Best Place to Hear Live Music

[July 23rd, 2008]

Laurelthirst Public House

[The Arboretum] 2958 NE Glisan St., 232-1504.No, it isn’t very big. And no, you won’t find Brooklyn’s finest indie acts on the tiny corner stage. But you will get to experience the genius of house bands the Kung Pao Chickens and the Freak Mountain Ramblers up close and personal, along with visiting acts like Jim Page and the Too Loose Cajun Band while downing pitchers of fine local beer.

Runner-up: Moon & Sixpence British Pub

Mississippi Studios

[Baristaville] 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 753-4473.This is a bittersweet BOP award, as the pint-sized Mississippi Studios we all know and love had a meeting with the demolition ball last month. But wait, there’s a silver lining! Mississippi Studios will reopen early this fall with a bigger, badder floor plan and the same awesome sound. We hope the new space maintains the old down-home feel!

Runner-up: Wonder Ballroom

Dante’s

[Central City] 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630.You can catch Storm Large, Dominic Castilly and the Rainy States at other venues around town, but will they have fire? Will they be followed by strippers? Will there be a burlesque drawing class beforehand? No, of course not. Because the other venues just ain’t Dante’s.

Runner-up: McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

Jimmy Mak’s

[El Dorado] 221 NW 10th Ave., 295-6542.For a long time now, Jimmy’s has been one of the few foundations of the live jazz circuit in town—with crisp sound, almost nightly performances (often including good old Mel Brown on his drum set), sumptuous hummus plates (and a whole lotta other Mediterranean delights), and a rare chance for young jazz fans to catch a show, up till 9:30 pm.

Runner-up: Slabtown

Doug Fir Lounge

[The Inseam] 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663.Where else can you listen to live music from the interior of a futuristic log-cabin cocoon? Headliners are equally split between out-of-towners and local favorites, making the Doug Fir the kind of venue where you can just drop in for a show without even checking the lineup.

Runner-up: The Aladdin Theater

Dublin Pub

[Neglected Southwest] 6821 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, 297-2889.

The Dublin Pub’s house band, The Boys Next Door, keep the dance floor packed and moving every Friday night, without fail. The $5 cover charge Friday and Saturday is well worth it to enjoy some sweet jams and a rowdy crowd as you guzzle micros with friends.

Runner-up: Buffalo Gap Saloon

Alberta Street Public House

[The New Frontier] 1036 NE Alberta St., 284-7665.Formerly a mostly folk and acoustic venue known for attracting “tea-drinking crowds,” this Irishy pioneer of the Alberta Street remodel has diversified its offerings to invite younger, more enthusiastic crowds to hear pop, country and blues. Don’t worry, though—the Friday night Irish jam is still going strong.

Runner-up: Mississippi Studios/McMenamins Kennedy School (tie)

(TIE) McMenamins Edgefield

[The Outer Limits] 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, 669-8610.

Yeah, getting to Troutdale is a little bit of a schlep. But at least once a year, you’ve gotta squeeze in, carpool, and make the trek out to East County’s best treasure. If you can afford it, Edgefield’s pricey summer “Concerts on the Lawn” series is a kick—where high-profile acts play to thousands of happy people outdoors.

[The Outer Limits] 11140 SE Powell Blvd., 760-7646.

Besides having the awesomest name of any venue in Portland (there has to be a bad ’80s movie with the same title, doesn’t there?), Rock ’n’ Roll Pizza has given its critics the finger and maintained an impressively busy (all-ages!) musical calendar despite its deep-Southeast locale. Plus, it has flames on it.

Mock Crest Tavern

[The Peninsula] 3435 N Lombard St., 283-5014.It’s “the home of North Portland blues” for good reason: live blues four nights a week, plus free poker nights to give you something to sing about and a “bluesburger” on the menu. Been workin’ so hard, mama, I’m gonna go to Mock Crest’s open-mic night this Thursday.

Runner-up: Proper Eats

Hawthorne Theater

[The People’s Republic] 3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-7100.Thanks to OLCC regulations, running an all-ages music venue here is about as easy as opening up a Planned Parenthood office in the Vatican. But the Hawthorne Theater is damn good at letting the young ones play together with adults in a spot where indie rock, punk, metal and a whole lot more leaves ears of all generations ringing.

Runner-up: The Aladdin Theater

Aladdin Theater

[Sellwoodstockland] 3116 SE 11th Ave., 234-9694.

It’s safe to say that no theater in town has changed with the times like the Aladdin. What started as a vaudeville house in the roaring ’20s, transformed to a family movie emporium midcentury and eventually a sticky-floored porn house in the ’80s, is now one of the best spots to catch bigshot out-of-towners and up-and-coming local talent in a surprisingly intimate setting.

Runner-up: Muddy Rudder Public House

(TIE) Red Room

[Siberia] 2530 NE 82nd Ave. 256-3399.

Staring down the long asphalt stretch of Northeast 82nd Avenue, the options for live music are slim and sad. That’s why area residents owe the rough and ready Red Room a standing ovation. The smoky, cheerfully raw club offers free, live rock—from punk and indie-pop to ear-raping metal anarchy—every Thursday through Saturday night. That’s thanks to owners Tina and Jeremy Judy, a pair of local musicians. Wanna make your own noise? No worries, free Guitar Hero is on offer every damn night.

(TIE) Clyde’s Prime Rib

[Siberia] 5474 NE Sandy Blvd., 281-9200.Behind the dated façade of this castle-themed Hollywood District steakhouse beats the heart of a genuine funk and R&B club. Every weekend, Clyde’s adjoining bar is packed with an older, snazzily dressed African-American crowd peppered with T-shirt-clad drinkers and dazed hipsters devouring prime rib sandwiches in the lounge’s big red booths. They’re all waiting for the live and local beats to start throbbing—from Ocean 503’s funk to Cool Breeze’s soul, pop and blues—the kind of happy, grind-worthy wedding music that leads young and old, black and white, even a dude in a wheelchair, to the tiny dance floor. Ever wanted to hear a live cover of Steve Wonder’s “Superstition” and “Return of the Mack” back to back? You’re in the right club, my friend.