PA’s Lounge

I went there last night for a comedy show. The comedians were great, but their performance was greatly inhibited by the loud group of people at the back of the bar… It’s pretty much common sense to know to keep your conversation to a minimum at these types of things, right? Someone should tell the owners, since they were the ones being disruptive and rude. It destroyed the whole mood of the set.
I don’t want to support an establishment where the owners don’t care that you paid $ 15 to see a show, and when nudged to keep their unnecessary screaming to a minimum, completely ignore their patrons.
There are so many more dives in the area you could spend your money and time at. All with cheaper beer and better atmosphere. Steer clear of this rat-​hole!

Not sure what this place is like other nights, but the Americana Monday show each week is great. Not many places around town where you can grab drinks at the bar and then have a spacious dance floor to dance when the live music is just right. Two thumbs up.

Great selection of local (and occasionally not-​so-​local) bands playing here. That — and that alone — is what keeps me coming back. I hear the same stories everybody else does regarding bands getting ripped off — but just try to find another venue that a band can score for $ 150/​night. With a little luck you might find one. In Springfield, MA.
That said — let’s not kid ourselves. These guys are totally half-​assing it. It’s kind of ironic that a bar with «PA» in its name would sport the worst sound of any music venue in Boston, but it’s true. And it seems like there’s either a different sound guy there at every show, or he’s a master of disguise.
As others have noted, the décor is lousy. And on occasion the place smells kind of funky (a mass grave of sound men wafting up from beneath the floor boards?). And, yes, the beer is a bit more expensive than it ought to be.
But I keep coming back. And if I do I really ought not to give this place less than 3 stars. At worst this place provides a low price of admission for new bands to enter the local scene.
Let’s hope it continues to do so, after the Green Line goes to its front door. In about 10 or 15 years…

I’ve been going to PA’s Lounge for shows on the weekends for years. Recently they’ve added a couple residencies that give me a good reason to show up during the week. Americana Mondays hosted by Greg Klyma is a fun night of country, folk, and blues. The crowd is the best part of the night as the huge open floor is filled with dancers. Not the club style bump and grind, but pairs of folks blues dancing, two-​stepping and waltzing. It’s a great time.
The newest edition is a trivia night on Thursday, thought it’s not just trivia. Instead of there being an iPod or playlist that fills the time between questions, there is a house band providing live music. After the game, there is a featured performer that takes the stage. If the crowd is feeling it there is sometimes an open jam to end the night. The downside is that there is a $ 5 cover that goes to pay the trivia prize and the featured band. The upside is that it is waived if you bring a shelter item (there seemed to be a lot of razors, soaps, and canned goods) to donate to a local charity.

PAs Lounge isn’t the type of joint that should be charging $ 6 for a Lagunitas IPA. If you’re a bar, and you’re grimy, you should be cheap or at least cool.
The only reason it’s getting any stars is because they host live music. But since they sawed the stage in half, they’re probably only a 2 star worthy venue.
No complaints for the staff that work here– it just has nothing to offer of value besides the live music.

I LOVE this place!

There is a first time for everything. And mine was here last night. Small get together of friends who grew up in the area wanting to go out on a week night to do a little open mic and libations. Tony is a great guy and a solid bartender. I was expecting a lot more hipsters to stroll through but I think they were all Precinct. I did watch a guy walk right in lean over the bar and yell at Tony to plug in his Iphone. Tony politely told him he didn’t have a charger. Now what makes this guy think he can just have free electricity? At least order a drink first then ask if there is a charger available right? SMH. Anyway I will be back for sure. Maybe I can get HLs on the beer menu ;)

This place is just awful. Draft Beers are expensive and the service was rude. They had 5 bands playing and no one showed up, and according to the bartender that’s not their fault and tried to make the band pay to make up for they lack of customers they had and to pay the bouncer and sound guy. That’s pretty lame.

