The “Vibe”: Its hard to lend any sort of comparison to this room until you have been there. Mere explanation doesn’t really do it justice. Picture hundreds of lamps hanging from the ceiling of a speakeasy meets your cool friend’s basement growing up…you know the one who had the chilled out finished basement room with Nintendo and oversized armchairs with a thick, spongy carpet? Man, those were the days. But, just because there are shitton of lamps, doesn’t mean blinding light. They are rigged up so that the bartender can adjust accordingly and the lighting is always on point, dim enough to make you relaxed and feel a sense of privacy among strangers, but not so dark that you trip over your feet and spill your drink.

What is perhaps most convenient about this place is the vicinity to another great spot in town (and the delectable restaurant that connects the two) Radio Bean. When the weather is warmer and the show times start earlier, the Mrs. and I will come up early, grab a bite and jump back and forth between Radio Bean and LCLS all evening from 6 PM until closing, catching the different acts, staying for a few songs (or the whole set if we really dig the artist) and always THROWING TIPS IN THE TIP BUCKET. That should be an unsaid rule, but the amount of people that adhere to it, well that can be iffy.

LCLS has the comfort of your living room with a variety of seating scattered throughout the long space. Comfy couches placed about the main stage area with booths along the left wall to either side of the stage, creating a space to meet with friends and quietly enjoy a drink or a bite to eat while still being able to take in the performers on stage. Two front booths with cut out walls lend a sense of privacy and allow a group of folks to listen to the music and have some conversation without being rude to the artist, which I think all venues who host music should have. It seems that it was well thought out when LCLS made the decision to be a music venue over a cocktail bar. Our favorite little spot is a step up to the side of the bar. A wrap around bar top with stools that perches a bit above the stage area and gives you the perfect vantage point to sip on a craft cocktail or beer and listen to the fantastic line up. Which brings us to…

Taking a look at their calendar shows everything from traditional Irish Sessions to rock n’ roll bands to bluegrass outfits and of course…DJs late night and game nights on Sunday. Its a veritable smorgasboard of genre jumping artists that is, for lack of a better term, something for everyone.

The Grub/Drinks. What to eat and drink? Food wise there is a limited menu from next door at Duino (Duende) until pretty late in the evening. The Duino menu courts everything from curries to burgers for your grumbling belly. Its fusion at its finest and the prices are right for the amount of food they serve. When the lady and I first moved up to Vermont we were still vegetarians and this spot really treated our tastebuds. Even now, I still go for the pupusas or the cubano with seitan instead of pork. The food in just delicious.

Don’t go asking for a Heady Topper here. Also…there is much more that VT has to offer in hoppy goodness than the HT (also, much more that The Alchemist has to offer as well!). The beer cans and bottle list is ever evolving at the Light Club. Beers from Vermont and beyond line the list and whether you fancy a hop bomb or a savory stout, they have you covered. In terms of the cocktail menu…yeah, they have put a lot of thought into this. Bitters, ginger beer, elderflower. You really can’t go wrong with their craft drinks here. Delicious concoctions to leave you a little looser and your mouth a little happier.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the staff when mentioned the drinks and food as well. The bartenders in the LCLS have always been friendly and provide excellent service no matter how busy (or not busy) the room is. At one show it was the artist on stage, myself and the gent behind the bar. We talked a bit, I had a special drink made based on my personal preferences in booze and flavors and his knowledge and caring enough to make up something delicious on the spot made me love this place just a little bit more than I already do. Inviting and warm, just like the vibe of this place and probably a big reason why it feels that way/

How do I play here? Shoot an email to RadioBeanBooking@gmail.com (it goes to the same place as Radio Bean as they are owned by the same folks). In my experience they are always quick to respond and willing to discuss the show. If you haven’t played Burlington they may suggest playing Radio Bean before stepping onto the LCLS stage.

In conclusion: This is my personal favorite listening room venue that I have ever taken in a show in. Its comfortable, but there is still room to dance if you want it. There is a selection of seating based on how you tend to take in music (front and center on a comfy couch or off in the corner). The sound is great, the vibe is unrivaled, the line up is varied and the food and drinks are phenomenal.

