-hall sound in a small room. Owner Joe Grotto has been booking bands that know how to take full advantage of a sonic boom, from the manic rockers of -itis to the brutal metal of Hellen to the roaring blues guitar of Carvin Jones. The Grotto has been hosting more all-ages shows in the past several months, and Joe Grotto recently relaxed his covers policy (bands used to be required to incorporate a certain percentage of cover songs into their sets). Now the club hosts more original music than any other club on the north side and packs the house on weekends. It's bumpin' on weeknights, too, as the pool and dart tournaments at Joe's — combined with such drink specials as $1.50 domestic longnecks — attract plenty of people looking for a friendly, good-time vibe.

Best Place to See Jam-Rock Bands

The Goat Head Saloon

Here's some groovy news for you: Ever since opening its doors last spring, Goat Head Saloon has become a destination place for fans of jam rock. Every month, this charming Mesa watering hole hosts gigs by bands specializing in the funky, Grateful Dead-style genre, usually featuring extended solos and fits of psychedelic jamming. Groups such as Xtra Ticket, Endoplasmic, and The Noodles perform here regularly, as do such out-of-towners as 3 Ugly Guys and Alfred Howard and the K23 Orchestra. The place evokes the spirit of the old Sail Inn (the infamous bygone east Valley jam-rock hangout), with the usual crowd of granola-munchers and tie-dyed types turning out for shows. It's not all hippies, however, as a varied crowd of rock 'n' roll fans make the trip to Goat Head every week to have a funky time.

Best Blues Club

The Rhythm Room

There are other blues clubs in town, so what it is about the Rhythm Room that separates it from the pack, year after year? At first, we thought it could be the sheer number of shows at the place — there's live music almost every single night of the week. Then we thought, it's gotta be because the Rhythm Room gets the majority of old-school blues players and modern purveyors to play there exclusively (blues stars like Candye Kane, Junior Brown, Johnny Rawls, and Louisiana Red will always skip other venues in town to be at the RR). But after years of attending shows here, we've finally realized what it is that gives this small, dark blues club its real magic: the sense of community and comfort.

Owner Bob Corritore, aside from being a renowned harmonica player, blues producer, and DJ, is a walking Rolodex of blues players. When a blues legend dies, Corritore makes sure there's a tribute show at the Rhythm Room (in the case of late blues drummer Chico Chism, there's a tribute show every year), and everybody who's anybody in the local blues scene shows up to jam. Best of all, nobody at the Rhythm Room is afraid to dance — this isn't some stodgy arts center where Buddy Guy's sound engineer will give you the stinkeye for coughing during the performance. Getting down is encouraged at the Rhythm Room, as the regulars and the performers both seem to feel that if you're not movin', they're not groovin'.

Best Country Nightclub

Handlebar-J

Courtesy of Handlebar-J

From the hundreds of cowboy hats adorning the walls to the sawdust on the floor, there's no place more "country" than Handlebar-J. This steakhouse/nightclub has been owned and operated by the Herndon family since 1975, and owner Gwen Herndon's sons, Ron and Ray, can often be found performing as the Herndon Brothers on stage.

Guests such as Starfire and Jessi Coulter pop in to perform every so often, too, and on the rare nights when there's not live music, Handlebar-J's jukebox selection of C&W classics keeps patrons two-steppin' and line dancing.

Best Country-Western Bar

Spirits Bar & Grill

This bar — formerly Thunder Pass, located in the no man's land between Mesa and Apache Junction — is one of the most eclectic watering holes around, a place where cowboys, biker dudes, and young Republicans somehow mingle with one another without overturning tables and tearing out ceiling fans. The focus is definitely on the bygone Western era, when men in Wranglers posted up at the bar and drank cheap, cold brews until the cows came home. Folks flock to the spacious dance floor on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when DJs spin honky-tonkin' new-country hits. It's definitely a yee-hawing good time.

