Analog Cafe & Drd Records Little Theater

This venue is just fine… I’ve been to a few shows where the sound has been completely terrible but that isn’t necessarily the venues fault. It could have been the touring sound person. I would like to give the venue five stars just because they offer all age shows and those are a rarity these days in this town! Definitely not my favorite place to catch a band but I appreciate that they cater to a more DIY crowd and offer shows that under 21 folks can attend.

Have been here a few times for salsa on Tuesday evenings. Crowd is usually decent. The floor is smooth, but almost always sticky. They probably allow people to take drinks in it on other nights. The DJs are great! Definitely a fun place to dance, just know that this isn't a place to take your best dance shoes.

Downstairs: Okay little venue. More like a bar with a tiny stage where there are usually booths. I've seen a couple of shows here that were not bad. The bar is pretty decent, though it would definitely not be my first choice of places to go to on Hawthorne, but not a terrible choice for hanging out on a Tuesday night. Upstairs: Literally the worst venue I can imagine for concerts. The ceiling is low, the floor is old and squishy (and vibrates from the concurrent concert below), the bar is...not a bar but instead serves $4 Red Bulls. The worst part for me is the stage. It is about ~3 inches raised from the rest of the floor, which means that if there are more than 2 layers of people up front you will not be able to see literally anything except maybe the top of one of the performer's heads (I am 6'3" and still have this problem). If you are unsure about buying a concert ticket, err on the side of keeping your money. I've been to about 10 shows upstairs and all of them have been annoying at best. The saving grace of this venue and the only reason I see it staying around is that the staff is great. I have never met anyone who works there who was mean or even unhelpful. The sound guys upstairs try their best to make the concerts sound good, but are working with the backyard Ford Pinto of concert venues. I just hope that some day the building is renovated and that awful upstairs is just removed or repurposed.