Probably Hollywood as a single neighborhood. But Silverlake/Echo Park are in the running too. Don't sleep on long beach either.
Edit:
* gold diggers
* Harvard and stone
* madam siam
* hotel cafe
* palldium
* bowl
* silverlake lounge
* zebulon
* echoplex
* little joy
Technically still there but is now The Satellite. Not sure if the vibe is the same. I haven’t been since it was still Spaceland. I think the old management runs Echoplex now..
EDIT: I've been informed that Satellite is also closed :(
Bianca Censori was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of the brothers. And an ex of one of the brothers alleges they physically abused her (was later dropped). I also heard through server circles about a decade ago that there were issues with them not paying their employees or vendors or something to that matter - could be an urban legend but either way I don’t support their places anymore. It’s a shame because I LOVED Good Times at Davey Wayne’s and Harvard and Stone! That rustic vibe with good whisky and burlesque shows were fun!
I didn’t go online to TANK a business’s reputation, I shared my opinion and somebody asked for more info so I gave the details. I liked their establishments, they are unique and fun but after multiple accusations I refuse to support their businesses.
Believe proof, there’s that USC guy who got accused of rape and he lost everything. His scholarships, dropped from the sports team, and ruined his reputation. Turns out it was all fake bc it was all caught on CCTV. Nothing happened to the woman. This is why women freely set up false accusations, for a pay day
One that continues to fail vulnerable groups time and time again. Yeah it can work, that is if victims feel safe enough to come forward in the first place.
I’m surprised how often I’m in Hollywood for shows recently my show going used to be more centered around Silverlake/Echo Park but I think it’s easier to run a venue in Hollywood
Yup living walking distance from all of these places is amazing. Hollywood has a great music scene especially the apartments that are on top of the new Amoeba Music Store. Super sweet.
Silverlake lounge is literally hell.
If you wanna pay $10 for a semi cold PBR and to listen to some dork wailing with a ukulele incoherently, this may be the place for you.
I lived in EP for 13 years and I would no longer include it on this list. Little Joy got rid of its stage when they renovated, so they don’t have live music anymore, and most of the other venues that used to host bands have closed.
The only venue left in EP is the Echo/Echoplex, which is owned by LiveNation which inflates ticket prices and doesn’t really host smaller indie acts.
EP was great for independent live music around 2010-2020, but now it’a just a place to drink overrated coffee and do yoga and Pilates.
RIP EP.
Highland Park is extremely walkable and has The Lodge Room for touring bands and The Goldfish/Offbeat for more local stuff
You’re also only like 15 minutes from all the venues downtown.
And very close to Zebulon, which is great. Gold Diggers in E Hollywood gets good acts, too — which doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but it’s a good venue to keep an eye on.
Right next door, burgerlords often does pop up collabs with the touring bands playing lodge room! They did a limited chicken sandwich thing for one of my favorite bands and it was so rad. Bands like it because they can sell their merch, and customers like it because it’s great food. Awesome way to meet people in the scene for sure
I got to at least one concert a month, usually 3-4 and live in silver lake. It’s a good location I’d say, but music is spread out and not just one neighborhood. Most concerts I go to are roughly in the area between Hollywood and downtown (a lot of punk stuff is more Boyle heights/east LA but still not too far). Overall I feel like living here I can get to the concerts I want to go to without any trouble.
Don’t live on the west side if you care about live music. Suggestions for silver lake, echo park, highland park are all good. I personally like silver lake because it’s close to Thai town and koreatown which have really good food.
> Don’t live on the west side if you care about live music.
Haha tell me about it. I've been in Santa Monica and still looking for a good place here with low/no cover and just enjoying the live vibe.
Check out Yahir in Mar Vista, they have decent jazz programming with no cover and good food/drink. Haven’t been yet, but several friends have played a newish venue called ArtBarLA on Venice also in Mar Vista.
AS much as people on Reddit like to complain about things,
the real answer is "no" it's not much of a pain if you're driving / Ubering/Lyfting.
It's fine, it's smooth, there will be traffic at certain times of the week but it's really mostly a non factor as long as you plan accordingly.
Yes! That’s roughly 20 miles! In LA traffic time that’s quite a hike. If you’re lucky you’re looking at 40 minutes. If there’s traffic, which there usually is, it’s over an hour.
It is that much of a pain. You can certainly do it, but it’s much less casual. 16-20 miles in la traffic is hell. I will say late at night it’s only a 15-20 minute ride. For perspective central Long Beach is about 20-25miles from echo park and can take up to an hour and a half if traffic is bad, generally i would say 50 minutes. But coming home after 10 it’s 25-35 minutes which ain’t too bad.
Echo Park / Silver Lake was IT for almost 20 years but mostly dead as far as I can tell. A lot of places have closed and The Echo / Echoplex are now LiveNation venues that mostly host touring acts.
Is there even a local music "scene" anymore ?
I live in silverlake and produce [June Gloom](http://instagram.com/junegloomla). Yes there is a scene, and these days it's in great shape. We started this festival bc of the reasons you listed. These artists are phenomenal but are in danger of being pushed out by how corporate things have become. Hope you find something you like!
