10 Rock ‘n Roll Places You Gotta Visit

10 ROCK ‘n ROLL PLACES YOU GOTTA VISIT

by JB & Bruce

To paraphrase the immortal British poet Sir Raymond Davies, “we're not like everybody else”. That's why, when we of The Tribe talk about visiting the most rock ‘n roll places on earth, we ain't talking about the usual tourist traps. And we're not just talking about places where you can necessarily see, hear, taste or smell rock 'n roll music. Hell, some of the most rocking spots on the planet were built by dudes who lived millenia before the first electric guitar.

When we say a place is “rock 'n roll”, we mean it embodies the spirit of r 'n r. In other words, it's straight up badass. So now, get your passports out, and let's rock around the world a little bit.

On the hammered, beer-soaked landscape of rock ‘n roll, there are battlefield landmarks lost to most but which are ready for you, dear rocker to discover. Points of orientation that have a homing mechanism to bring the enlightened rocker into its orbit, places to make directional change in your plans when hitting the open road and following the sage advice of your fellow Tribe brethren. We got your back, remember? Here are 10 favorite destinations from our lives that are rock and roll. (And when you're done reading, start posting – tell us your most rocking spots to visit).

DOUBLE DOWN SALOON – Las Vegas, Nevada

Selected by JB

Now this is a rock 'n roll bar. Hell, this is the rock 'n roll bar. You know, it’s early in The Tribe, but let’s make the call now. Our first international ‘gathering of The Tribe’ will be held at The Double Down Saloon, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. We’ll keep you posted. The place is tiny, beer-soaked, smoke-filled and loaded with old school rock vibe so thick you can cut it with a switchblade.

Bonus points to the DD for having great bands on a regular basis and never charging a cover. Good news for when that blackjack dealer at Caesar's kicked your ass and left you scraping for change. If you want to hear the Dead Boys on the jukebox, bring your quarters. If you want to hear smooth jazz, go somewhere else.

OKLAHOMA JOE’S – Kansas City, Kansas

Selected by JB

There’s something about BBQ and rock ‘n roll. We think it has to do with Robert Johnson and some kind of crossroads. That Rock ‘n Roll Heaven we all dream of? The Tribe is pretty sure the menu’s only option is a buffet with lots of BBQ. For Americans and in the know travelers of the world, the search for kick-ass barbeque is mythological time-quest along the lines of The Holy Grail – elusive, illusory and fraught will ill-gotten tales of untimely demise. We'll save you the quest – the Holy Grail of BBQ is located inside a Shamrock gas station in the KC suburbs. This is it: OK Joe's delivers BBQ with no frills that kicks the ass of any other joint on the planet.

DOLLYWOOD - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Selected by Bruce

photo credit: AndysProductions

I’m not kidding. I’m kitching on you. Sure, you may want “prepare” in the parking lot before going in (we ain't here to judge) and amp up the experience to another level of awareness and soak it all in. We’re talking Americana here – we’re having none of that Okvervil River or whatever the crappy name is. This is a mélange of mealy Appalachian lifestyle. Lye soap, funnel cake, a chapel named after the guy who delivered Dolly, lame rollercoasters but it’s the people, folks. Be yourself, go in black and torque up the exposure of your tats ‘n studs and have a ball. Some may gawk, but they’ll smile as long as you have a smile.

THE PANTHEON – Rome, Italy

Selected by JB

photo credit: gemma maree

You know what you call people who build something that stands, in almost pristine condition, more than 2000 years later? You call them rock and fucking roll, brother. Stand in the middle of the pantheon, look up at the perfect circular opening up top and imagine the badasses who designed and constructed this thing. Plus, they had Zeus going for them. Zeus is like Lemmy, Danzig and Ted Nugent combined and then multiplied by like a million.

ROYAL ALBERT HALL – London, England

Selected by Bruce

The world's classiest place to rock. The opposite of the Double Down Saloon. Yet, every arts movement needs a place to impress the parents. The early years of rock ‘n roll, our veteran rockers were rebelling against their parents, pissing off the neighbors, up to no freakin’ good. Going nowhere fast, failures in the making. Rock ‘n Roll was a fad, a trend that would shrivel up and be thrown on the heap of passing kitsch culture. Well, let’s give thanks to John Lennon and off-handed remark about shaking jewelry on stuffed shirts with bad teeth but born with a pedigree. In 1964, Royal Albert Hall is where rock ‘n roll gained its credentials for being a profession that could gain the respect of culture-at-large. Plus, it’s a gorgeous place to rock with great acoustics and vibe and the bathrooms are the prettiest porcelain to throw up inside of.

