Birdy's Bar & Grill - 2131 E. 71st St. 317-254-8971. Local venue that caters to local, national and international acts. Big beer selection and overpriced barfood menu. Posters from bands who have performed there over the years plaster the walls and there are pool tables, video games, pinball and an outdoor beer garden. Local acts frequent this venue and past performers include Prince, Yo La Tengo, Jordan Knight, Califone, Frank Black, Matt Pond PA, The Stills and more. A great place to see major local rock bands like Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band and Virgin Millionaires. 21+

Chatterbox - 435 Mass. Ave. 317-636-0584. A local favorite and one of the oldest bars in town. It's a Mass Ave. staple that has walls graffitied with visitors and the bathrooms the same. Bring a marker. Drinks are really strong and they have a small wine menu with good choices and beers too. Live jazz is the thing here. The teeny tiny bar features a teeny tiny stage that caters to Indy's finest real jazz. This is the place to hear good simple old school jazz at it's finest. Smoke free early in the evening, and outdoor seating which is the best in town. Check the website for wine tastings and special events. Great place to mix with the locals - artists, journalists, musicians all call it home. Grab some Jamaican Patties while you're there. 21+

The Jazz Kitchen - 5377 N. College Ave. 317-253-4900. Voted one of the top 100 jazz bars in the world by DownBeat magazine, serving up jazz, salsa and American fusion food. Music six days a week...Wednesday features live jazz and soul/neo-soul/neo-jazz DJs, Thursday is Indy's biggest salsa night too. Cover ranges. 21+

Melody Inn - 3826 N. Illinois. 317-923-4707. One of the oldest bars in town has become the haven for punk rock and underground music in the city. Built in 1933, the bar features local relics in the decor, a back VIP lounge, the best jukebox in town and a friendly staff and group of regulars. Punk, indie, acid jazz, folk, rockabilly, techno, goth is the main beat here. They also have retro video games and pool. Drinks are cheap and hard, and the beer selection is unique and good sized. The house specialty is Pabst Blue Ribbon, and specials are usually $1.25 for a can. It is a great dive bar, however it can get very smoky. Cover ranges usually from $2-5. 21+

Music Mill - 3720 E. 82nd St. 317-841-1850. A great smoke free venue concert goers. There isn't a bad seat it the house, and they have a nice modern restaurant and fully staffed bars throughout the joint. Aside from hosting countless local and regional acts they also feature international groups as well. Past/present performers include: Gin Blossoms, Sister Hazel, Junior Brown, Antigone Rising, Dark Star Orchestra, Mudhoney, Over The Rhine, Cowboy Mouth, David Sanborn, Los Lonely Boys, Blues Traveller, Duncan Sheik, They Might Be Giants, and countless other acts. 21+

Radio Radio - 1119 Prospect St. 317-955-0995. Located in the heart of Fountain Square, Radio Radio is one of the nicest and cleanest venues for music in town. The cool bar, leopard carpeting and bathroom doors came from the once downtown Indy Planet Hollywood. Good beers on tap. Past performers include: Ben Lee, Big Sandy, Cat Power, The Cruxshadows, Deke Dickerson, The Frogs, Silkworm, Wesley Willis, Jets To Brazil, Los Lonely Boys, Neko Case, Pansy Division, VHS or Beta and countless others. They also have monthly film nights and hosts Rockabilly Rebel Weekend every year. Smoke-free 21+ venue.

Slippery Noodle Inn - 372 S. Meridian St. 317-631-6974. The oldest bar in Indiana since 1850. Originally it was a brothel, and it's now the best blues bar in the city. Steaks, homemade soup, baked potatoes, sandwiches and subs are the starts of the menu with a classic bar menu to boot. Beer, champagne, wine, and of course - hard liquor is poured with pride and the blues is local and national/international acts. There are still bullet holes in the wall from brawls in the 1800s. Dis is it. 21+

Verizon Wireless Music Center - 12880 E. 146th St., Noblesville. 317-239-5151. Indy's biggest outdoor amphitheater. Concerts run May-September and in October they feature a crazy Halloween themed festival. This is where the famous Grateful Dead riots happened in 1995. Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett got married here in 1993. A 30 min to hour long trip from downtown Indy. All ages