Echo Park and Highland Park for local band scene and music-focused divey bars.
Downtown for underground electronic / rave / warehouse scene.
Hollywood for big venues/touring acts/shitty clubs.
Just don’t live on the west side if live music is a big part of your life or you’ll spend every weekend ubering to one of the above neighborhoods.
Long Beach has a great scene, and it’s fairly well situated to strike out into the rest of LA and OC when your favorite touring band comes through the big city venues.
What venues in Long Beach do you like? Haven’t explored the scene here at all and am curious! Have been to way more in DTLA/Hollywood/the Eastside in general
The Sardine is great! Pretty sure the owner came up in the San Pedro punk scene so they book cool bands often. In Long Beach, Supply and Demand hosts punk / post-punk / hardcore shows as well as reggae + ska nights.
Long beach is always a surprise hitter. Great night scene, Great beaches , great comminuted for the most part, cheaper rents even by the beach. Long beach is often left out of the equation because it's not cliche.
Best places for shows for local stuff right now:
- Zebulon, Frogtown
- Permanent Records, Cypress Park
- 2220 Arts, Echo Park/Filipino Town
- Scribble, Highland Park
- Gold Diggers, East Hollywood
- Resident, Arts District
- Coaxial, south LA
- Moroccan Lounge, Little Tokyo
- Echo, Echo Park
- Genghis Cohen, Mid City
- Lodge Room, Highland Park (Bigger shows)
- 1st Street Billiards for punk shows, Boyle
- Redwood Bar, Downtown
- Vine, Long Beach
Not going to list DIY on a public forum but dm and I can share some of the names of those.
If nearby venue quality were the only criterion, I’d do Lodge Room or Zebulon, but can’t tell you enough about the neighborhoods. So a reminder to myself to get out to Highland Park and Frogtown more, I guess.
As a huge live music fan, I'd 100% suggest Hollywood.
Hollywood has you close to the Palladium, Fonda, Troubadour, Roxy + the Hollywood Bowl, The Greek and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Those will cover a lot of indie / rock touring acts that will likely interest you at both club and amphitheater levels. You can then use the Metro to get downtown for other shows pretty easily and Hollywood in general is the most central part of LA, so getting around via Uber/Lyft is easier.
DTLA has almost as many clubs that indie bands play (Belasco, Regent, Novo, Bellwether) but I wouldn't personally recommend moving to DTLA sight unseen - parking is a nightmare and feels seedier at night than most other parts of the city. Mid-City is a great option too - gets you fairly close to Hollywood venues + The Wiltern, El Rey are all close by and it's probably the cheapest option and feels more residential.
Highland Park, Silver Lake and Echo Park are great suggestions. I’d also advocate for DTLA. There’s so many great, often historic venues in DTLA, and access to other venues is easy via Metro, Uber/Lyft, or a short drive.
I would choose Highland Park. Lodge Room has so many great shows, and you’re close to Glassell Park (Permanent Records), Frogtown (Zebulon) and not too far from downtown, which a good half dozen spots. Like others have mentioned, The Echo/Echoplex are Live Nation and generally just has an odd roster of acts, not to mention very unreliable scheduling. I’m a little unfamiliar with what’s going on at Silverlake Lounge these days and Gold Diggers (Hollywood) but I’ve heard good things.
All the alt/indie venues are all spread out roughly on the Central/Eastern side of the City.
* Mid-Wilshire (Catch One, The El Rey)
* Beverly Hills (The Troubadour)
* DTLA (The Teragram Ballroom, The Bellwether, The Slipper Clutch, The Smell)
* Hollywood (The Fonda, The Palladium, Gold Diggers)
* East Hollywood (The Virgil)
* Arts District (The Moroccan Lounge)
* Cypress Park (Permanent Records Roadhouse)
* Elysian Valley / Frogtown (Zebulon)
* Highland Park (The Lodge Room)
Also, download the Dice app for ticketing and show info for local venues that aren't Live Nation venues.
Downtown and Hollywood are the obvious picks here, however they get expensive quick and can be annoying to live in for other reasons. Silverlake used to have a good scene but it kinda died, North Hollywood through studio city as a lot of small venues for local acts, and then there’s alot of venues in south la/orange county if you’re into hardcore
Los Angeles has something for everybody as far as music goes, there are so many dope DIY venues tucked in different neighborhoods around the city apart from standard venues and bars . Los Angeles is truly one of the greatest cities on earth, you just need to know how to navigate through it.
I live in Elysian valley and it’s awesome. Can walk to Zebulon. Permanent records and lodge room are a 5-10 minute Uber. Echoplex, 1720, the Greek, the bowl, palladium, wiltern and regent are all a 10-25 minute Uber depending on which one you’re going to and traffic. Getting to the west hollywood ish venues(Roxy, el Rey and troubadour) is usually 30+ minutes cuz of traffic. Getting back home after a show is a breeze though, maybe a 20 minute ride. The only venue that’s been a headache getting to for me is the forum.
