1 Broadway

102 S. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, 408.354.4303

This Los Gatos staple opens its floor to dancing with a DJ on Wednesdays and local rock acts on Thursday through Saturday nights.

Agenda

399 S. First St., San Jose, 408.287.3991

Though Agenda is mainly a nightclub, the downtown San Jose venue occasionally brings in major-label rock and hip-hop acts and also hosts popular reggae and salsa nights.

Avalon

777 Lawrence Expwy., Santa Clara, 408.241.0777

Sometimes it's a dance club, but pop stars like Tatu and sunsetting acts like Winger and Sir Mix-a-Lot make the occasional appearance.

Barefoot Coffee Roasters

5237 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, 408.248.4500

Most come for the smooth roasts and the friendly, creative baristas, but others know Barefoot promotes more than just good coffee. The coffeehouse was runner-up in this year's Best Open Mic Night category, and it also hosts live music most weekends.

The Blank Club

44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose, 408.292.5265

Our readers chose the Blank again this year for the Best Live Music in Silicon Valley, and for good reason. Few local venues so consistently bring in well-known and upcoming rock, punk, metal and rockabilly acts, with past headliners including Reverend Horton Heat, Smash Mouth and Fishbone.

Bogart's Lounge & Tech Pub

1209 Wildwood Ave., Sunnyvale, 408.245.2800

Every Saturday night, Bogart's showcases local talents from a variety of genres, mainly focusing on rock with a smattering of cover bands.

Boswell's

1875 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, 408.371.4404

Live cover and rock bands juice up this rowdy dive bar.

Boulevard Tavern

15043 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, 408.358.0774

Rock and blues bands play every Friday night at this biker bar.

Britannia Arms Almaden

5027 Almaden Expwy., San Jose, 408.266.0550

DJs and live bands join in the cacophony of good crowds and great sports.

Britannia Arms Cupertino

1087 De Anza Blvd., Cupertino, 408.252.7262

The original Brit sports DJs and live bands.

Britannia Arms San Jose

173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, 408.278.1400

Big bar, live bands and DJs.

C&J's Sports Bar

1550 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, 408.423.9013

Between the pool tournaments and the karaoke, there's live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Caravan

98 Almaden Ave., San Jose, 408.995.6220

This neighborhood drinking hole doubles as a live music venue on most Thursday through Saturday nights, opening its doors to one or more live rock bands beginning in the later part of the evening.

Cardinal Lounge

3197 Meridian Ave., San Jose, 408.269.7891

Da Silva's Broncos

1251 Franklin Mall, Santa Clara, 408.248.4682

Formerly the Claran, Da Silva's Broncos sometimes hosts live rock music on weekends.

Fox Theatre

2215 Broadway St., Redwood City, 650.369.4119

The Grand Dame of Redwood City, the Fox Theatre hosts bigger names like Greg Rolie.

HP Pavilion

525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, 408.998.TIXS

When the Sharks aren't on the ice and the Stealth aren't on the turf, the Pavilion brings in national touring acts. Upcoming performers include Tina Turner, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Celine Dion.

Island Grill/Bamboo Lounge

Clarion Hotel San Jose Airport, 1355 N. Fourth St, San Jose, 408.392.2468

Johnny V's

31 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, 408.947.8470

Johnny Van Wyk has worked hard to help his venue, Johnny V's, earn its status as of one of San Jose's top bars. Johnny V's earned top spots in this year's Best Of Silicon Valley for Best DJ Night and Best Open-Mic Night, and live music can be heard streaming out onto East Santa Clara Street on Thursday through Saturday nights.

Little Fox

2209 Broadway, Redwood City, 650.369.4119

This microvenue hosts a variety of live music in an excellent listening environment.

MACLA

510 S. First St., San Jose, 408.998.2783

Fighting Jacks bassist Cory Linstrum and friends run the Cave Productions, which formerly hosted shows at Father's House Church in east San Jose. The Cave Productions brings local and touring rock acts to MACLA's Castellano Playhouse to perform all-ages concerts once or twice a month.

Mountain Winery

14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga, 408.998.TIXS

Mountain Winery just shut down its outdoor stage for the season, but in the summer the recently renovated venue comes alive with touring acts such as Peter Frampton, Chris Isaak, UB40 and Emmylou Harris.