Over the course of just under 4 years the club has quickly won the hearts of concert go-ers, press and artists alike. In 2016 alone some of my personal all time favorite concerts were taken in at the Sinclair. Mandolin Orange/Joe Pug and Aoife O’ Donovan early in 2016 were incredible shows and they also played gracious host to the BMAs way back in December of 2015 (a night that gave me hope and a whole new view on the music community in and around Boston).

As a photographer and concert go-er it has become one of my favorite places to take a show in and shoot. I always am able to perch myself up front or high above without any issue, the staff is wonderful and accommodating and the sound is always brilliant. As an artist I have been lucky enough to grace the stage of the Sinclair a small number of times with various acts and I have never been treated as well at a venue as I have at this venue. The sound on stage is the best that I have ever experience, the staff is far above and beyond hospitable and they even had a dressing room for little old us with ranch dip, carrots and PBR…I mean come on, wonderful folks.

If you haven’t yet experienced a show at this wonderful venue, head to their site pick a show and get tickets now. You will not be disappointed…and to the folks over at The Sinclair and Bowery Boston we say “congrats and here’s to 1,000 more”. Your community salutes you.

The Artists. Who you’ll see?: The broad swath of artistic talent that graces the Burren’s stage is all part of the venue’s charm. Many of Somerville’s budding artists got their start at the Tuesday open mic hosted by Hugh McGowan (Somerville’s longest running open mic) or the Sunday evening Acoustic Music Series. Earlier this year, the Burren kicked its music up a notch by offering early-evening shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as part of the Burren Back Room Series. Hosted by local music legend Tom Bianchi, these shows have skyrocketed the Burren’s music roster, featuring acts like Pete Townsend, Cat and the Moon, and That One Eyed Kid. The venue stays true to its Irish roots by getting internationally renowned Celtics acts through its doors monthly. If you want to stick to the Front Room, you’ll hear sessions from Americana, Bluegrass, Swing, and Irish groups. And finally, if you happen to be a Tufts student looking for a place to get sloshy and sweaty, the Burren offers late-night cover bands on Fridays and Saturdays to whet your whistle.

My point is, if you’re a music lover, you’ll find a session that touches your soul at the Burren.

The Grub/Drinks. What to eat and drink?

It can be hard to tell whether the audiences at the Burren come for the show or the food. Like any good Irish pub, they’ve got a great selection of whiskey and other hard liquor, tons of beers on tap, and more Guinness than even the most Irish among us know what to do with. The menu features traditional Irish dishes like beef stew, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie – as well as commonplace dishes like burgers, salads, and a surprising amount of vegetarian options, too. My top picks? The fish and chips, the soup of the day with classic Irish brown bread, and my absolute favorite: the sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli.

The Burren has a celebratory atmosphere that makes you want to eat and drink well. There’s nothing more enjoyable than meeting up with friends, ordering a hearty meal and a couple of beers, and spending your evening bathing in the glow of it all.

(Don’t forget to swing by for brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings! They’ve got one of the most affordable AND most satisfying brunches on the Elm Street strip.)

How do I play here? Because the Burren offers a ladder of musical opportunities, you can play here as an emerging artist, an established pillar of the Boston scene, or a nationally touring group. Tom Bianchi books this venue and he’s got a keen eye for talent. Before you throw your ring in the hat, get a sense of what the Burren is all about. This is a venue that rings true to its vision. Stop by some of the shows; get a taste of the open mic, the Sunday acoustic series, the ticketed weekend shows, and the nationally touring acts. Once you get the lay of the land, shoot Tom an email with all of your info and an idea of where you might fit in. He’ll hit you back, but it might take awhile. Last time we talked, he had 38,000 emails in his inbox. He’s a busy guy.

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About the Author: Hailey Magee is a singer-songwriter based just outside of Davis Square in Somerville, MA (so you know she knows what she is talking about in regards to this venue highlight). With a penchant for writing “honest, gritty, captivating” songs and a delivery we have described here on RLR as “impactful” and “A fury of words that has a whole sh*tload of emotion behind it…” she is a promising an artist as they come in this town. Top that all off with the devotion and give back that she pours back into the community as the founder and director of EBASS, she is a curator of a diverse and growing community of up and coming songwriters and a safe haven for them to thrive within.