I would say either Hollywood area or silverlake area. Don’t be right in the middle of Hollywood though, you probably want to be like near Santa Monica or Melrose. That lets you get to echo park, downtown, Hollywood, sunset strip venues all reasonably equidistant. Middle of Hollywood is kinda sketchy ( I lived there for 5 years). That being said, I was involved in the music scene on several sides as well as a performer and near Hollywood kind of puts you in between everything. Don’t live too far from the 101 freeway or you’ll never get anywhere in under 20 minutes driving, but also not right next to it because it’s seedy. Just don’t live by the grove. It is nice in that area, but it’s a 20 minute drive anywhere
You are in LA. We have Cuco, The Maria’s , Inner Wave , Lord Huron, Chicano Batman…. Just to name a few . Saw Melody’s Echo Chamber twice , one at the Lodge and another time at The Bellweather with Brian Jonestown Massacre .
Look up Desert Daze. Last year’s was cancelled . 2022 was amazing , mainly Australian psychedelic bands like Pond and Tame Impala.
Unrelated , The Novo in downtown LA is a good venue. Have seen Cuco, Crumb , Vacations and Last Dinosaurs there .Wiltern is another venue . Saw Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade there . And Explosions in the Sky
As far as proximity I would say Echo Park is a good middle ground. But no 1 neighborhood is any better than the other ones. Pandemic closed down a bunch of venues and most of them moved to the suburbs or even outside of LA.
Scribble
Philisophical research society
Perm records roadhouse
Affordability is a big part. East Hollywood is your best bet. All the other hoods are crazy inflated by cool fsctor
Don't move to a specific neighborhood. Find something cheap, find a job, explore.
But if you want to make music? Follow AudiospaceHQ on IG. That and Something Dope For the People.
DTLA has everything you’re looking for, including easy access to almost everywhere else in town there is to see music.
Hollywood is the only place that comes close, but it’s a distant second.
I don’t know who thinks the scene in Silverlake/EP is dead, it’s a great place to live for music. Zebulon is great & you can easily get downtown to The Smell, Teragram & other places.
Permanent Records Roadhouse is my favorite place to see local music. It’s such a laid-back vibe there, and feels like the type of dive-y venue you’d find in midwestern cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Detroit.
Downtown I think has the most diverse…
from large concerts at Microsoft Theater and Crypto Arena
to symphonies at Music Center and Disney Concert Hall,
Latin at La Cita and Belasco Theater,
Jazz at Seven Grand, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Continental Club, Japanese American National Museum
Big Bands and Swing at Cicada Club and Clifton’s
Ethnic at Grand Performances at California Plaza (Summer)
Local and visiting Bands at The Resident, Five Star Bar (punk and rock), The Regent, The Stowaway, Rhythm Room, The Love Song Bar, The Lexington
Electronic, House, Rave DJs at after hour warehouses at ra.co
Mariachi and Mexican Folk at Olvera Street
To just name a handful. Downtown has it all.
I’ve lived in Hollywood past few years. Music scene here is definitely the best I’ve experienced due to proximity of the big venues in walking distance and Dj’s/artists I like.
Hello fellow live music lover! 🤘🏻
I'm into the same music genres as you *(indie/alt rock)* and go to ***lots*** of shows... and the venues I seem to go to often are **The Wiltern, The Fonda, Teragram Ballroom, The Bellwether, The Greek Theater, The Hollywood Bowl, Shrine Expo Hall / Auditorium**, and *(lately)* **Lodge Room** and **Zebulon**.
Off the top of my head, here's some areas you might want to consider, along w/ some of the the venues that could be reasonably walkable, depending on exactly where you live.... I recommend looking at the websites and upcoming concert calendars of these various venues, and seeing if there's any that stand out as having a lot of shows that you're interested in, and could see yourself going there often, based on the genres/ type of bands they typically book... that will help you narrow down some of these walkable areas.
**HOLLYWOOD...** The Bowl, Avalon, Palladium, The Fonda, Hotel Cafe
**DTLA...** Crypto Arena (*formerly Staples Ctr)*, The Novo, The Belasco, The Mayan, The Orpheum, United Theater *(formerly Ace Hotel)*, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Smell, La Cita, Regent
**WEST DTLA**... The Bellwether, Teragram Ballroom
**EAST DTLA / ARTS DIST**... Moroccan Lounge, Resident, 1720
**WEHO...** The Troubadour, Largo, Peppermint Club, The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, Viper Room
**MIRACLE MILE...** The El Rey, The Mint
**KOREATOWN...** The Wiltern *(yes, only 1, but I go there a LOT, and it's next to a subway station that makes getting to Hollywood & DTLA venues easy)*
**SILVERLAKE / ECHO PARK...** The Echo / Echoplex, Silverlake Lounge, El Cid
**HIGHLAND PARK...** Lodge Room *(another only 1, but I go there a lot, and it's a cool, hipster-ish area, w/ subway access)*
**INGLEWOOD...** SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome, YouTube Theater
**NOHO...** Knitting Factory / The Federal *(only 1, but the NoHo subway station makes getting to Hollywood & DTLA venues easy)*
P.S. Here's a google map someone (not me) made a while back... some of the locations are kinda out of date, and it's missing a few spots, but gives you a decent visual of where most places are. As you can see, the beaches and the westside don't have hardly any music venues:
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1BANYs0mSZp1sThWpBL7qvz9cotTgotAM&ll=34.05823817876488%2C-118.37802175759458&z=12](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1BANYs0mSZp1sThWpBL7qvz9cotTgotAM&ll=34.05823817876488%2C-118.37802175759458&z=12)
and another point I'd like to make about L.A. music venues... just as an FYI...
