Prompt service at the Yucca Tap Room

The Yucca Tap Room was a little hard to find. Hearing it was on the corner of Mill and Southern made it sound like I could just drive up and see it. This is not exactly true. So I went to the Circle K on the corner and asked the clerk where to find it and where to park. He told me it was three doors down, but the parking was in the back of the strip mall, so you had to drive all the way around. He warned me though, because I guess I didn't look like a typical patron of the bar, "It's full of hicks."

As promised, The Yucca Tap Room does have a few people in cowboy boots and cowboy hats. However, everyone was really nice, and no one seemed to mind that my clothes didn't fit in.

More importantly, I had a drink within about 30 seconds of sitting down at the bar, and the service was prompt all night. The prices are fair, and a college student would be able to afford a night out there. Bring cash though, as the Yucca doesn't except cards. Another unusual thing about the Yucca is that they don't serve draft beer. That's okay with me, since I don't drink draft beer. But for all you kids who like to split a pitcher, you can't do it at the Yucca.

There is only one pool table, so it might not be the best place to show up hoping to play pool. They have a decent size stage, although they don’t have bands every night. The main feature in the Yucca is definitely the bar, as it takes up most of the room. It's really a place to go and unwind and drink. It's quiet, and peaceful. When I walked in, The Refreshments where playing on the juke box, which I took as a good sign since they're one of the best bands I think the Valley has produced. It was also nice to hear mostly upbeat songs, to spite the stereotype of country music making people cry in their beers.

I think the Yucca would be a good place to go for a quiet date. You know, when you want to talk to someone and you don't want anyone to bother you, but you're not ready to take them home. Or maybe a friend you never get to see and you want to talk to. It's a good place to have a long conversation in peace, and not run out of beer while doing it.

The most important things to me when I go somewhere is that the people are friendly, I can get a drink in a reasonable amount of time, and it doesn't cost and arm and a leg to do it. By those standards, the Yucca Tap Room passes the test.

— Jenifer DeLemont

Jugheads: A venue only knuckleheads could love

I went to Jugheads at 52nd Street and McDowell Road to see a band called (Sic)monic because I had interviewed them recently and wanted to go to a show. I'd never been to Jugheads before, but my friend Carl Jenkins goes to more local shows than anyone I know, and he warned me that it was not an impressive venue. He was right.

There's no need to walk inside. The corner of the room that serves as a floor-level "stage" is visible from outside the door. If you do walk in, I hope you like to get cozy with strangers. I stood right in front of the singer of (Sic)monic, but was unfortunately pressed up against a very drunk guy with lots of facial piercing who was standing behind me. I realize that at national acts like Korn or Gin Blossoms, you expect to be squished by people. But local shows aren't usually like that; everyone generally gives everyone else space.

I guess Jugheads has its own crowd of people that live near by and come to get drunk more than to see the bands. And why, I would love to know, is it always the biggest and fattest guy in the whole place that gets drunk and wants to start a mosh pit? Why do drunk people walk up to you three times in ten minutes to ask you for a lighter when they should know that there is no smoking in buildings in Arizona? And most of all, why did it take so long for me to get a drink? I must have stood at the bar for 10 minutes before someone even asked me what I wanted. I understand how you could miss a short, meek girl in baggy clothes standing at the bar. But I am tall, loud and obnoxious … and in a minidress. The bartender just kept walking by. When I finally got a drink, I realized that a simple shot is $6 and nearly gagged. This place is definitely not cheap!

The band was good, and the band's fans were nice. So, that's my silver lining to the night. As for the venue and its built-in crowd, let's just say I've had much better nights out. Last week's blog on The Alwun House wasn't a bad review, just a realization that the crowd was generally much older than me, and that made me feel awkward. This is a bad review. This is somewhere I wouldn't recommend to anyone. If you're going to drive all the way to Phoenix to see a show, try The Paper Heart or Modified Arts instead, as they have a friendlier crowd and better stages and space for fans.