BRAEBURN LODGE – Middle Of Nowhere, Yukon Territory

Selected by JB

You're driving for miles, alone but for the occasional moose and a couple quadrillion mosquitos. Suddenly, there it is – an oasis by the side of the road. The Braeburn Cafe, home of the greatest freaking cinnamon rolls on the planet. And not just cinnamon rolls – sourdough mf'ing cinnamon rolls. Made with sourdough that dates its lineage right back to the Klondike gold rush. Cinnamon rolls as big as your head. Actually bigger than that. As big as Shaquille O'Neal's head. Then you notice the airstrip. That's right – people fly in from the bush, or the oil lines or wherever the hell they are out in the middle of the Yukon, just to groove on Braeburn's cinnamon rolls. How exclusive is that? Screw the Viper Room, this is the world's VIP lounge.

OKI DOG – Los Angeles, California

Selected by Bruce

Yup, food keeps creeping up on this list. Why? Well, we all roll out on out a club at 2 a.m., amped up, pumped to keep the night moving after some band open up and bled their hearts out on the stage and what ya going to do? Eat, of course. EAT. When in Los Angeles in the 70s and 80s, Oki Dog on Santa Monica was a scene unto itself. It’s historically important because after all the punk gigs in the 70s, a celebratory trip to OD was the crescendo on the night for fans and bands together. The Germs loved it – need we say more? Frame in your mind, coming out The Roxy after seeing Iggy Pop, sweaty, excited and…HUNGRY to live on the edge. Skip on down to where all the male prostitutes work and where transvestites reign. (Think 53^rd ‘n Third in NYC in the 70s).  So, here's what's in Oki Dog:  ( Health fanatics, vegans ‘n the like, please turn away). It’s two hot dogs wrapped in a tortilla with chili, pickles, mustard, onions, a slice of (fried) pastrami and a slurpy sea of goopy American cheese – a cross-cultural mash-up of a burrito. Rawk, No Roll. The modern day version can be enjoyed without the seedy back drop on Fairfax Avenue in West Hollywood – greatly, tragically sanitized.

TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE – New York City, NY

Selected by JB

Ever wondered what the world would be like if time stopped in 1979 and Johnny Thunders was named President for Eternity? I know exactly how it would be, and it would kick ass. See for yourself by visiting this East Village landmark, where generations of glam rockers have maxed out their credit cards. Need Malcom McLaren-style brothel creepers? They got 'em. Chuck Taylors like the Ramones wore? Hell yeah. An Iggy & The Stooges “Metallic KO” t-shirt? But of course. Bring your kids here and watch their heads explode. For rock and roll fashion, it gets no hipper than T&V.

SOULSVILLE, USA, Memphis, Tennessee

Selected by Bruce

JB & Laura @ Soulsville USA

This is a music lover's mission To Mecca. Once in your life, you must make it to Memphis. Stop #1? The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located at the original site of the legendary Stax Records in the central nervous system of Soulsville. You will cry, you will celebrate all that is good in life, you will be so steeped in everything that is right about being the music lover that you are, you will tap into a fountain-of-youth vein of music history that will take forth into the rest of the years of your life with a energy and verve that will inspire others to visit. It never leaves you, this place called Memphis. It’s all hallowed ground. Issac Hayes, Booker T & the M.G.s, the Memphis Horns, Rufus Thomas, Steve Cropper & Donald 'Duck Dunn, Willie 'Too Tall' Hal and Alex Chilton did their work here. Seriously, you breathe the air that they did, walk the sidewalks they carried the ply of their trade. My Good Lord, I’m weepy just typing from the memory.

(JB here:  the day I visited Stax, I turned a corner in the museum and there stood William Bell.  As in William "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" Bell.  Yeah, it's that kinda place.  Can't swing a cat without hittin' a legend.)

EMO'S - Austin Texas

Selected by Bruce

photo credit: ZOMG Anna LOLZ

It’s located near lots of great BBQ but EMO’s has two stages – one inside, the other outside – to house some of the best indie rock to come through Austin. We’ve seen dozens of amazing shows come from these small stages. We prefer inside as the sound will push the limits of your eardrums but the outside stage allows you to have a half ‘n half experience. The stage itself is covered but opens up to an outdoor bar and hang area that you can escape to have a smoke, get some air and snuggle with your honey. Point is: There’s so much to experience in Austin but the quality of bands that will guarantee rock ‘n roll fun, Emo’s is one of the best in Northern America.

Your turn.  Hip us to some places that rock!