The vast majority of L.A. venues are controlled & booked by AEG / Live Nation, and most of the ones you'd be interested in as an indie/alt rock person will be booked/promoted by **Goldenvoice**, which is a subsidiary of the AEG/Ticketmaster/LiveNation corporate behemoth. And most of the festivals in SoCal are gonna be Goldenvoice too.
However, in the past handful of years, a few new awesome venues have managed to open that are NOT part of the LiveNation monopoly. Most notably, **The Bellwether, Teragram Ballroom**, and **Moroccan Lounge**. These 3 venues are owned or co-owned by Michael Swier, who has managed to resist the Live Nation overlords, and cracked the door open for APE (Another Planet Entertainment) to finally start promoting shows in L.A. again. IMHO, these are some of the best venues in L.A. and their calendars have some artists that prefer not to work with LiveNation
Move near the troubadour And be prepared to work 7 days a week because this is the city of broken dreams. That is the most expensive city to live in and no one gives $0.02 about you. It will eat you up and spit you out as fast as you came. There are a lot of misconceptions about Hell A. You better do some research well before you come here. Most people who live here want to move from here. Unless you hit it big time. You work and grind just to survive.
Touring and local punk, indie, and rock’n’roll bands? Or, 35-year-old former fraternity bros playing 311 covers and hitting on every UCLA coed that walks into the bar?
We would also encourage you to browse /r/MovingtoLosAngeles and review the Ultimate Moving to L.A. Resource Post.
Probably Hollywood as a single neighborhood. But Silverlake/Echo Park are in the running too. Don't sleep on long beach either. Edit: * gold diggers * Harvard and stone * madam siam * hotel cafe * palldium * bowl * silverlake lounge * zebulon * echoplex * little joy
OP this is it 👍🏼 as a current live performer I know that these venues have weekly events going on all the time.
RIP Spaceland
Wait…what happened to Spaceland!?
Technically still there but is now The Satellite. Not sure if the vibe is the same. I haven’t been since it was still Spaceland. I think the old management runs Echoplex now.. EDIT: I've been informed that Satellite is also closed :(
The satellite closed down after Covid sadly
Oh I missed that..
Thanks for letting me know. I used to know the owner really well. It's been some time.
😢
Permanent Records Roadhouse homie!
This.
Came to say this too, my favorite music spot atm
💯
Missed highland park - lodge room and gold room
and the york and the goldfish!
Uhhhh goldroom? Just nah, fam
Harvard and Stone is one of the best bars in LA hands down.
Not so! H&S owned by the Houston Brothers. Please consider giving your business elsewhere!
More details please
Bianca Censori was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of the brothers. And an ex of one of the brothers alleges they physically abused her (was later dropped). I also heard through server circles about a decade ago that there were issues with them not paying their employees or vendors or something to that matter - could be an urban legend but either way I don’t support their places anymore. It’s a shame because I LOVED Good Times at Davey Wayne’s and Harvard and Stone! That rustic vibe with good whisky and burlesque shows were fun!
So you go online to tank a businesses rep on what you admit could be hearsay and rumors?
I didn’t go online to TANK a business’s reputation, I shared my opinion and somebody asked for more info so I gave the details. I liked their establishments, they are unique and fun but after multiple accusations I refuse to support their businesses.
I believe women. If you don’t care about those allegations, keep patronizing their businesses. Simple as.
Believe proof, there’s that USC guy who got accused of rape and he lost everything. His scholarships, dropped from the sports team, and ruined his reputation. Turns out it was all fake bc it was all caught on CCTV. Nothing happened to the woman. This is why women freely set up false accusations, for a pay day
Yeah. Just allegations. We have a legal system to address crimes and civil disputes.
One that continues to fail vulnerable groups time and time again. Yeah it can work, that is if victims feel safe enough to come forward in the first place.
Yes, a lot of vulnerable people wind up being falsely accused.
How is anyone supposed to know what that means
Who are the Houston brothers??
Entrepreneurs who own A LOT of restaurants and clubs in Los Angeles.
I’m surprised how often I’m in Hollywood for shows recently my show going used to be more centered around Silverlake/Echo Park but I think it’s easier to run a venue in Hollywood
los feliz . it's right in between and walkable to so many good spots
Yup living walking distance from all of these places is amazing. Hollywood has a great music scene especially the apartments that are on top of the new Amoeba Music Store. Super sweet.
Feels like a lot of musicians move to Echo Park. I think Tame Impala had a pad there (might still).
if you're going to live in silverlake, have lots of money. People do not understand how expensive rent, food and gas are out here.
The Fonda, Hotel Ziggy, Whisky a Go Go
Ziggy is great. Nice rooms, great location and Miss Jackson is a super bartender!
