COVER STORY
Club Boston
Central Square
CANTAB LOUNGE
738 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-354-2685. (Get directions).
Food Mexican and American (try the ribs) 4 p.m.-1 a.m. (until 2 a.m. Thur.-Sat.).
Music, etc. Mon.: Geoff Bartley's Open Mike. Tue.: Bartley's Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Jam. Wed. and Sun.: Joe Cook's Blues Jam. Thur.-Sat.: Little Joe Cook & the Thrillers. The downstairs Third Rail club has poetry slams Wed., blues and light rock Thur.-Sat.
Cover: Varies
Age 21+
Atmosphere Neo-bohemian, funky, and friendly. Little Joe Cook is a local R&B institution. Big-name folk stars are known to drop by at Bartley's open mike.
- Scott Alarik
GREEN STREET GRILL AT CHARLIE'S TAP
280 Green St., Cambridge. 617-876-1655. (Get directions).
Food Caribbean-style fare ( 6-10 p.m.); no food Sun.
Music Mon.: rock, country, jazz. Tue.: magic show. Wed.: reggae. Thur. and Sat.: Latino. Fri.: Tarbox Ramblers (Depression-era blues). Music starts at 10 p.m.
Cover None
Age 21+
Atmosphere Informal. Go a few times, sit in different areas to decide where to position yourself for optimal acoustics.
- A.F.
MAN RAY
21 Brookline St., Cambridge. 617-864-0400. (Get directions).
Music Wed.: "Crypt" night with goth and industrial. Thur.: "Campus," a gay night featuring alternative pop. Fri.: fetish night with industrial and Goth, plus enough leather and latex to equip a small army of dominatrixes. Sat.: "Liquid," '80s alternative pop in the back; "Disco Inferno," '70s-'80s dance music (hear three decades of Cher!) out front.
Cover Wed. $3 ($5 for 19+); Thur. $5; Fri. $10; Sat. $8 ( $12 for 21+).
Age Wed.: 19+. Thur.: 21+ (it used to be 19+). Fri.: 18+. Sat.: 19+.
Atmosphere: Think of Man Ray as a cleaned-up version of the Addams Family mansion hosting a concert by the band Lords of Acid. It's a comfortable home to all creatures of the night: punk guys in black skirts with eyeliner; women in leather bras carrying whips; and spiky-haired hipsters. But you don't have to consider yourself a freak to have a good time here. DJ Chris Ewen spins fantastic alternative music; you'll find him Wed.-Sat. Just wear black - and keep an open mind.
- C.M.
MIDDLE EAST RESTAURANT
472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-497-0576. (Get directions).
Food Middle Eastern eats until midnight (later Thur.-Sat.)
Music Rock, pop, punk, ska, rockabilly, Western swing, belly dancing (Wed. nights) - it all happens here.
Cover Varies
Age Varies
Atmosphere Scruffy chic, upstairs and downstairs. There's no avoiding the M.E., if you want to catch the likes of Mercury Rev, Blue Oyster Cult, the Donnas, Los Lobos, and countless other heavy-duties, local as well as global. Ground zero of cool.
- A.F.
PHOENIX LANDING
512 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-576-6260. (Get directions).
Food Irish and American food until 10 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 9:30 p.m. Thur.-Sat., 9 p.m. Sun. Also brunch on Sun.
Music Tues.: "Lounge Night" with DJs Dino and Dave West. Wed.: "Hump," deep house, trance, and hip-hop with DJs Caseroc and Shalako. Thur.: drum and bass. Fri.: Top 40 hits with Tim Collins. Sat.: '70s-'90s disco.
Cover Varies
Age Wed.-Thur 18+; other nights 21+
Atmosphere A tiny space that changes radically based on the time and day of the week. Progressive dance nights (Tue.-Thur. and Sun.) bring out club kids in over-sized jeans and caps craving a hit of innovative house music. The bar area is more sedate. Fri.-Sat. nights tend to attract rowdier college students looking for familiar bar music and lots of beer. "Independent Filmmakers' Night" on Mondays draws an artsy crowd of directors and indie film buffs.
- C.M.
PLOUGH AND STARS
912 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-441-3455. (Get directions).
Food Pub fare until 2 p.m.
Music Nightly: live rock, blues, and other styles.
Cover Varies
Age 21+
Atmosphere Frill-free, prototypical Irish bar where the patrons are smart and the Guinness is good.
- A.F.
T.T. THE BEAR'S PLACE
10 Brookline St., Cambridge. 617-492-0082. (Get directions).
Music Now in its 25th year, T.T.'s is as popular as ever, bringing in local and national acts nightly. Bookings lean a bit more local than at the Middle East.
Cover Varies.
Age 18+
Atmosphere Casual and fun. T.T.'s has rare distinction of a decent number of tables a decent distance from the stage. So if you're feeling conversational but don't feel like screaming your teeth out, head over to the back wall and grab a table.
- A.F.
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