One of our Instagram followers recently reached out asking where to find live music in Raleigh. While we have plenty to say about larger concert venues like the Lincoln Theatre and Red Hat Amphitheater, we want to pass the mic to restaurants, bars, and other more casual venues where you can find live and usually local musicians providing the tunes.
Here are just a few of our favorites with an easy-going ambiance for a fun night on the town.
- Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard, 1930 Wake Forest Rd. | This casual spot has live music nearly every weekend with a variety of genres from singer-songwriter and country to yacht rock and the blues.
- Irregardless, 901 W. Morgan St. | Irregardless has been serving up global and veggie filled cuisine since the ‘70s and has local musicians nearly every dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Learn more about the history of this nearly 50-year-old restaurant.
- The Raleigh Times, 14 E. Hargett St. | Housed in the namesake newspaper’s old headquarters, head to the second floor of this historic building for Beer & Banjos, a free Tuesday night concert featuring the best local banjo-plucking musicians.
- Tin Roof, 300 Glenwood Ave. | This live music joint gets pretty lively on Glenwood Avenue; head to this eclectic hangout for nightly live music and special theme nights, like Taylor Swift and holiday parties.
- Berkeley Cafe, moving to 428 S. Dawson St. | The Berkeley Cafe is uprooting from its home of over 40 years to the current location of Fiction Kitchen, opening soon. As Raleigh’s oldest music venue, expect more rockin’ live music from this historic biz when it returns.