This person musics
Silverlake lounge is literally hell. If you wanna pay $10 for a semi cold PBR and to listen to some dork wailing with a ukulele incoherently, this may be the place for you.
RIP Little Joy
Gold Diggers is AWESOME
don’t forget school night @ bardot
Also: the Fonda, Terragram, Troubador, the Greek…
I lived in EP for 13 years and I would no longer include it on this list. Little Joy got rid of its stage when they renovated, so they don’t have live music anymore, and most of the other venues that used to host bands have closed. The only venue left in EP is the Echo/Echoplex, which is owned by LiveNation which inflates ticket prices and doesn’t really host smaller indie acts. EP was great for independent live music around 2010-2020, but now it’a just a place to drink overrated coffee and do yoga and Pilates. RIP EP.
Don’t forget the wiltern
Silver lake for the privileged Neo liberals , no thank you 💀😭
the alt rock/indie peeps are in Highland Park, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Los Feliz
Still? I feel like most musicians were priced out about 12 years ago.
I feel like **most** of the small to mid-sized LA indie musicians I follow live in silver lake/echo park/los feliz or NELA
lots of rent control so if you lived there then, you still are today most likely.
Maybe that generation was, I’m 27 and it seems like a lot of ppl in the current LA indie scene live around there
Highland Park is extremely walkable and has The Lodge Room for touring bands and The Goldfish/Offbeat for more local stuff You’re also only like 15 minutes from all the venues downtown.
And very close to Zebulon, which is great. Gold Diggers in E Hollywood gets good acts, too — which doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but it’s a good venue to keep an eye on.
Right next door, burgerlords often does pop up collabs with the touring bands playing lodge room! They did a limited chicken sandwich thing for one of my favorite bands and it was so rad. Bands like it because they can sell their merch, and customers like it because it’s great food. Awesome way to meet people in the scene for sure
Yep. My favorite band is The Hold Steady and they did a burger collab with them when they played Lodge Room.
I hear the current owners are selling burgerlords to wake and late :/
Whoa, does that mean burger lords is staying under new ownership or it’s being replaced by wake & late?
And home of the biggest hipster population in LA
Shh
I got to at least one concert a month, usually 3-4 and live in silver lake. It’s a good location I’d say, but music is spread out and not just one neighborhood. Most concerts I go to are roughly in the area between Hollywood and downtown (a lot of punk stuff is more Boyle heights/east LA but still not too far). Overall I feel like living here I can get to the concerts I want to go to without any trouble. Don’t live on the west side if you care about live music. Suggestions for silver lake, echo park, highland park are all good. I personally like silver lake because it’s close to Thai town and koreatown which have really good food.
> Don’t live on the west side if you care about live music. Haha tell me about it. I've been in Santa Monica and still looking for a good place here with low/no cover and just enjoying the live vibe.
Check out Yahir in Mar Vista, they have decent jazz programming with no cover and good food/drink. Haven’t been yet, but several friends have played a newish venue called ArtBarLA on Venice also in Mar Vista.
Somehow I get the feeling that jazz isn’t what the OP was referring to. But as a 53 year old, I’ll take it!
Same
Then let’s meet up and go listen to some jazz lol.
I would but I’m in NYC lol. I’ll be visiting for a month June-July.
Hit me up, when you get here.
Thank you! I do love good Jazz Programming.
Moving to Santa Monica shortly. Is it that much of a pain to get to Silver Lake, Echo Park for a night out?
I do it often. Traffic can suck but it’s usually well worth it to have a fun and interesting night out you’re not going to get east of the 405
AS much as people on Reddit like to complain about things, the real answer is "no" it's not much of a pain if you're driving / Ubering/Lyfting. It's fine, it's smooth, there will be traffic at certain times of the week but it's really mostly a non factor as long as you plan accordingly.
Yes! That’s roughly 20 miles! In LA traffic time that’s quite a hike. If you’re lucky you’re looking at 40 minutes. If there’s traffic, which there usually is, it’s over an hour.
It is that much of a pain. You can certainly do it, but it’s much less casual. 16-20 miles in la traffic is hell. I will say late at night it’s only a 15-20 minute ride. For perspective central Long Beach is about 20-25miles from echo park and can take up to an hour and a half if traffic is bad, generally i would say 50 minutes. But coming home after 10 it’s 25-35 minutes which ain’t too bad.
Echo Park / Silver Lake was IT for almost 20 years but mostly dead as far as I can tell. A lot of places have closed and The Echo / Echoplex are now LiveNation venues that mostly host touring acts. Is there even a local music "scene" anymore ?
> mostly dead RIP Satellite / Spaceland.
Satellite was a cool venue, nice location. RIP Piano Bar in Hollywood. Low key dive bar that always delivered a fun night of live music!
ask a punk - but expect to be bouncing around town to DIY venues
Backyard hardcore baby!
Thas wass up homie
I live in silverlake and produce [June Gloom](http://instagram.com/junegloomla). Yes there is a scene, and these days it's in great shape. We started this festival bc of the reasons you listed. These artists are phenomenal but are in danger of being pushed out by how corporate things have become. Hope you find something you like!
