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    Best Place to Hear Local Music

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    The best places in Atlanta for local music.

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2018
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2018 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    529 Bar (Featured)
    The beloved East Atlanta indie music venue and neighborhood bar recently underwent a facelift that more than tripled the size of its hallowed music room. That means bigger crowds, an amped-up sound system, a second bar, and, oh yes, more bathrooms (sorely needed). The change has perfectly positionedmore...
    The beloved East Atlanta indie music venue and neighborhood bar recently underwent a facelift that more than tripled the size of its hallowed music room. That means bigger crowds, an amped-up sound system, a second bar, and, oh yes, more bathrooms (sorely needed). The change has perfectly positioned 529 as one of the city’s premiere small concert venues. Local and touring bands alike flock to play there pretty much every night of the week. As such, music and merriment seep through walls and onto the village streets, inviting regulars and passersby to stop in, grab a drink, and join the rowdy crowd. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2018
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2018 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    Eddie’s Attic (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2017
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2017 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2016
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    The Mammal Gallery (Permanently Closed)
    Tucked away on South Broad Street in Downtown, THE MAMMAL GALLERY is a stronghold for obscure, challenging, and outsider music. The music programming in 2016 alone provided a crucial service for young and old alike in the experimental music scene. Mammal hosted a low-key potluck and open jam sessionmore...
    Tucked away on South Broad Street in Downtown, THE MAMMAL GALLERY is a stronghold for obscure, challenging, and outsider music. The music programming in 2016 alone provided a crucial service for young and old alike in the experimental music scene. Mammal hosted a low-key potluck and open jam session with German krautrock legend Faust. The club also opened its stage to such wild jazz luminaries as saxophone player Joe McPhee and the group Universal Indians. Sun Ra Arkestra sax man Marshall Allen also found a stage there with his improv music and film outfit Cinema Soloriens. But in between these nights of skronking mania the stage has been taken over by the likes of New York songstress Shilpa Ray, Atlanta party-pop weirdos Salsa Chest, Club Morph’s genre bending queer-friendly club music nights, and trap music icon 2 Chainz and Sonny Digital on stage together. By providing a home for such a broad cross-section of underground music, legends are being born in a gritty, DIY spot far from the bustling nightlife scenes of East Atlanta and Edgewood Avenue. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2016
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2015
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    Eddie’s Attic (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2014
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2014 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    529 Bar (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2014
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2014 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    529

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2013
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2013 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    529 Bar (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2012
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    529 Bar (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2011
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    Eddie’s Attic (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2011
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    tunnel shows
    Forget a Facebook invite; you couldn’t stumble upon this place with a pocket compass. That’s because the location of the tunnel shows that take place along the southwestern stretch of the Beltline remain shrouded in secrecy. Imagine the Southern gothic atmosphere of a William Faulkner novel, channeledmore...
    Forget a Facebook invite; you couldn’t stumble upon this place with a pocket compass. That’s because the location of the tunnel shows that take place along the southwestern stretch of the Beltline remain shrouded in secrecy. Imagine the Southern gothic atmosphere of a William Faulkner novel, channeled into a strange but beautiful outsider folk scene. Ramshackle and hobo-esque acts with names such as Pony Bones, Melissa Lonely, the Subliminator, and Shitty Bedford howl at the moon while carving out a sound that’s anything but urbane. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2010
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    Eddie’s Attic (Featured)

    Runner-up: The Earl


    488 Flat Shoals Avenue S.E., 404-522-3950, www.badearl.com/

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2009
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2009 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    529 Bar (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2009
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2009 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Runner-up
    Eddie’s Attic
    515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur, 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2009
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2009 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    529

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2009
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2009 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2008
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2008 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    Drunken Unicorn

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2008
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2008 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2008
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2008 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    Sugarhill (Permanently Closed)
    “Harpo, this here is our juke joint!” Like a scene straight out of The Color Purple, SUGARHILL stands as Atlanta’s contemporary juke joint. It’s dark, sexy and laid-back, with plenty of local soul bouncing from the stage. The intimate scene allows you to get up close and personal with the artists,more...
    “Harpo, this here is our juke joint!” Like a scene straight out of The Color Purple, SUGARHILL stands as Atlanta’s contemporary juke joint. It’s dark, sexy and laid-back, with plenty of local soul bouncing from the stage. The intimate scene allows you to get up close and personal with the artists, while you cozy up next to that special someone. Sure to satisfy your sweet tooth for homegrown R&B/soul, Sugarhill is addictive. The weekly Tuesday Jam session, hosted by Joi with DJ Kemit, is full of surprises - you never know who might hit the stage, from the soulful sounds of Eva Kennedy and Phillipia to the hard-hitting hip-hop of Malachi and Hollyweerd. Since it’s located in Underground Atlanta, it stays open until 4 a.m., which causes me to be late to work almost every Wednesday. 50 Upper Alabama St. 404-658-0068. www.sugarhillatl.com. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2007
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    Lenny’s Bar (Permanently Closed)
    Moving out doesn’t always mean moving up, and LENNY’S proves that even with a newer and bigger location, it can still proudly call itself the “CBGB’S of Atlanta.” Despite the new location, the floor is still scuffed and dirty, the music is loud, and the PBRmore...
    Moving out doesn’t always mean moving up, and LENNY’S proves that even with a newer and bigger location, it can still proudly call itself the “CBGB’S of Atlanta.” Despite the new location, the floor is still scuffed and dirty, the music is loud, and the PBR is always flowing. The rock ’n’ roll venue has doggedly stuck to a slate of local bands, from new prospects to such local kingpins as the Carbonas and Brass Castle. And it always kicks off the weekend with the raucous and drunken Trashed Friday night dance party. Now settled into its bigger building, Lenny’s crowd has the room to do what it does best — get drunk, loud and rowdy. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2007
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2006
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2006 » After Dark » Critics Pick
    The Earl (Featured)
    Throughout 2006, there’s been an ongoing debate around the office: Does fried okra and nitrates on a stick make music better? Well, recent trips to THE EARL have confirmed that yes, a little salt of the earth makes for a meatier experience. Not that anyone was concerned about the quality ofmore...
    Throughout 2006, there’s been an ongoing debate around the office: Does fried okra and nitrates on a stick make music better? Well, recent trips to THE EARL have confirmed that yes, a little salt of the earth makes for a meatier experience. Not that anyone was concerned about the quality of music at the Earl to begin with. We turn to the Earl not just because we’re hungry in our tummies but also because we’re hungry in our hearts for that prime grade-A local music. less...

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2006
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2006 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    The Earl (Featured)

    Best Place to Hear Local Music BOA Award Winner

    Year » 2005
    Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2005 » After Dark » Readers Pick
    Eddie’s Attic (Featured)
    515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur 404-377-4976 www.eddiesattic.com
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