Let me start by echoing what others have said– if zero stars were an option, I’d have picked that.
My band played at PA’s several months ago. In advance, I asked the booking agent if they had three DI boxes as this would be necessary for a band. DI boxes are needed for bass guitar, keyboards, and basically anything that does not use an amplifier. He assured me that our technical needs would be met and that we were ready to go.
We arrived at the venue at the load-​in time mentioned by the promoter. The sound guy was nowhere to be seen. A half hour later, the sound guy is still nowhere to be seen. «Doors» are allegedly at 8 (I say this loosely, because this place has been open all day and some people have been there actively drinking all day; they saw the show for free) and it was 7:30.
At 7:45, the sound guy strolled in. I went and asked him if there would be a sound check. He asked when we were slated to play, and I said last. He said there would be no sound check but there would be a line check (a polite way of saying «we’ll make sure everything technically works, but your first two songs in your set will be your sound check.» I voiced concern that we had an atypical (but easy) setup, and that it may make sense for us to do this before the show. He assured me all would be well.
Throughout a too-​loud show wherein microphonic feedback (ring out your damn room) and a complete and utter lack of vocals, the bartenders clung to the regulars, and when someone there for the show approached they’d give condescending looks and act like they were doing a favor by serving drinks. Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your hectic schedule to serve me a warm and watered down PBR.
We were finally up at the end of the night, and got our equipment ready. We had our three lines for DIs ready and I handed them to the sound guy.
«What are these?»
«They’re our DI lines. The first one is computer, and the last two are the synthesizers.»
«We only have one DI.»
«Are you kidding? The guy who booked the show said you had three?»
«This one has two inputs though. We can plug two things into it and it’ll sound really good.»
I need to stop the story here. I have a degree in audio engineering, but anyone who has ever used a DI box knows that this is NOT the case. Seeing a lack of options and an increasing delay in our start, I acquiesced and plugged two things into the DI box. We borrowed our first amplifier from another band, then he started checking the signal, and it was coming through very distorted and low in volume through the monitors. He walked over to us.
«Huh. I guess using two signals in the DI won’t work.»
We borrowed our second amplifier.
He started raising up the computer volume in the monitors. It provides our drums, so it’s a necessary part of our show. He could not raise the volume, which was maxed out on my end, beyond what amounted to the volume level or someone speaking loudly. My amplifier was on 2.5, where it always is, and it easily drowned out the monitors. He turned it up as loud as he could, and it just kept distorting.
«Do you have some kind of limiter on the monitors? It’s definitely turned down far too low, and this is what it sounds like is happening.» I got a blank stare in reply.
We continued to struggle with the levels, and I was growing increasingly furious. I was assured that the venue was equipped to deal with the not-​too-​crazy demands that we had, and here we were struggling with a guy who had an entry level grasp of audio equipment (and I am being polite in saying so) to get things working to a level where we could actually perform. In our practice space, it takes us about five to ten minutes to get set up from zero. We were now in the 15 – 20 minute range. That’s when one of the bartenders got involved:
«YOU’RE CLEARING THE BAR!» she yelled directly at me, making eye contact. She would heckle us later between songs, as well.
I approached my bandmates and suggested we walk the hell out, but we had a good number of friends there who had all paid to get in. They outvoted me and made the right choice to slug through it.
The show itself was nightmarish. The monitor situation was never resolved, so we played quietly and still managed to hear nothing but a wash of distortion coming from the monitors and my quiet amplifier masking all detail, so the rhythm was all but lost from us. I apologized to the audience at one point in the set for the terrible sound issues and the awful performance we were giving as a result, but I realized at this point that the sound guy could actually STILL make things worse for us. I backtracked quickly and apologized, hoping he wouldn’t intentionally sabotage us further than he had already done so unintentionally.
At the end of the evening, we had the pleasure of getting paid $ 20 for bringing in 10 – 15 people at $ 8 each. I strongly recommend no musician ever play at this anti-​musician venue unless you’re ok with being treated like trash.

Third stop on our bar crawl, and I’m a bit more observant that I anticipated. It was a late Saturday night and I think they closed at 1, so we had the tail end of a crowd. Space for a live band, though we missed that. Bartender was hilarious, drinks mediocre. No problem moving on to our next bar.

Went to see my friend’s band play and loved the whole lineup. Blue Moon was $ 5 on tap, the bartender was really nice, didn’t ignore my short frame behind the bar and didn’t give me a hard time about getting an ice water every time I got a beer.
$ 10 cover wasn’t astronomical and it was well worth the amount and quality of entertainment inside. I would not feel weird coming here alone, depending on the type of crowd, but it’s a great place for groups, especially if you can claim a table in front of the stage.