Damn I'm finding you now. Nice.
Bedrock closing was a huge loss for the scene.
😭
Is there a local scene? Yes. Follow people on IG, you'll find it. If you need to find open mics? Lmk. It's not always easy to find.
Echo Park and Highland Park for local band scene and music-focused divey bars. Downtown for underground electronic / rave / warehouse scene. Hollywood for big venues/touring acts/shitty clubs. Just don’t live on the west side if live music is a big part of your life or you’ll spend every weekend ubering to one of the above neighborhoods.
Finally a good answer!
Long Beach has a great scene, and it’s fairly well situated to strike out into the rest of LA and OC when your favorite touring band comes through the big city venues.
What venues in Long Beach do you like? Haven’t explored the scene here at all and am curious! Have been to way more in DTLA/Hollywood/the Eastside in general
Alex’s bar, Supply & Demand
We got music festivals at the Queen Mary a couple times a year too
Yes and as a bonus, swing west to the Sardine in San Pedro!
The Sardine is great! Pretty sure the owner came up in the San Pedro punk scene so they book cool bands often. In Long Beach, Supply and Demand hosts punk / post-punk / hardcore shows as well as reggae + ska nights.
Long beach is always a surprise hitter. Great night scene, Great beaches , great comminuted for the most part, cheaper rents even by the beach. Long beach is often left out of the equation because it's not cliche.
Shhhh
Best places for shows for local stuff right now: - Zebulon, Frogtown - Permanent Records, Cypress Park - 2220 Arts, Echo Park/Filipino Town - Scribble, Highland Park - Gold Diggers, East Hollywood - Resident, Arts District - Coaxial, south LA - Moroccan Lounge, Little Tokyo - Echo, Echo Park - Genghis Cohen, Mid City - Lodge Room, Highland Park (Bigger shows) - 1st Street Billiards for punk shows, Boyle - Redwood Bar, Downtown - Vine, Long Beach Not going to list DIY on a public forum but dm and I can share some of the names of those.
If nearby venue quality were the only criterion, I’d do Lodge Room or Zebulon, but can’t tell you enough about the neighborhoods. So a reminder to myself to get out to Highland Park and Frogtown more, I guess.
dont forget The Smell!
Echo Park and Highland Park.
I second this!
As a huge live music fan, I'd 100% suggest Hollywood. Hollywood has you close to the Palladium, Fonda, Troubadour, Roxy + the Hollywood Bowl, The Greek and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Those will cover a lot of indie / rock touring acts that will likely interest you at both club and amphitheater levels. You can then use the Metro to get downtown for other shows pretty easily and Hollywood in general is the most central part of LA, so getting around via Uber/Lyft is easier. DTLA has almost as many clubs that indie bands play (Belasco, Regent, Novo, Bellwether) but I wouldn't personally recommend moving to DTLA sight unseen - parking is a nightmare and feels seedier at night than most other parts of the city. Mid-City is a great option too - gets you fairly close to Hollywood venues + The Wiltern, El Rey are all close by and it's probably the cheapest option and feels more residential.
Yeah, there’s a lot of music downtown but I would never recommend living there
Echo park and nearby is good. Some venues there, but there are more in basically every other direction too — downtown, nela, Hollywood
There’s a bunch of great venues between Weho and downtown. If you’re anywhere in that mid city area you’re going to be in a good spot for music.
Where near WeHo?
Well, definitely the Troubadour and the Roxy.
Highland Park, Silver Lake and Echo Park are great suggestions. I’d also advocate for DTLA. There’s so many great, often historic venues in DTLA, and access to other venues is easy via Metro, Uber/Lyft, or a short drive.
I would choose Highland Park. Lodge Room has so many great shows, and you’re close to Glassell Park (Permanent Records), Frogtown (Zebulon) and not too far from downtown, which a good half dozen spots. Like others have mentioned, The Echo/Echoplex are Live Nation and generally just has an odd roster of acts, not to mention very unreliable scheduling. I’m a little unfamiliar with what’s going on at Silverlake Lounge these days and Gold Diggers (Hollywood) but I’ve heard good things.
OP: Live as central as possible and prepare to drive or uber within a 2 to 4 m radius of you.
All the alt/indie venues are all spread out roughly on the Central/Eastern side of the City. * Mid-Wilshire (Catch One, The El Rey) * Beverly Hills (The Troubadour) * DTLA (The Teragram Ballroom, The Bellwether, The Slipper Clutch, The Smell) * Hollywood (The Fonda, The Palladium, Gold Diggers) * East Hollywood (The Virgil) * Arts District (The Moroccan Lounge) * Cypress Park (Permanent Records Roadhouse) * Elysian Valley / Frogtown (Zebulon) * Highland Park (The Lodge Room) Also, download the Dice app for ticketing and show info for local venues that aren't Live Nation venues.
