Best Rock Club

For starters, THE EARL boasts $2.50 tall boys and friggin’ amazing sweet-potato fries. And unlike many beautiful dives, the sound here is stellar since being improved by knowledgeable knob guy Curt Wells. In the past year, the club hosted stellar performances from the Mighty Hannibal (backed by the Black Lips), Mission of Burma, the Fiery Furnaces and the National. Show booker Patrick Hill keeps things professional, while the crowd cuts loose. It’s the perfect blend of rock ’n’ roll. less...

RIP stands for rest in peace, and ISP stands for Industrial Strength Promo. ISP was like an open-till-whenever convenience store for edgy music, art and activism. The unassuming storefront location was started more than a year ago by former Athenians Eric Holder and Justin Sias to serve as a communal hub for all things noncommercial. You didn’t see any overhyped, overpriced Live Nation Presents-type concerts here. And for that promise alone, we loved the place. In many ways, it’s like the Earl’s little brother has passed away just as it was making a local name for itself with an impressive list of unconventional performers and clever, attention-getting stunts — remember the great tour-bus race? RIP, ISP. We’ll miss you.

494 Flat Shoals Ave. www.industrialstrengthpromo.com

less...

All sorts of musical acts perform on LENNY’S stage — the ongoing experimentation of Kirkwood Ballers Club, hip-hop from the 2nd Sight Crew, and various others — but no club in Atlanta embodies the punk-rock spirit more. Over time, the club’s boast of being the “CBGB’s of Atlanta” has proven largely true. Local groups like Brass Castle, the Selmanaires and the Carbonas frequent the stage, as do label showcases from Rob’s House and Stickfigure. When a show sold out the 150-capacity venue, it really felt as though a band could tear the place down. Shoot, the recent eviction of the Memorial Drive location only earns it more punk points as club employees and supporters pitched in helping hands and their trucks to move equipment. less...

Listening to the earnest heartland rock of Bob Seger makes us want to drink PBR. So does THE EARL. We're not saying Seger and the Earl have much in common - thanks to booking agent Patrick Hill, the mood is more jamming and idiosyncratic Neil Young - but we will say that Seger's "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" could be the Earl's theme song. There's nowhere else in Atlanta so dedicated to not letting people forget the rawk, showcasing the top tier of local bands alongside nationally acclaimed indie acts. With its junk-store chic, the Earl embodies the garage-band spirit and we raise our tall boys to it. less...

What a strange year it's been for the ECHO LOUNGE. A Black Lips show covered the place in smoke, Broken Social Scene played till the cows came home. And then, in a still unexplained turn of events, the Echo lost its business license. When it came to, it was a 21-and-over club, alienating its student-friendly 18-and-up demographic. Nevertheless, it's got the most robust sound in East Atlanta and is a must-stop shop for most independent and under-the-radar major-label bands. Everything from a reunited MC5 to Warner Bros. upstarts Secret Machines has rocked this house on Flat Shoals since its reopening. And the institution will most definitely keep rocking. "551 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-681-3600. www.echostatic.com/echolounge" less...

Things still go twang in the night at the STAR COMMUNITY BAR, even if the ghosts of Hank and Elvis have cleared out some extra room for the more aggressive sounds of punk and metal at this friendly L5P venue. With the Star Bar's diverse booking strategy, we no longer lament the loss of the Point - and there's always that great jukebox in the lounge downstairs. "437 Moreland Ave. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net." less...

1174 Euclid Ave. 404-659-7656 http://www.9livessaloon.com Little Five Points' bastion of tattooed hell-raisin' is a showcase for rock of the loudest and nastiest variety. Before they were on MTV, Buckcherry honed their stage show at 9 Lives, while local bands including Lust, Dick Delicious, the El Caminos, Stool Sample, Fragile X and the X-Impossibles play the club on a regular basis. Trashy, sleazy and ugly in the best possible way - you just might run into one of the members of Nashville Pussy nodding out at the bar. How rock 'n' roll is that? less...

The Earl in East Atlanta will never be what the Point was to Little Five, but hey, so what. There have been some great shows there since day one, including a New Year's Day set by the Rock *A* Teens, high-energy sets by the Causey Way and Some Soviet Station for CMJ Music Fest and a packed-out anniversary set by The Tom Collins. The best part about it is if you don't want to hear the band, you can hang out in front and still enjoy yourself. The sound isn't Atlanta's best, but the Earl has definitely been Atlanta's best rock club this year. less...

The very definition of a "shitkicker bar," the 9 Lives Saloon stands proudly at the intersection of Moreland and Euclid, cocked at a rakish angle like a Harley-Davidson kickstand. Home to more black leather than a busy night at the Chamber, the joint has defiantly kept heavy metal thunder alive in Little Five, surviving and prospering for years in a location where many previous clubs couldn't last a few months (hence its sarcastic name). less...