New York City Rock, Pop, Punk, Funk

Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (www.mercuryloungenyc.com), The lounge hosts the type of acts often deemed interesting enough to be featured on NPR. American roots and folk are recurring influences for bands that play here. Tickets $10-12. Box Office open M-Sa noon-7pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike (www.nassaucoliseum.com), What would you do with 63 acres? When Army and Air Force Base Mitchel Field was closed in 1960, the citizens of Nassau County decided to build a venue, which they named the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The arena generally hosts sporting events and popular music concerts. Exit M4 from Meadowbrook Parkway. Tickets $42-721. Tickets available online 24hr., or at the box office M-F 9:30am-4:45pm and during events until intermission. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St. (www.mcstudios.com), Opera music used to ring through the 12,000 sq. ft. of this gorgeous old hall. Now the venue is used for popular music concerts, television awards ceremonies, and a wide range of other events. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St., (www.roselandballroom.com), Once an ice skating and roller rink, the vibrant Roseland Ballroom now doles out fun in the form of alternative rock concerts. Venue veterans include Paul McCartney, Alanis Morissette, and Weezer. Buy tickets online at Tickets $35. Irving Plaza box office open M-F noon-6:30pm, Sa 1-4pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 6th Ave., at 50th St. (www.radiocity.com), Best known for those saucy Rockettes, the Radio City Music Hall also presents a full schedule of rock and popular music concerts all year round. Tickets $35-244.50 Box office open M-Sa 11:30am-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St., between Ludlow and Orchard St. (www.arlenesgrocery.net), Don't be confused by the name or the outer appearance of this venue. Although it used to be a Puerto Rican bodega, it is now a hip bar and club, presenting music mostly of the indie rock and punk variety. Free entry to Butcher Bar; Band Room M free, Tu-Th $8. Fi-Sa $10, Su $8. Open M-F from 6pm, Sa-Su from noon. Karaoke M 10pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (www.boweryballroom.com), Standing room only to see hot indie rock bands and more. Pop culture trivia: this is the club that the drunk couple in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist want to get to when they mistake Michael Cera's car for a taxi cab. Box office located at 217 E. Houston. Tickets $13-30. Box office open M-Sa noon-7pm. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Pianos, 158 Ludlow St., between Stanton and Rivington St. (www.pianosnyc.com), Come see all the newest bands you've been reading about on Pitchfork. The club also offers a full bar and food menu, as well as an upstairs lounge. Edibles and drinkables are especially cheap during happy hour (4-7pm). Wheelchair accessible downstairs, but not on the upper lounge. Prices vary; often free, sometimes $8-10. Open daily 3pm-4am. Happy hour 3-7pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Canal Room, 285 W. Broadway, at Canal St. (www.canalroom.com), A concert venue featuring a large number of performers of the opening-act tier, but also occasionally such big names as Jay-Z and John Legend. Thursday nights are Back to the 80s, featuring a perennial 80s-tribute band, Rubix Cube. Shows 21+ unless otherwise indicated. Tickets from $10. Open 10:30am-6:30pm. Showtimes vary. Purchase tickets online or by phone. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
The Bitter End, 147 Bleecker St. (www.bitterend.com), The list of former performers at this legendary Village performance venue reads like a who's-who from the last 50 years of popular music. Van Morrison, Neil Young, Bette Midler, Otis Rush, and Billy Joel are just some who have graced this smallish stage. And that's not even mentioning comedians like Woody Allen, Albert Brooks, and Cheech and Chong. And the place is still going strong, hosting up-and-coming talents in three to four shows each night. Prices are lower and the music softer at the Sunday night original acoustic shows. Cover $7-10, Su night acoustic shows $5. Beer $4-8. Mixed drinks $6-13. Open M-Th 7:30pm-2am, F-Sa 7:30pm-4am, Su 7:30pm-2am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Cafe Wha?, 115 MacDougal St. (at Minetta Lane) (www.cafewha.com), Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix helped make the Cafe Wha? famous in the early ‘60s, when it was a focus point of the burgeoning folk movement. The present basement club is actually a second incarnation of the original, located where you can now find the Comedy Cellar. The spirit is no longer quite as free, and the cover is certainly a lot higher, but there's variety here to entertain you: Brazilian nights on Monday, R and B nights on Tuesday, and a house band performing Wednesday through Saturday. Cover M-Tu $10, Th $5, F $12, Sa $15; free entry Su and W. Beer $4-8, mixed drinks $7-12. Open M 9pm-2:30am, Tu-Th 8:30pm-2:30am, F-Sa 8:30pm-4am, Su 8:30pm-2:30am. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Village Underground, 130 West 3rd St. (www.thevillageunderground.com), Connected to the T Fat Black Pussycat dive bar, the Underground features some of the widest-ranging acts in the neighborhood. Every night has its own flavor: open mike on Sundays, world music on Tuesdays, a range of genres from the house band Wednesday through Friday, remixes on Friday, and DJing and dancing on Saturday. Cover M $5, Tu $10, W $3, Th $10, F-Sa $10, Su $15. Open Su-F 8:30pm-4am, Sa 10pm-4am, Su 8:30pm-4am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Groove, 125 MacDougal St. (at W. 3rd St.) (www.clubgroovenyc.com), With walls lined with murals of great blues and soul performers and nightly performances of R and B, soul, and funk, Groove mines a rich tradition for all it's worth. The interior is plain, with small tables and a small stage, but if you know what you're looking for in music, the Groove can be a haven—and a relatively cheap one, compared to some of the prices at other Village venues. Cover F $5-10, Sa $7-10. Open M-Th 3pm-3am, F-Sa 3pm-4am, Su 3pm-3am. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl. (www.irvingplaza.com), This three-level, 1600-capacity space has a rich history: built in 1888, it has housed a German theater, a Yiddish theater, a burlesque company, an Italian cinema, a Polish community center (Pope John Paul II visited it), and finally a rock venue that hosted some of the most famous punk and alternative bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. It closed and was reopened in 2007 as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza; it only recently switched back to its earlier name. Today it hosts up-and-coming indie and alternative bands. Tickets $25-40. Box office open M-F noon-6:30pm, Sa 2-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has air conditioning.