There is something almost timeless about Cambridge’s best bar in a basement music venue. I mean, there is a reason we hosted the first 2 RLR anniversary shows there. You may almost miss the entrance of the Lizard Lounge if you didn’t know it was there (not that this would be a complete loss thing, because that means you would stumble INTO Cambridge Common and the food/beer is awesome there). A sharp left through a door and a descent down into a crimson hue blanketed room sets the stage for some of the best shows I have seen in living here in town for the past decade. There is almost a speakeasy vibe to the place, like you aren’t supposed to be there. Sexy in a way I guess…but still with all the charm of your favorite beer soaked dive, but a bit more upscale.

Vibe. What to expect? In a way, the intro serves the purpose of what to expect in a vibe. There is this smooth line that Lizard is able to walk between traditional bar venue and listening room. The way that you are on top of the performers, surrounding them, and at the same level as them gives it a “show in your living room” kind of a feel. Its comfy, it’s cozy, but it’s still a bar and you feel like you are having a night out when you attend a show there. It’s about as perfect a balance as you can get in terms of a venue that serves both the audience and the performers. Oriental rugs line the area that is the stage and performers intermingle with the audience between sets, as they have to walk between you to get there. There is an intimacy here that no other venue I have seen (aside from maybe a house show) is able to achieve.

Artists. Who plays at Lizard Lounge? Lizard’s cast of musicians is an open book really. You can see up and comers to well established writers at the LLOMC on Mondays (last time I played Ryan Montbleau swung by to play a couple and you will always run into a friend or familiar face on Monday nights at the Challenge). Session Americana is a staple for residencies a couple times a year and one of the best music acts to see live…period. A few months back Texas songwriter Hayes Carll was down in the Lounge with Rhodey favorite Joe Fletcher. Soul rockers Old Jack currently has a year long last Saturday residency ongoing, and the Lizard and it’s sibling down the road are notorious for hosting some of the best residencies month over month all year long. So, short answer: pretty much everyone making great music, big or small, near or far.

Grub. What can I eat? As I said before, Cambridge Common is some good eatin’. As a vegetarian I am hot on the buffalo tofu I have had in the past and not one, but TWO veggie burger options (always the curly fries or tots…yup, tater tots). CC is my savior when it comes to eating out in Cambridge. You won’t spend an arm and a leg eating there and the rest of the menu is pretty extensive in “nicer” pub fare from burgers to mac and cheese to salads to salmon. Its comfort food, delicious and warming in the belly that will fill you up nice…plus you can order it from downstairs at Lizard Lounge too! To say the beer list is extensive is an understatement. They have a ton of great rotating taps and always a good selection in the menu. Just beware, those 9 and 10% -ers will catch up with you quick!

Booking. How do I play the Lizard Lounge? A question I have been asked personally far too many times to account for. For a man who likely gets about 2,000 emails a day, Billy Beard, is about as responsive as one could hope for, but don’t expect an answer to a generic ‘book me, I’m great’ e-mail minutes after sending it. Be specific, give him an idea of why this show will be special, what you plan on doing to promote it, why will this show stand out on a calendar of 18 other shows just like it that night. Catch his eye and if you don’t hear back in 2 weeks or so send a gentle reminder.

If that doesn’t work, the Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge on Monday nights hosted by Tom Bianchi is just about the best show you can catch any night of the week in town, plays hosts to 20-25 talented acts a night, and gives you a chance to feel out the stage and get your name out to both Mr. Bianchi and Billy as someone supporting the venue and talented enough to pull a headlining show. A room that is as cool and great as Lizard shouldn’t be a cakewalk to get booked, plain and simple.

Check out the schedule over on the website and get down to the Lizard soon!

http://lizardloungeclub.com/

(photo by Kelly Burgess)

(Barnstar! at Passim. Image courtesy of www.passim.org)

Vibe. What to expect? This is a listening room. You go there to listen, really listen. It’s the only open mic I have ever been to that is pin-drop quiet. There are tables set up for the audience, with four seats at each table. You might end up sitting with people you don’t know. The whole room is probably 50’ x 30’, so you are inevitably close to performers and it’s easy for musicians to play without amplification when they choose to do so. Audience members are attentive and respectful; no one, no one, no one will yell out “Freebird” in the middle of a set.

