Cavern Ale House

The Cavern is cool. Live bands downstairs, DJ upstairs. They book some decent acts, usually rock bands. Never had any problems in the place. It’s like an oasis on lower greenville, where every other place is full of either frat boys or career criminals.

I thought I was gonna hate The Cavern. My band recently played there and I was actually blown away by the great sound and the friendly staff. It turned out to be a small party! (Actually, the place is so narrow and oddly arranged that if you can draw 12 people out, it looks like a packed house)
The only downside is the location. Lower Greenville is douche-​bag city and parking is tough — especially if you don’t want to pay $ 10. Still, if you get there early and find a free parking space (preferably in a relatively crime-​free spot — be careful of parking in front of the new condos, you will get towed), this is pretty chill space to spend some time.

The Cavern is turning out to be the new hopeful venue for live music now that Deep Ellum is imploding. With a recently updated sound system and a friendly staff, The Cavern is a great place to catch up-​and-​coming indy-​rock acts.
The venue is small and intimate enough that you’ll be able to mouth, «I will totally blow you» to the frontman from almost any location in the bar and he’ll be able to read you loud and clear.
Of course, doing the hand motion always helps in these situations.
Though I wouldn’t really be able to give you names, it seems that a lot of credible acts have been coming through lately — according to my friends, anyway. I used to date some girls that would always drag me there to see their favorite ultra-​indy, underground cult band that you can only hear about from the most subversive of internet music publications.
That might be how I know that a pretty girl can arrange a back alley special with the lead singer from almost anywhere in the room. But I’ll never tell.
So if you want to enjoy the band that you and three other people with really discerning musical taste LOVE (at least until they gain a little bit more popularity and become uncool) then The Cavern is the place where you might be able to catch them.
The only downside is that the venue is a bit too small for more widely known — but still underground — acts to come through.
The coolest part about The Cavern is how accommodating they are to their acts. I (ahem) happen to know from experience that their production guy is both technically capable and friendly. It’s a rare find when the venue is good to both bands and patrons.
Yeeeeep… I play in bands. No big deal. We’re totally famous, though.
BOTTOM LINE:
The Cavern — like going to a music venue in Deep Ellum, but leaving with your car stereo!
5 stars for the venue that is awesome to bands and customers alike!

I like this place. Red and black décor, a small stage with indie shows ranging from hip hop/​urban to punk to rock n’ roll. And when you’re tired of sitting in the «hip» downstairs part, you can head upstairs where it’s dark and dismal and the house music is playing. :) I’ve danced here on several occasions, sometimes downstairs charges a cover (boo) and so you can head upstairs for free: drink, dance, and chill.

Love The Cavern, the only drawback is that it is a loooong drive for me. The Cavern gets a four out of five for the drive and because there is always a cover (no matter how long you try to sweet talk the door guy, or sneak past him). Granted, it’s only like $ 5, and there’s always a local show, but still. I hate covers…
Anyway, I love The Cavern because I can drink for cheap and wear my T-​shirt that cost me $ 0.65 and tennis shoes. Very small bar with a small stage always showcasing local rock/​alternative. The best is to have some shots at the bar and then stand in front of the stage jumping up and down and playing air guitar.
I also love The Cavern for the mix of people that go. There’s the young «alternative» kids that are into «the scene», the parents and relatives of the band with their cameras that clap after every song, the heavy drinkers, and people off the street who look like they just stopped at the first bar they saw, not knowing what to expect.
Great place for heavy drinking, loud music, and generally being drunk and obnoxious. What more could you want?