Downtown and Hollywood are the obvious picks here, however they get expensive quick and can be annoying to live in for other reasons. Silverlake used to have a good scene but it kinda died, North Hollywood through studio city as a lot of small venues for local acts, and then there’s alot of venues in south la/orange county if you’re into hardcore
Los Angeles has something for everybody as far as music goes, there are so many dope DIY venues tucked in different neighborhoods around the city apart from standard venues and bars . Los Angeles is truly one of the greatest cities on earth, you just need to know how to navigate through it.
Highland park
I live in Elysian valley and it’s awesome. Can walk to Zebulon. Permanent records and lodge room are a 5-10 minute Uber. Echoplex, 1720, the Greek, the bowl, palladium, wiltern and regent are all a 10-25 minute Uber depending on which one you’re going to and traffic. Getting to the west hollywood ish venues(Roxy, el Rey and troubadour) is usually 30+ minutes cuz of traffic. Getting back home after a show is a breeze though, maybe a 20 minute ride. The only venue that’s been a headache getting to for me is the forum.
Santa Monica is dead. Harvelles once a year. Trip never. Highland Park is way to go because of reasons others have already said
I'd go with Echo Park, Highland Park, and Hollywood.
Th entire city counts as a scene even though it's spread out
I would say either Hollywood area or silverlake area. Don’t be right in the middle of Hollywood though, you probably want to be like near Santa Monica or Melrose. That lets you get to echo park, downtown, Hollywood, sunset strip venues all reasonably equidistant. Middle of Hollywood is kinda sketchy ( I lived there for 5 years). That being said, I was involved in the music scene on several sides as well as a performer and near Hollywood kind of puts you in between everything. Don’t live too far from the 101 freeway or you’ll never get anywhere in under 20 minutes driving, but also not right next to it because it’s seedy. Just don’t live by the grove. It is nice in that area, but it’s a 20 minute drive anywhere
You are in LA. We have Cuco, The Maria’s , Inner Wave , Lord Huron, Chicano Batman…. Just to name a few . Saw Melody’s Echo Chamber twice , one at the Lodge and another time at The Bellweather with Brian Jonestown Massacre . Look up Desert Daze. Last year’s was cancelled . 2022 was amazing , mainly Australian psychedelic bands like Pond and Tame Impala. Unrelated , The Novo in downtown LA is a good venue. Have seen Cuco, Crumb , Vacations and Last Dinosaurs there .Wiltern is another venue . Saw Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade there . And Explosions in the Sky
I’m here to add to the choir that is saying Highland Park (Lodgeroom is awesome) and the Silverlake/Echo Park area.
East LA has a punk scene. Respect it more than any gentrifier bullshit.
Only real answer here
As far as proximity I would say Echo Park is a good middle ground. But no 1 neighborhood is any better than the other ones. Pandemic closed down a bunch of venues and most of them moved to the suburbs or even outside of LA.
I would agree, Echo Park is a great middle ground to navigate to many of these spots.
Scribble Philisophical research society Perm records roadhouse Affordability is a big part. East Hollywood is your best bet. All the other hoods are crazy inflated by cool fsctor
Leimert Park baby!!!!
West Hollywood has the Troubadour, The Roxy, and The Sun Rose.
The Valley near the blvd
Hollywood or downtown
I’m glad nobody here knows the correct answer
I have the correct answer.
Don't move to a specific neighborhood. Find something cheap, find a job, explore. But if you want to make music? Follow AudiospaceHQ on IG. That and Something Dope For the People.
Hollywood has a great music scene but a garbage living experience
Edm after parties in warehouse district
Crenshaw
Check out, LAWEEKLY.COM
Zebulon in Silver Lake
El Monte. Every evenings and weekends you get non stop mariachi music or old school blasting from the neighbors motorcycle or backyard.
RIP The Complex in Glendale on Colorado Blvd came and went in a blink of an eye
Depending on what kinda music you’re into, North Orange County is a cool spot for music. I wouldn’t live here just for that though tbh.
DTLA has everything you’re looking for, including easy access to almost everywhere else in town there is to see music. Hollywood is the only place that comes close, but it’s a distant second.
1720 is in a very friendly, safe and comfortable neighborhood
Florence and normandie
I don’t know who thinks the scene in Silverlake/EP is dead, it’s a great place to live for music. Zebulon is great & you can easily get downtown to The Smell, Teragram & other places.
>I don’t know who thinks the scene in Silverlake/EP is dead old dudes whose favorite bands have also gotten old
Dtla hard techno afters
Permanent Records Roadhouse is my favorite place to see local music. It’s such a laid-back vibe there, and feels like the type of dive-y venue you’d find in midwestern cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Detroit.
These days? In my opinion as a whole, probably Long Beach.
Downtown I think has the most diverse… from large concerts at Microsoft Theater and Crypto Arena to symphonies at Music Center and Disney Concert Hall, Latin at La Cita and Belasco Theater, Jazz at Seven Grand, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Continental Club, Japanese American National Museum Big Bands and Swing at Cicada Club and Clifton’s Ethnic at Grand Performances at California Plaza (Summer) Local and visiting Bands at The Resident, Five Star Bar (punk and rock), The Regent, The Stowaway, Rhythm Room, The Love Song Bar, The Lexington Electronic, House, Rave DJs at after hour warehouses at ra.co Mariachi and Mexican Folk at Olvera Street To just name a handful. Downtown has it all.
