As any concertgoer knows, a venue can make or break a show. Perhaps the club's too big, too small, the drinks are too expensive or the dry ice is repeatedly sending you out for air. Or maybe it's just awesome and puts all the right elements in place to make that certain special gig that much more memorable. Well, the folks over at CBC Radio 3 want to know which club is the best of the best for catching a bit of live action here in Canada, leading the station to launch its Best Live Music Club competition.
Through this latest edition in the CBC's Searchlight series, the contest has been asking listeners to help shine a light on what they think are the best Canadian clubs for live music, with the broadcaster on Tuesday (February 3) announcing its list of the top 50 venues in the Great White North.
Despite some pretty prestigious reputations, some of the country's best known venues didn't make the cut, including Toronto's Mod Club, the Rivoli and Lee's Palace, while several smaller, lesser-known clubs stayed in the running, such as the Almonte Old Town Hall in Almonte, ON, George's Fabulous Roadhouse in Sackville, NB, and the Habitat in Kelowna, BC.
"I gotta say that I'm shocked that some of the bigger Toronto venues have been knocked off, whereas many smaller Toronto clubs remain, such as the Dakota Tavern and the legendary Horseshoe - although no surprise there," said CBC Radio 3 host Grant Lawrence, who announced the top 50 on CBC Radio 3's website. "There is also a real battle shaping up in Winnipeg, and all the clubs in Montreal were knocked off, yet small venues in the Maritimes and BC remain. This might say something to big city apathy versus small scene passion."
With the top 50 clubs now named - for the complete list, see below - the station is asking that listeners once again help whittle down the nominees. From now until February 10, CBC Radio 3 will hold a second round of voting on the broadcaster's website, and based on the votes, the top 20 will be announced February 11, the top 10 on February 18 and the best live music club in Canada on February 25.
So get out there and vote, and maybe give something back to that certain special club that never fails to fill you with good brews, good tunes and good times.
Here are the top 50 live music clubs in Canada:
Newfoundland
The Ship's Inn - St.John's
Prince Edward Island
Baba's Lounge - Charlottetown
Hunter's Ale House - Charlottetown
New Brunswick
The Capital Bar - Fredericton
George's Fabulous Roadhouse - Sackville
Paul's Wharf - St. George
Nova Scotia
The Marquee Club - Halifax
The Seahorse - Halifax
Quebec
The Blacksheep Inn - Wakefield
Ontario
Aeolian Hall - London
The Almonte Old Town Hall - Almonte
Call The Office - London
The Casbah - Hamilton
The Dakota Tavern - Toronto
The Ford Plant - Brantford
The Grad Club - Kingston
The Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
Hugh's Room - Toronto
The Phog Lounge - Windsor
Sneaky Dee's - Toronto
The Starlight Social Club - Waterloo
The Towne House Tavern - Sudbury
The Tranzac - Toronto
The Wrong Bar - Toronto
Zaphod Beeblebrox - Ottawa
Zooma Zooma Café - Jordan
Manitoba
Lo's Pub - Winnipeg
The Royal Albert Arms - Winnipeg
Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club - Winnipeg
The Zoo - Winnipeg
Saskatchewan
Amigo's Cantina - Saskatoon
Alberta
Blues On Whyte Pub - Edmonton
The Brickyard - Calgary
Broken City Social Club - Calgary
The Palamino Smokehouse Inn - Calgary
The Slice Bar and Grill - Lethbridge
British Columbia
The Alix Goolden Hall - Victoria
The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver
The Cellar - Vancouver
The Cobalt - Vancouver
The Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver
The Dream Café - Penticton
The Duncan Garage Showroom - Duncan
The Golden Lodge Hotel & Roadhouse Tavern - Golden
The Habitat - Kelowna
Lucky Bar - Victoria
The Queen's Hotel - Nanaimo
The Railway Club - Vancouver
The Waverly Hotel - Cumberland
The Wired Bean Coffee Lounge - North Vancouver
Through this latest edition in the CBC's Searchlight series, the contest has been asking listeners to help shine a light on what they think are the best Canadian clubs for live music, with the broadcaster on Tuesday (February 3) announcing its list of the top 50 venues in the Great White North.
Despite some pretty prestigious reputations, some of the country's best known venues didn't make the cut, including Toronto's Mod Club, the Rivoli and Lee's Palace, while several smaller, lesser-known clubs stayed in the running, such as the Almonte Old Town Hall in Almonte, ON, George's Fabulous Roadhouse in Sackville, NB, and the Habitat in Kelowna, BC.
"I gotta say that I'm shocked that some of the bigger Toronto venues have been knocked off, whereas many smaller Toronto clubs remain, such as the Dakota Tavern and the legendary Horseshoe - although no surprise there," said CBC Radio 3 host Grant Lawrence, who announced the top 50 on CBC Radio 3's website. "There is also a real battle shaping up in Winnipeg, and all the clubs in Montreal were knocked off, yet small venues in the Maritimes and BC remain. This might say something to big city apathy versus small scene passion."
With the top 50 clubs now named - for the complete list, see below - the station is asking that listeners once again help whittle down the nominees. From now until February 10, CBC Radio 3 will hold a second round of voting on the broadcaster's website, and based on the votes, the top 20 will be announced February 11, the top 10 on February 18 and the best live music club in Canada on February 25.
So get out there and vote, and maybe give something back to that certain special club that never fails to fill you with good brews, good tunes and good times.
Here are the top 50 live music clubs in Canada:
Newfoundland
The Ship's Inn - St.John's
Prince Edward Island
Baba's Lounge - Charlottetown
Hunter's Ale House - Charlottetown
New Brunswick
The Capital Bar - Fredericton
George's Fabulous Roadhouse - Sackville
Paul's Wharf - St. George
Nova Scotia
The Marquee Club - Halifax
The Seahorse - Halifax
Quebec
The Blacksheep Inn - Wakefield
Ontario
Aeolian Hall - London
The Almonte Old Town Hall - Almonte
Call The Office - London
The Casbah - Hamilton
The Dakota Tavern - Toronto
The Ford Plant - Brantford
The Grad Club - Kingston
The Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
Hugh's Room - Toronto
The Phog Lounge - Windsor
Sneaky Dee's - Toronto
The Starlight Social Club - Waterloo
The Towne House Tavern - Sudbury
The Tranzac - Toronto
The Wrong Bar - Toronto
Zaphod Beeblebrox - Ottawa
Zooma Zooma Café - Jordan
Manitoba
Lo's Pub - Winnipeg
The Royal Albert Arms - Winnipeg
Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club - Winnipeg
The Zoo - Winnipeg
Saskatchewan
Amigo's Cantina - Saskatoon
Alberta
Blues On Whyte Pub - Edmonton
The Brickyard - Calgary
Broken City Social Club - Calgary
The Palamino Smokehouse Inn - Calgary
The Slice Bar and Grill - Lethbridge
British Columbia
The Alix Goolden Hall - Victoria
The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver
The Cellar - Vancouver
The Cobalt - Vancouver
The Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver
The Dream Café - Penticton
The Duncan Garage Showroom - Duncan
The Golden Lodge Hotel & Roadhouse Tavern - Golden
The Habitat - Kelowna
Lucky Bar - Victoria
The Queen's Hotel - Nanaimo
The Railway Club - Vancouver
The Waverly Hotel - Cumberland
The Wired Bean Coffee Lounge - North Vancouver
