Best Phoenix Underground Music Venues

Live music phoenix

It’s what every practicing musician hopes for at some point – being able to play a cool underground club to a packed room of adoring fans.

Underground clubs have an illicit charm and a subterranean vibe that makes the experience of playing music much more exciting. It’s the dark spaces in which you connect the music with the environment that makes the club setting so alluring.

Thankfully, a few of those clubs still exist in the greater Phoenix metro area. These clubs host everyone from professional musicians to those still taking guitar lessons in Scottsdale to all those bands in between. Bar owners have taken some hits with the recession, as well as holding the risk of running live music clubs in this era of social media and Netflix entertainment. But here is a quick list of some of the cool underground clubs that make it worthwhile to play music in them.

 

  • Valley Bar (130 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004) gives music lovers, scenesters, and hipsters a truly underground music experience. Customers walk down a flight stairs to a below-ground music room that host a bar, a stage and cool music all around. All types of music, from blues, rock, indie pop, jazz and Latin, are performed at the Valley Bar. http://www.valleybarphx.com/

 

  • The Lost Leaf (914 N 5th St, Phoenix, AZ 85004) is a cozy beer bar with a stage, an outdoor smoking patio, and a dedicated downtown Phoenix hipster following that comes out in droves to support local music. There is rarely a cover charge at the Lost Leaf, and you’ll find everything from punk rock bands to cabaret music being played. http://www.thelostleaf.org/

 

  • The Rebel Lounge (2303 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016) is among the newest of the cool underground clubs in Phoenix. The Rebel Lounge caters to the post-punk, metal and indie rock crowds. The Rebel Lounge offers a sleek setting, with a long bar, room for 400, and an excellent stage with great sound and lights. It’s underground if you say it is! http://www.therebellounge.com/

 

  • The Underground (105 W Main St, Mesa, AZ 85210) caters to the under-21 all-ages crowd in Mesa and surrounding East Valley communities. Don’t expect a lot of frills at this legendary basement venue. It gets crowded, it gets hot, and the bands and their fans sweat it out in a battle of stage dives and guitar jams. https://www.mesaunderground.com

 

  • 51 West (51 W Southern Ave. Tempe, AZ 85282) Just down the street from the legendary Tempe rock club Yucca Tap Room lies the 51 West entertainment venue. It’s another all-ages room that caters to the fast, loud, sweaty music generated by 18-year-olds the world over. Get some action at 51 West https://www.facebook.com/fiftyone.west/

 

If you’re a Phoenix or Scottsdale rockin’ roller ready to start playing these clubs, hit up the websites and get the contact info. In the meantime, get better on your game with guitar lessons at Scottsdale Music Academy. We’re the best music training ground for musicians in the North Scottsdale and North Phoenix area to do this! Call us at (602) 751-3537 to learn about lessons at Scottsdale Music Academy. Your first lesson is free!

 

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