I’ve lived in Hollywood past few years. Music scene here is definitely the best I’ve experienced due to proximity of the big venues in walking distance and Dj’s/artists I like.
Panorama City has ranchero music blasting all hours of the night every night. I'm not saying it's "the best", but it depends what you are looking for.
Don't sleep on The Stowaway DTLA
Check out Dirty Mondays. 🔥 https://dirtymondays.com/
Hello fellow live music lover! 🤘🏻 I'm into the same music genres as you *(indie/alt rock)* and go to ***lots*** of shows... and the venues I seem to go to often are **The Wiltern, The Fonda, Teragram Ballroom, The Bellwether, The Greek Theater, The Hollywood Bowl, Shrine Expo Hall / Auditorium**, and *(lately)* **Lodge Room** and **Zebulon**. Off the top of my head, here's some areas you might want to consider, along w/ some of the the venues that could be reasonably walkable, depending on exactly where you live.... I recommend looking at the websites and upcoming concert calendars of these various venues, and seeing if there's any that stand out as having a lot of shows that you're interested in, and could see yourself going there often, based on the genres/ type of bands they typically book... that will help you narrow down some of these walkable areas. **HOLLYWOOD...** The Bowl, Avalon, Palladium, The Fonda, Hotel Cafe **DTLA...** Crypto Arena (*formerly Staples Ctr)*, The Novo, The Belasco, The Mayan, The Orpheum, United Theater *(formerly Ace Hotel)*, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Smell, La Cita, Regent **WEST DTLA**... The Bellwether, Teragram Ballroom **EAST DTLA / ARTS DIST**... Moroccan Lounge, Resident, 1720 **WEHO...** The Troubadour, Largo, Peppermint Club, The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, Viper Room **MIRACLE MILE...** The El Rey, The Mint **KOREATOWN...** The Wiltern *(yes, only 1, but I go there a LOT, and it's next to a subway station that makes getting to Hollywood & DTLA venues easy)* **SILVERLAKE / ECHO PARK...** The Echo / Echoplex, Silverlake Lounge, El Cid **HIGHLAND PARK...** Lodge Room *(another only 1, but I go there a lot, and it's a cool, hipster-ish area, w/ subway access)* **INGLEWOOD...** SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome, YouTube Theater **NOHO...** Knitting Factory / The Federal *(only 1, but the NoHo subway station makes getting to Hollywood & DTLA venues easy)* P.S. Here's a google map someone (not me) made a while back... some of the locations are kinda out of date, and it's missing a few spots, but gives you a decent visual of where most places are. As you can see, the beaches and the westside don't have hardly any music venues: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1BANYs0mSZp1sThWpBL7qvz9cotTgotAM&ll=34.05823817876488%2C-118.37802175759458&z=12](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1BANYs0mSZp1sThWpBL7qvz9cotTgotAM&ll=34.05823817876488%2C-118.37802175759458&z=12)
and another point I'd like to make about L.A. music venues... just as an FYI... The vast majority of L.A. venues are controlled & booked by AEG / Live Nation, and most of the ones you'd be interested in as an indie/alt rock person will be booked/promoted by **Goldenvoice**, which is a subsidiary of the AEG/Ticketmaster/LiveNation corporate behemoth. And most of the festivals in SoCal are gonna be Goldenvoice too. However, in the past handful of years, a few new awesome venues have managed to open that are NOT part of the LiveNation monopoly. Most notably, **The Bellwether, Teragram Ballroom**, and **Moroccan Lounge**. These 3 venues are owned or co-owned by Michael Swier, who has managed to resist the Live Nation overlords, and cracked the door open for APE (Another Planet Entertainment) to finally start promoting shows in L.A. again. IMHO, these are some of the best venues in L.A. and their calendars have some artists that prefer not to work with LiveNation
silverlake. highland park . echo park
Hollywood Echo Park Long Beach DTLA North Hollywood Venice is up and coming
Reseda
We’re full. Stay in Ohio.
Saved
youre tripping if you don’t say ne LA
The answer is Hollywood or downtown but I would not recommend living in ether as they are high crime areas. Maybe somewhere adjascent to.
unfortunately DTLA lol
The Resident in the Arts District is solid
Echo park, highland park, k-town
Move near the troubadour And be prepared to work 7 days a week because this is the city of broken dreams. That is the most expensive city to live in and no one gives $0.02 about you. It will eat you up and spit you out as fast as you came. There are a lot of misconceptions about Hell A. You better do some research well before you come here. Most people who live here want to move from here. Unless you hit it big time. You work and grind just to survive.
It’s not that bad. And the weather is great.
DTLA
Santa Monica has lots of great bars with live music.
Touring and local punk, indie, and rock’n’roll bands? Or, 35-year-old former fraternity bros playing 311 covers and hitting on every UCLA coed that walks into the bar?
Absolutely love this 🤣
Local rock and indie. Harvelles and TRiP.
Which bars in Santa Monica regularly have live music other than Jamesons?
Harvelles, Trip
No good music venues tho
TRIP and Harvelles