This bar is a Somerville gem — especially if you’re into a laid back, people-​centered atmosphere. I’ve been here with my husband many times in the past and loved it. They recently (as of 4÷22÷11) knocked down a wall, merging the bar area with the stage area. The bartenders here are great — really down to earth, authentic people. Great place to catch a game if you don’t have cable (that’s usually what draws us) and have a chat with good people at the bar. The bar top itself has vintage (1980s) sports cards laminated into it — a nice touch, especially for those of us who grew up collecting Walter Payton and Greg Maddox cards.
Music at the stage is usually worth coming — they recently started a Saturday evening open mic and regularly have indie and rock shows for cheap covers.
Not a place to come to meet scantily clad kids and listen to club music — this is thankfully at the other end of the spectrum. Just good people, cheap beer and good music.

I love love love PA’s! Besides the cheap beer great drinks and the easy going atmosphere. there’s quirky bands, a fun open mic. and great sarcastic but hilarious bartenders. They just recently tore down the wall that separated the bar side from the stage side and I thought it would make it intolerably loud, but its not. It’s nice to not have to choose between hanging at the bar or watching the bands (which they have a pretty eclectic mix of). Even if I have plans to meet someone somewhere else or what not I always stop in here first for one. But it is a great place to just sit and hang out watch a game. Talk to the other patrons and the bartenders or sit quietly with a beer and do a crossword.
p.s-I think they have plans to reopen the kitchen in the future, which would be great. But don’t quote me on that!

I wish the kitchen stayed open. Mostly because I was hoping some of the Con Sol menu would make its way onto the PA’s menu a they’re the same family. Alas, no more food, but that’s ok. I’m usually there too late to get food anyway.
This place has its own definite ambiance. The venue side used to be the dining room and its large and really open, which is good for the shows that happen there. What’s really nice about PA’s as a venue is its roster of shows. Smaller bands who couldn’t book at places like the Middle East can play at PA’s. Its definitely has found a niche musically and that’s great. Noise bands, experimental bands, emo bands, they all have a place at PA’s. I’ve never seen any stand up or open mic nights here, but its nice to know they do that, too.

Want an unfriendly bartender and an uncomfortable performance room? Here you go!
The bartender acts like he’s doing you a favor to serve you unless he knows you, and I believe this is the owner (at least on Mondays). Furthermore, what kind of bar in the Boston area doesn’t have Guinness?
On the performer’s side, there is one booth and a pile of chairs. Guess you got to pull one up. Or maybe you are expected to break dance?
They have started a Monday open mike which has a diversity of talent, if you catch my drift.
For beers, a better bet is Bull McCabe’s down the street.

it’s a dive. the beers come in bottles or plastic cups.
decent concert venue, tho it’s really convoluted to get to by T.
basically, i wasn’t wowed by the place, but it worked for what i was there for — a beer and a concert. moo.

I love PA’s. The bartenders are friendly, the beer is cheap (PA’s brew, whatever that is = 3 bucks), the mixed drinks are strong, and the door guy, Gerry, will remember your face. I’m a little partial to the bands there because some of them are my friends, but you’re guaranteed a good, diverse show at PA’s for a low cover. And you didn’t hear this from me, but I swear one of the bartenders was on What Not to Wear.

I went here to see an aspiring rock star, and aside from him, and his opening act, there were about 10 of us in the performance-​side of the bar. The guy has gone on to play much bigger venues in NYC and beyond, so it’s pretty cool to say I saw him at a dingy place like PA’s Lounge.
It’s like a dive bar with a performance space. If you’ve ever been to Sligo Pub, imagine that place with an area for a band.
I think it’s a great venue of you’re looking for a random band to play. It’s tiny, and the beer is cheap!

I get a hangover before I even have a drink at this place. More like a Knights of Columbus with hipsters hipping it up.
I do like the baseball cards on the bartop (1^st star) and cheap beer (2^nd star).

While I didn’t spend much time here, I did come for some post-​celebration tunes. Finding my way here was not the easiest, all I remember is going down Prospect past All Star and winding up in some construction and parking next to a church on Somerville Ave. The road is strange here, we had to walk in a U shape to get to P. A’s. I’m not sure I could do it unguided or without a map.
We enter the performance room and it’s pretty sparse, a couple chairs along the wall, one round booth towards the back. It’s a Saturday night, where is everyone? The only patrons here were the 15 or so that came with us, and then a few stragglers from the bar that wandered in. Outfitted in San Jose Sharks and Mighty Ducks Starter Jackets with accompanying Asics hightops and a pack of Dorel Lights hanging out of his back pocket. The bar is pretty typical, and semi reminiscent of my favorite dive from college, The Sports Page. It feels unfinished and sparse. For whatever reason, I didn’t end up drinking here, but as far as scene goes, just ok.