— Jenifer DeLemont

Happiness is a warm pizza potato skin

The name “Prankster’s: a neighborhood gar and brill” pretty much says it all.

Just east of Rural Road on the north side of University Drive, lies a self-proclaimed “friendly neighborhood bar.” Lucky for Prankster’s, and us, this happens to be true. But just one peek inside shows this is more than your average neighborhood bar; it has its own wireless Internet. Hooray for the Internet while drinking!

When I went inside, a bartender named Lisa Marie waited on me. This woman was so funny and chipper it brightened my whole day (which hadn't been good up to that point, or I wouldn't have been popping into a random bar).

I ended up having the fish tacos and a pear cider. You Arizona kids might not know about pear cider, but let me tell you — it is amazing! I got hooked on the stuff when I worked at a bar in Texas, and I can never find it out here. Now I know where to go, because Prankster’s has it.

I have been back there since the day I stumbled in, and I haven’t encountered a food I don’t like. The bar makes its own onion rings, which are great. The fish tacos are really good. Prankster’s even has pizza potato skins. That has to be the king of all munchies. I mean, the pizza potato skin? You should have a heart attack just looking at it, and they are every bit as delicious as they probably are bad for you.

Prankster's isn't a big place. It's a one pool table kind of bar, and if you brought all your friends, you could probably fill it. Then again, it's cozy. To be honest, sometimes I just have days where I want to go to a quiet little place in my scrub clothes and drink pear cider in peace. Another plus, it's very near to the bus stop, so no drinking and driving.

The last thing I should tell you is that on my last visit to Prankster's my tab for cider and lunch cost less than $10. That means you can't use the excuse that you're too poor to check it out.

— Jenifer Delemont

The best local music venue you probably haven’t heard of

The Sets music venue is near Arizona State University's Tempe Campus on Mill Avenue. However, many students never end up there because the venue is located south of the University, whereas most clubs and bars are located north of the campus. Still, at the southeast corner of Southern and Mill Avenues, this venue is closer than most people think.

Calling The Sets a music venue isn't really fair, as the room with a stage is only part of the club as a whole. There is an entire room full of pool tables, and a separate indoor and outdoor bar. Because of this, The Sets is really like a bar, a pool hall and a venue all in one club.

My reason for going wasn't the bar or pool hall however. I went to The Sets to check out the music. Kim LaRowe books the bands at The Sets, and while her name may not be familiar to many ASU students, she's well known in the local music community. A short history lesson can explain why.

There was a club called The Mason Jar in Phoenix that had played host to many bands such as Metallica over the years, when they where still unsigned and could be found at tiny clubs trying to gain a fallowing. The Mason Jar was a staple in the community, having been around for over 20 years; most smaller music venues only last a few years at best. Kim LaRowe was booking bands at The Mason Jar when I met her, and she had an eye for talent even then.

When The Mason Jar finally closed, LaRowe started Thirteenth Floor Entertainment, to continue booking and promoting for the bands she'd come to know at The Mason Jar. Then she got hired at The Sets, and the talent followed.

A lot of local venues pick bands to play based on a press kit alone. They often end up with a show where the bands are not even similar in style, and at least one or two are pretty bad. LaRowe is able to book excellent talent at The Sets because she has over a decade of experience dealing with our local bands, as well as national acts that come through town. For this reason, I would recommend The Sets as the best local venue to see a band from the Valley. You can go without recognizing the names of the bands, and be relatively sure that they will be talented.

The cover is usually $5 to $10, unless there is a national act playing, so it's inexpensive to check out the local bands playing at The Sets. And, because the club includes an indoor and outdoor bar and a pool room, you can always hang out somewhere else if it turns out the night's music isn't your style. The only room they let you in if you are under 21 is the room with the stage. So, if you're bringing your younger friends, warn them that they won't be able to play pool with you.

— Jenifer Delemont