Rock Stop #8: Amoeba Music - Hollywood, CA

I have previously written a post extolling the virtues of New England's Newbury Comics. I'm here now sharing a West Coast version, albeit more independently run - Amoeba Music.

I finally visited this huge record store while hanging out on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood and loved it. This store is the largest store in the "chain" - it takes up a whole block! - though the original location is in Berkeley and you can also get your fix in San Francisco. I was amazed at the size and layout upon walking in. There is just so much to look at...it is definitely a music lovers dream.

Rows upon rows of CDs occupy the large downstairs floor, housing lots of rock and pop, among other genres. There is also a whole separate room full of jazz and classical music! What I'm getting at is that Amoeba truly does have a great variety of music, including many new and used CDs, imports and compilations, and hard-to-find live recordings. In the market for some vinyl? Amoeba's got ya covered. Really jonesin' for some cassettes? Believe it or not, there's a large wall display full! I bet if you dug around hard enough, you might even turn up some 8-tracks. ;)

Want to take a more literary approach to music? A side bookshelf holds many different titles for the musically inclined. There are biographies and "learn to plays" and older, out of print books. I even found a 1980s era Def Leppard photo book while browsing!

Upstairs, you can find boatloads of more fun stuff. [Truthfully, not entirely sure what's up there because we didn't have time to investigate as the downstairs took long enough to explore!] In a corner there, you can find reproductions of old concert flyers and posters. Right over here, a small live venue holds regular live bands, DJs, release parties, and who knows what else. Up front, the store is staffed by musically smart associates and you can sell your collections here and make a few bucks. There is truly something for everyone...definitely make this musical institution a stop on your rock adventures!

Amoeba Records is located at 6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Rock Stop #1: The Rainbow Bar & Grill - West Hollywood, CA

This is the place that has started it all. Well, not really, but it's smackdab in the middle of the Sunset Strip and sees its fair share of rockstars each and every night (and the frequent Ron Jeremy sightings...).

On The Arbz's first trip to Los Angeles, our host brought us directly to the Rainbow straight from LAX. It was all we had imagined and more. Granted we were too tired to have a beer, we had to settle for some Cokes and an amazing large cheese pizza. The pizza at the Rainbow is a must-have from their menu; I've honestly only had one other food item besides that.

The Rainbow is not about food though; the pizza is awesome, but people go to the Rainbow to see and be seen. B Real of Cypress Hill will be sitting in the outside patio area closest while Ron Jeremy tends to fall asleep at his indoor table (The Arbz have witnessed it!).

If you hate going to bars and clubs that play nothing but top 40 and rap, then you will breathe a sigh of relief at the Rainbow. It's all rock - Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Motorhead. No wonder Lemmy loves the place! The vibe downstairs and cool and low key - there are tables set up for just chilling, talking and drinking. The upstairs portion "Over the Rainbow" is more reserved for those rocking out or for private parties...or for season 1 of "Rock of Love".

If you hang out inside, the photos on a wall tell a story all their own. Pictures of rockstars at The Rainbow, hanging out, getting wasted and living the dream. All the booths are situated so you can see almost everyone in the room (see what I mean about being seen? It is LA after all...).This was the place where Anthony Kiedis hung out as a kid, while his dad partied with Keith Moon and Robert Plant.

(photo from rainbowbarandgrill.com)

There is usually a small cover charge to get in at night (probably $5), but in return you get Rainbow bucks! What's a Rainbow buck? Unlike a Schrute buck, a Rainbow buck is worth $5 towards any menu purchase. Our host had saved up about 6 Rainbow bucks to pay for our pizza that first night.

It's hard to describe how awesome The Rainbow is - some will say it's overrated, but it's the best place to hit on the Strip with great music and great drinks. It's the decadence of Los Angeles and 80's rock combined. Plus you never know who you will see. The Arbz saw Billy Zane at the bar. I wanted to quote Zoolander to his face.


You need to make The Rainbow part of your LA rock adventure. At nearly 40 years old, it is still the place to rock. Otherwise, your trip is pretty lame.

The Rainbow Bar and Grill is located on 9015 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood.