O little town of rock 'n' roll


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You’ve had your socks rocked off in most of them (and probably thrown up in all of them), but how much do you know about Lawrence’s institutes of higher rocking? From hole-in-the-wall dives to expansive theatres, Massachusetts Street is lined with more rock stops than sandwich shops, a per capita ratio equaled by few cities, large or small.

“There are a lot of venues for a small town,” says Richard Gintowt, a contributing author for Schools that Rock: The Rolling Stone College Guide and front man for the Lawrence-based band, OK Jones. “There’s too many; it’s not rational. But it works.”

From smallest to largest, here’s a rundown of the top five places to go, as well as a few shows you can’t afford to miss this fall.

Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall

943 Massachusetts St.

Kit Leffler

Though it opened last spring, the Jackpot has already established itself as the place to see bands about to hit it big. Slightly bigger than The Replay, the Jackpot is flexible enough to accommodate indie-rock heavyweights like The Decemberists and Arcade Fire, as well as host local shows like KHJK’s annual Farmer’s Ball, a battle of the best bands Lawrence has to offer.

In accordance with the club’s nostalgic, old-western name, a bleached longhorn skull watches patrons from above the Jackpot’s bar as the whiskey flows freely, seven nights a week.

Embracing diversity, the Jackpot offers more than just music and booze. The club curates the occasional artist or fashion show and a plan for a weekly movie night is in the works. A Gong Show-style karaoke night is a favorite of regulars and goes down every Monday at 10 p.m., barring a scheduled show.

The Replay Lounge

946 Massachusetts St.

Kit Leffler

Opened in 1993, The Replay is Lawrence’s punk rock stronghold. Originally a burger and pinball joint, the bar only started to book shows after a number of other venues closed. The burgers are gone now, but the pinball machines continue to draw people in seven nights a week. The bar’s name itself is an arcane pinball reference to winning a free game.

As one of Lawrence’s smallest venues, The Replay’s capacity of 240 can be deceptive. Much of it lies outside in the heated patio/beer garden, a defiant middle finger aimed at the city’s smoking ban. The stage inside, which has hosted mega-huge bands like Pavement and The White Stripes, exists only nominally, and is little more than a slightly elevated platform. Coupled with the bar’s tiny floor, it makes for a sweaty blend of rock and community fellowship.

“It’s small, it’s in your face, it’s live, it’s loud rock ‘n’ roll,” says Jenny Osborne, manager of both the Replay and the Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall — the brother-sister bars have a common owner.

The Replay has live shows eight to 10 times a month. Cover is always two dollars and goes directly to the bands.

The Bottleneck

737 New Hampshire St.

Kit Leffler

If you like music at all, the odds are high that you’ve been to the B-Neck. A former roller skating rink, the club offers the most diverse blend of music in Lawrence, including indie-rock, folk and hip-hop. Photos of some of the more famous bands that have graced The Bottleneck stage (Radiohead and Sublime to name a few) blanket the walls.

Top 5 venues that didn't make the top five

The Eighth Street Tap Room, 801 New Hampshire St.

Gaslight Tavern and Coffeehouse, 317 N. 2nd St.

The Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St.

Harbour Lights, 1031 Massachusetts St.

Stu’s Midtown Tavern, 925 Iowa St.

“Every band who makes it has played here,” says former employee Caleb Skulskie. The photos, along with the innumerable band stickers that line the bar, are “crusty rock memorabilia” and give The Bottleneck “a look that can’t be made in a day,” says Chris Miller, the club’s doorman/maintenance guy/workhorse.

“It’s kind of a shithole,” concedes bartender Sara Waelke. “But it’s about the music.”

Kit Leffler

Granada Theater

1020 Massachusetts St.

With its monstrous marquee, Granada is the venue in Lawrence least likely to win a game of hide-and-go-seek. According to the theater’s Web site, The Granada was originally built in 1928 for vaudeville shows and did not become the club we all know and love until 1993.

As the Lawrence venue most likely to book acts that some of you may have actually heard of, big name bands like Weezer and The Hives have taken to the Granada stage at times of relative fame. In addition to the heavy concert schedule, Granada also hosts Neon, a dance party every Thursday night where patrons pretend the 80s were cooler than they probably actually were.

Liberty Hall

644 Massachusetts St.

Kit Leffler

Liberty Hall’s got it and then some. Since it was first built in the 1870s, Liberty Hall has re-invented itself more than Madonna and has had more names than Diddy. Originally used as the Lawrence town meeting center, the hall was visited by none other than Irish writer and itinerant hooligan, Oscar Wilde, near the end of the century.

After burning down in the early 1900s, a new building was erected on the site and, for the next 60 years was used for an odd variety of purposes — vaudeville theatre and Hallmark card storage among them.

If you miss these shows you'll be sad

Nattily dressed Scottish rock dandies Franz Ferdinand at Liberty Hall, September 22 (Tonight!)

Japanese psych-rockers Acid Mothers Temple at Jackpot Saloon, October 8

Gypsy punk miscreants Gogol Bordello at The Bottleneck, October 12

Morose post-post-punkers Paper Chase at The Replay, October 18

Minneapolis hip-hop heavyweights Atmosphere at Granada, November 11

First used for music in 1965 when it became the Red Dog Inn, the building would spend the next 20 years changing names and, conversely, booking disparate bands. After spending time as both a blues club, hosting Hound Dog Taylor, and a punk club, hosting damn near every important punk band you can think of, the building closed for renovation and re-opened in 1986, and became known as Liberty Hall once again.

Used mainly for movies these days, the theatre only books about three to four shows per month, but with a capacity of more than 1,000, those shows are generally some of the best and biggest in town. The most chronologically diverse venue in Lawrence, Liberty Hall hosts old-time favorites like Joan Baez as well as hip new rockers like The Faint and Interpol for young people who like to wear black and shuffle their feet a little.

 

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