@simonmoon: The Roxy is probably my favorite venue. I saw a LOT of great shows there, including those of NRBQ, John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Victoria Williams, and Lone Justice.
Another is The Troubadour, where I saw Lucinda Williams, Iris DeMent, and countless others. It was also on the stage of The Troubadour that I made my own L.A. debut. 😉 (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).
And then there was The Palomino, the legendary Country Music bar in North Hollywood. Believe it or not, is was on that stage that The Pretenders performed during their first U.S.A. tour. The place was packed!