Artists. Who plays at Passim? Some of the best known people in folk/roots music play Passim. Several acts that now play much bigger venues got their start here, including Lake Street Dive (here they are in 2010) and Josh Ritter (here he is in 2007). So you might see musicians who are at the beginning of incredible careers, others who are firmly established (Mark Erelli is such a regular that his kids think Passim is his office), and others who were most popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s but can still bring it every night (go see Geoff Muldaur if you have a chance). What is universally true is you will see incredibly talented people on this stage. Passim hosts festivals of different musical genres, like the Boston Celtic Music Fest or Down Home Up Here Bluegrass Festival or Alastair Moock’s Pastures of Plenty shows.

Grub. What can I eat? Passim’s food is yummy. In the last two years, they’ve renovated their kitchen and established a great menu. You can get a plate of fries if you just need a little nosh or choose from an array of salads, burgers (of vegetarian or carnivore varieties) or selections  of ravioli for entrees. I haven’t tried the desserts, but they look good enough to chuck all New Year’s resolutions about eating healthy out the window.

Booking. How do I play Passim? Be really good. Just kidding (but not kidding). Passim has great info on booking on their website. You should note a couple of things: 1) most gigs are booked out 5 months in advance; 2) they get a ton of inquiries; 3) the campfire festival is a great way for up-and-coming musicians to gain exposure.

One more thing: while this isn’t about the experience of live music at Passim, you should know about the Iguana Music Fund. Passim gives out approximately $45,000 a year in grants to New England musicians. It’s been a boon to local artists, including the first two volumes of RLR’s Locals Covering Locals series.

You should also check out these testimonies about Managing Director Matt Smith while you’re here.

https://www.berklee.edu/red-room-cafe-939

(photo courtesy of venue website)

The “Vibe”. What to expect: The vibe is very clean and professional. It’s perfect for what it is at its core, a venue for students in the music business program at Berklee College of Music to get real world practice in on a smaller scale. They have great lights and a great sound system, both of which are mostly operated by very competent and eager student sound people (a nice change from some of the more jaded sound people you meet out there on the bar music venue circuit). The audience can vary a lot which is cool as well depending on the act. There are many shows populated primarily by students but there seem to also be many dominated by other generations as well.

The Artists. Who you’ll see?: It’s hard to know what national acts to expect there. Given that it’s attached in a large way to Berklee there are many international artists that perform, as well as a wide range of genres represented like rock, metal, jazz, electronic, etc.. I would say that the majority of bands are likely Indie Rock, especially student bands, but in any given month they do a good job of keeping some variety.

The Grub/Drinks. What to eat and drink? They don’t have food or booze at Café 939. It’s an all ages venue and given the student run nature I don’t think they have the capacity or interest to ever add either to the mix. As an audience member I do sometimes miss being able to get a drink or snack but as a performer in a lot of ways I love that it is an alcohol free place to play. There can be a good/fun element to playing to people who have ‘had a couple’ and are ‘loosened up’ but I like the idea that at 939 you’re not being employed just to sell drinks, people are there to see you, listen to you and there’s nothing motivating the venue other than that. When I was still underage there was almost nothing that frustrated me more than hearing, “you guys sounded great and brought in some people but they just didn’t drink enough,” when trying to re-book at places.

How do I play here? Booking tips for artists: Booking at 939 can be difficult depending on your popularity and visibility around Boston. For us as a very low level band we had to play around a lot to gain visibility and get to know some of the acts that played there/people who were involved at the venue in order to play there more regularly. As a student it’s easy to email but not easy to get a response back but I still think it’s worth the effort to keep reaching out until something connects.

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Holly McGarry is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in the Boston based progressive folk trio ‘Honeysuckle’. She is also a graduate of the Berklee College of music and a performer deeply engrained in the folk/roots music community around Boston and New England. 2015 was a big year for the band with a performance at the Newport Folk Festival, 2 Boston Music Award nominations and we here at Red Line Roots named them our Favorite Find for 2015. The band is currently working on a new full length album slated for release spring 2016.  Check them out on their website at http://www.honeysuckleband.com/home.html and give them a like on their Facebook page while you are at it.