Murphy's Law

135 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, 408.736.3822

Irish pub, sports bar and live music venue? Nirvana.

The Music Tree

17470 Monterey St., Morgan Hill, 408.779.4312

An in-store stage makes this a one-stop shop for musicians and music lovers.

Nickel City

1711 Branham Lane, San Jose, 408.448.3323

By day an arcade, by night an all-ages rock venue-—well, on the weekends. Most of the booking at this rollicking spot is done through PinUp Productions, though Grand Fanali Productions also holds shows here on occasion.

Orchard Valley Coffee Roasting

349 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 408.374.2115

This downtown Campbell coffeehouse hosts free live music on most weekends and sporadically during the week.

Quarter Note

1214 Apollo Way, Sunnyvale, 408.732.2110

The Quarter Note has worked to differentiate itself from the standard dive bar by consistently hosting live music over the past few years. The bar also holds open mic and jam nights for those looking to try out their chops on a live stage.

Red Rock Coffee Co.

201 Castro St., Mountain View, 650.967.4473

At Red Rock, coffee is a daily passion, but music also ranks high for the coffeehouse's owners, who book live acts two or more times per week. The venue also holds a weekly open-mic night on Mondays.

San Jose Civic Auditorium

135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, 408.998.TIXS

This concert venue hosts big name acts like the Pixies and Interpol.

San Jose Skate

397 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, 408.226.1155

Live-music nights at San Jose Skate almost feel like a trip back into the '70s. Many of the roller skates seem almost that old. PinUp Productions hooked up with the skating rink and now weekend and occasional weekday nights visitors of all ages can pay a flat rate to skate and listen to live rock, pop, ska and metal.

San Jose State University Event Center

290 S. Seventh St., San Jose, 408.998.TIXS

Rocking out at San Jose State isn't only for students and staff living in the dorms, the SJSU Event Center hosts regular arena-style concerts for up to 6,500 people throughout the spring and fall semesters. This week alone the Rock Band tour and Weezer make stops at the Event Center.

Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub

187 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, 408.735.7394

While there's barely enough room in this bar for a full band to set up, there's plenty of room for them to rock, as well as space for onlookers to dance on the floor or pump their fists from the comfort of their bar stools.

Smoke Tiki Lounge

152 Post St., San Jose, 408.292.4266

With a sizeable outdoor patio, Smoke's outdoor concerts are a great place to hang out on summer nights.

South First Billiards Club and Lounge

420 S. First St., San Jose, 408.294.7800

A new stage in the front of this billiards club boosts live rock and R&B music.

Sue's Coffee Roasting Company

7501 Monterey St., Gilroy, 408.842.4220

Though Sue's is primarily a spot for the caffeine-happy, the coffeehouse also features live singer/songwriter and rock acts every Saturday with no cover charge.

The Venue

A Place for Teens, 4 New York Ave., Los Gatos; www.myspace.com/thevenueinlosgatos

In a teen center behind Los Gatos High School, youthful rock acts perform once-a-month shows during the school year to all-ages crowds. Known as the Outhouse a few years back, the Venue is now strictly run by A Place for Teens.

Villa Montalvo

15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, 408.961.5858

Though Montalvo has hosted a summer concert series in the past, the center now focuses more on classical and jazz. However, rock music's influence sneaks in on occasion, as with the recent collaboration between Phantom Orchard and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.

VooDoo Lounge

14 S. Second St., San Jose, 408.286.VODO

Known for its hip-hop and dance nights, the VooDoo is also one of the few venues to consistently host up-and-coming rock acts on most Wednesday nights, along with occasional touring acts like next Thursday's headliner Agent Orange.

The Wrec

Saratoga Recreation Center, 19655 Allendale Ave., Saratoga, 408.868.1272

As with the Venue, the Wrec is an all-ages venue catering more to teenage audiences. Shows have become sporadic at the Wrec, but when shows do take place they feature popular local and touring acts such as I Am Ghost, 5606 and Sherwood.

Zen Lounge

251 Castro St., Mountain View, 650.969.4847

Barb Rocks and other local promoters have recently taken to using this night spot as a rock venue, hosting occasional all-ages shows with local and touring bands.

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