Best Texas Jukebox

Texaz Grill

Tedd Roundy

There's more to Texaz Grill than great Texas comfort food. When you're chowing down on a Texas-size chicken-fried steak, with a massive mug of iced tea waiting for you to slurp down your gob, you may think there's nothing that could possibly enhance your experience. Well, pardner, you'd be wrong. Just ask owner Steve Freidkin. If there's one thing a real Texas joint needs, it's a jukebox. It just so happens that Texaz Grill has the best one in town. For just a few shiny coins, you can hear all your favorite Texas musicians from Stevie Ray Vaughn to ZZ Top to The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Listen to "Texas Flood" while you're shovelin' down award-winning Terlingua Chili and just try to tell us we're full of bull.

Best Venue for National Music Acts

Marquee Theatre

Sure, the parking costs $5 (and there's never enough of it), the security can be rude, and all shows are general admission and standing room only. So what makes the Marquee Theatre the best place to see national acts? Well, one reason the shows rock at the Marquee is because of the venue's sound and light system, which is state of the art. We've heard crappy bands sound good at the Marquee Theatre, which isn't an easy trick to pull off. But the main reason the Marquee gets this award is because the venue gets all the great national shows. Sure, the arenas around town get the familiar stadium-fillers like Rolling Stones, The Police, and Rush, but Marquee Theatre has a knack for hosting hot acts that are just starting to crack the national market or already have a huge indie following — The Killers, Tegan & Sara, Dresden Dolls, Hank III, Peter Murphy, Dilated Peoples. Now, if we could just find somewhere to park.

Best Music Venue for Local Acts

The Sets

Sure, The Sets hosts its share of mid-level national shows (everything from punk legends The Dwarves to underground hip-hop act Bear The Astronaut), but this massive venue hosts more local shows than national ones and, indeed, more local shows than any other venue of its size. The bulk of The Sets' calendar is filled with Valley artists' gigs, from local indie rockers Kinch and rising Phoenix death-metal stars Abigail Williams to hip-hopper Intrinzik and folk-rock heartthrob POEM. With Kim LaRowe (former booking agent for the now-defunct Mason Jar) handling business at The Sets, the venue's become known for providing a great atmosphere for local artists to hold their CD-release parties. That's pretty sweet for locals, as The Sets has one of the largest club stages in Tempe and a state-of-the-art sound system. Bands won't get bored between sets, either, as The Sets has a large game room, an outdoor patio, and three full-service bars (so singing snockered is easier than ever).

Best Local Band Destined for the Big Time

Digital Summer

Since they debuted on the Phoenix music scene in January 2006, the rockers of Digital Summer have experienced a level of success that many local bands would kill for. The five-member outfit has not only gotten its songs in regular rotation on Valley radio powerhouse KUPD, it's also landed gigs opening for major-label bands like Godsmack and Sevendust, and amassed a legion of fans who pack its shows at such venues as the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. How'd they do it? Simple. Such accomplishments came about through a combination of tireless self-promotion (including plastering their ubiquitous stickers on street signs and buildings around the Valley), mobilizing a devoted street team of die-hard DS followers, and blasting out a radio-friendly melodic hard-rock sound in the same vein as Chevelle and Staind. In a perfect world, the band would be signed to a major label and have its videos all over MTV. But given the ever-tumultuous state of the music industry, the boys of Digital Summer haven't accomplished that particular goal just yet. Given their history, however, we're sure it's gonna happen someday soon. Remember us when you're famous, guys.

Best Cover Band

The Chadwicks

Formed in 1994, Tempe-based quartet The Chadwicks is one of the few bands in the city whose repertoire consists almost entirely of cover songs. Even The Chadwicks' "alter ego" band, Rock Lobster, plays covers exclusively. What makes the band stand out is the scope of its playlists — these guys cover more than a hundred songs, spanning several genres and decades. They can turn on and tune in at a '60s dance party with songs by The Doors, Van Morrison, and The Rolling Stones; they can rock your bell-bottoms with '70s songs by Don McLean, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Aerosmith; and they keep it contemporary with covers of artists like Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Maroon 5, and Weezer. And if you're worried they skipped the '80s, fear not — check out Rock Lobster, which plays nothing but '80s hits, from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and The Bangles to Naked Eyes and Dead or Alive. Whatever your musical tastes, the guys in The Chadwicks have you covered.

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