First Avenue in Minneapolis (formerly Sams, formerly the Depot, originally the Greyhound Bus Station) has been Minneapolis' musical center for over 30 years now. (The door to the adjoining 7th Street Entry -- where a lot of the RRR-friendly shows transpire -- is under the Greyhound sign on the left.)

This list is NOT comprehensive. These are just some of the rock-related, RRR-friendly shows that we give a rat's patoot about!

This list was last updated a long time ago -- sorry! Updates to commence soon!

February and later

Surf Night at the Hex with Big Surf / Al's Rockabilly Quartet / The Awkwards
Saturday, Feb. 2
Hexagon Bar

Surf Night at the Hex with Big Surf / TBD
Saturday, March 1
Hexagon Bar

Ongoing

SUNDAYS

Acoustic Sunday Jam (with Jennifer Markey, Eric Paulson and whoever else shows up to play)
noon-3 p.m., Note: first and third Sundays (no cover)
331 Club

MONDAYS

Becky Thompson & Old School (classic country and western swing)
Shannon's dance lessons at 8 p.m.; live band (varies by week) at 9 p.m.
Lee's Liquor Lounge

WEDNESDAYS

Jackson's Juke Joint (a different featured blues/roots artist every week!)
7-9 p.m.
331 Club

Rockabilly Swing Night (no cover!)
Shannon's dance lessons at 8 p.m.; live band (varies) at 9 p.m.
Lee's Liquor Lounge

FRIDAYS

The Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs (swiggin', swillin' and swingin' -- you can always count on the Pigs!)
7-9 p.m.
The Eagles Club

Where to buy advance tickets for First Avenue shows

INDIE RECORD STORES (Minneapolis)

Roadrunner Records (612) 822-0613
Treehouse Records (612) 872-7400
Electric Fetus (612) 870-9300

Advance tickets can of course also be purchased at First Avenue after the doors open in the evening. One or two hundred are held for sale by Ticketmaster, also. In the event a mainroom show sells out First Avenue often holds about 50 tickets for door sales. (Be prepared to arrive real early to make the line for these.) No advance tickets are sold for 7th Street Entry shows -- they are sold at the door, day-of-show only.

Big V's
1567 University Ave. W., St. Paul
(University at Snelling; across Snelling from the Turf Club)
(651) 645-8472
www.myspace.com/bigvs

The Eagles Club
2507 E. 25th St., Mpls (corner of 25th and 25th; around the back from Memory -- formerly Stardust -- Lanes)
(612) 729-4469
(This VFW hall has a nice vibe -- a huge wooden dancefloor flanked by cafeteria tables -- and $2.00 Leinies at the back bar.)

First Avenue
701 First Ave. N., Mpls
(corner 7th St. and 1st Ave. N.)
(612) 332-1775
(With over 25 years now as a live music venue -- a national record and an essential institution in the Twin Cities, the importance of First Avenue in the local scene can not be denied. Despite the continual "Clear Channelization" of music booking here, nothing in the Twin Cities compares to it. See next entry for more info on the joined-at-the-hip 7th Street Entry.)
www.first-avenue.com

400 Bar
At the corner of Cedar & Riverside Aves., Mpls
(612) 332-2903
(The gigs here are a little hit-and-miss for RRR tastes, but we've seen a lot of great shows here over the years. The bar sits kitty-korner from the KFAI studios.)
www.400bar.com

Hat Trick Lounge
134 East 5th St., St. Paul
(651) 228-1347
www.robincommunication.com/hat_trick_lounge.htm

Hexagon Bar
2600 27th Ave. S., Mpls
(corner of 26th St. and 27th Ave. S... that's four blocks north of Lake Street, three blocks east of Minnehaha)
(612) 722-3454
(To quote Minneapolis Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider: "The Hexagon Bar's old-school, dive-bar vibe and good music lineup." Bonus -- the Hex is right in Radio Rumpus Room's neighborhood and has been the home of First Saturday Surf Stomp since August 2004.)
www.hexagonbar.com (general info) and www.myspace.com/hexagonbar (this is where the calendar lives)

Lee's Liquor Lounge
101 Glenwood Ave. N., Mpls. (corner Glenwood and 11th St.)
(Located at 11th and Glenwood. Take Hennepin to 11th St., downtown. Head three blocks west, into apparent wilderness. Parking is free over there. Lee's is a great bar and the Twang Capital of the Twin Cities.)
(612) 338-9491
www.leesliquorlounge.com (A great twang-centric venue.)

Triple Rock Social Club
629 Cedar Ave. S, Mpls
(612) 333-7399
(Lotsa great local and touring rock bills here.)
www.triplerocksocialclub.com

The Turf Club
1601 University Ave., St. Paul
(just off the corner of University and Snelling)
(651) 647-0486
(This has always been a great bar and survived an ownership change in mid-2005 without harm.)
http://turfclub.net

OCCASIONAL RRR HAUNTS (depending on the show, listed alphabetically)

Acadia Cafe
1930 Nicollet Ave. S.
(corner of Nicollet and Franklin Aves.)
(612) 874-8702
www.acadiacafe.com

Bryant-Lake Bowl
810 W. Lake St., Mpls
(midway between Hennepin and Lyndale on Lake St.)
(612) 825-8949
www.bryantlakebowl.com

The Cabooze
917 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls
(612) 338-6425
www.cabooze.com

Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Ave S
(612) 338-2674
www.thecedar.org

Club Underground
355 Monroe St. NE, Mpls (two blocks east of St. Anthony Park, 2 blocks west of Central Ave. NE)
(612) 627-9123
www.clubunderground.us

Famous Dave's
Calhoun Square
3001 Hennepin Ave. (corner of Hennepin and Lake)
(612) 822-9900

Fine Line Music Cafe
318 First Ave. N., Mpls
(in the Warehouse District)
(612) 338-8100
www.finelinemusic.com

The Kitty Cat Club
315 14th Ave. S., Mpls
(in Dinkytown, at the foot of the bridge)
www.kittycatclub.com

Mario's Keller Bar
2300 University Ave. NE, Mpls
(basement of Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit; enter in back, off lot)
(612) 781-3860

Mayslack's Polka Lounge
1428 Fourth St. NE, Mpls
(612) 789-9862
www.mayslacks.com
(Home of the world-famous garlic roast beef sandwich. As they say, "You can't beat Mayslack's meat!"

Medina Ballroom
Located four miles west of I-494 on Hwy. 55 (west of Minneapolis)
(612) 478-6661
www.medinaentertainment.com

O'Gara's Garage
Lexington at Selby, St. Paul (in back of O'Gara's)
(651) 643-3333
www.ogaras.com

The Poodle Club
3001 East Lake St., Mpls
(612) 722-1377

Shaw's Bar & Grill
1528 University Ave. NE, Mpls
(612) 781-4405

Sursumcorda
319 1st Ave. N., Mpls.
(612) 436-0700 ext. 6
www.sursumcorda.com

Terminal Bar
409 E. Hennepin, Mpls.
623-4545

Uptown Bar
3018 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.
(612) 823-4719
www.uptownbarandcafe.com

Whiskey Junction
901 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.
(adjacent to The Cabooze)
(612) 338-9550
www.whiskeyjunction.com

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