Great music venues make for a great music scene. Though the Twin Cities has lost some legendary spots over the years — Jay’s Longhorn Bar, Goofy’s Upper Deck, Uptown Bar, Triple Rock, 400 Bar, Grumpy’s Downtown, Cause, Hexagon, etc. — plenty have been rocking for decades. Over the past few years, a fresh new batch of venues have opened throughout the Twin Cities, giving local and national bands exciting new places to play in town. Here’s a roundup of 10 new(ish) music venues to check out next time you want to catch a live show in the Twin Cities.

Berlin

This brand-new music venue is set to open Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the space right next door to the old Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis’ flourishing North Loop district. The intimate room has a capacity of around 75-100, and has styled itself in the model of a “European-inspired jazz club.” Their expertly curated concert calendar of mostly free shows features a heady mix of local jazz luminaries and experimental musicians, like Dosh, JT Bates, Jeremy Ylvisaker, and Andrew Broder. Ticketed concerts include two-night weekend stands by Atlantis Quartet and Alpha Consumer. With a state-of-the-art sound system in place and music supervisor Alex Proctor — fresh off his stint as James Blake and Charli XCX’s front of house sound engineer — you know Berlin will feature pristine sound. Throw in delectable food and drink options from four-time James Beard nominee Jamie Malone, the venue’s culinary director, and it looks like Berlin will be for both food and music lovers alike.

Cloudland Theater

Cloudland opened on East Lake Street back in October, and the 150-capacity venue has quickly hosted some high-profile local and national shows. The intimate, inviting Longfellow neighborhood club is run by Twin Cities music veterans Maren Macosko (the Soviettes) and Brad Lokkesmoe, who both saw the Twin Cities desperate need for an independent venue in Cloudland’s intimate size. The venue also hosts documentary film screenings, poetry and book readings, and other visual art events. They offer a well-curated selection of beer and wine at their small bar. Cloudland regularly hosts Sunday matinee performances that are geared towards jazz, experimental, and acoustic singer/songwriter sets, as well as big name shows from national touring acts like Laura Jane Grace and beloved local punks like Off With Their Heads and Dillinger Four.

Green Room

Green Room just celebrated its one-year anniversary with a raucous show featuring Minneapolis indie rock darlings Gully Boys. Located in the old Pourhouse Uptown space on Girard Avenue, the 400-capacity, two-level Green Room is owned and operated by musician Tanner Montague. With a modernized sound system, generous stage setup, faux-plant-filled space, and welcoming crew, there’s a lot to like. Plus, Green Room’s burger-focused pop-up kitchen is led by North Loop’s Parlour restaurant, and their bar menu was developed by Earl Giles Distillery in northeast Minneapolis. A stacked lineup of terrific local and national acts are coming through Green Room throughout February.

Pilllar Forum

Pilllar — yes, with three Ls — is a skate shop, coffee house, and live music space located on Central Avenue in northeast Minneapolis. Their events are all-ages, and there’s no alcohol on the premises. Pilllar is owned and operated by one-time Twin Cities musician Corey Bracken, who installed a PA and booked an initial live show at the 60-75 capacity venue in 2022. He began hosting shows regularly that fall featuring the Twin Cities punk and hardcore community, along with national touring bands. The upcoming concert calendar features local acts like Duluth’s Dirtbike Boyfriend, Twin Cities punk band Squanchy, and a Palestine fundraiser on Feb. 8 featuring Rigby, Surly Grrly, and Killed By Kiwis. As Pillar’s two-year anniversary approaches, they plan to expand their footprint to the space next door with a stage, lighting, and more seats.

RÖK Music Lounge

RÖK Music Lounge began in 2021 as a restaurant located in the historic Schmidt Rathskeller building on West Seventh in St. Paul. But owner Travis Wycislak and business partner Adam Prince entirely switched their focus to live music and DJ dance nights in the summer of 2023. They still maintain a bar with cocktails and craft beer. The Schmidt building is in foreclosure, so the future of the RÖK is uncertain. A fundraiser campaign began in January to continue “our mission of keeping music local in St. Paul while we navigate our next steps.” In the meantime, the RÖK’s concert calendar is filled with local indie rock, electronica, and R&B, as well as a free Darkwave Valentine show on Feb. 14 featuring all-vinyl DJ sets from Dedicated Enemy and Trina Latrine.

Seward Café

After a three-year long hiatus during the pandemic, the Seward Café relaunched this past summer under new leadership and with a compassionate mission of inclusivity. And live music has played a crucial role, with a rebirth party and a Southside Foodshare benefit show. Since then, Seward has hosted local and national punk, metal, and hardcore bands that fill their small, intimate cafe and outdoor greenspace with blissful noise. Delicious vegan-friendly brunch and dinner options are available on the weekends, with the Seward’s beloved baked goods and non-alcoholic drinks on offer Thursday through Sunday during their limited winter hours. Stop by their Solo Synth Sunday on Feb. 11 for their all electronic music-based open mic night, or their Doll Brawl benefit show for Autonomous Yurt Union on Feb. 29 featuring sets from Prison Ruin, Transitioner, S.L.O.G., and Tower from Kansas City.

Studio 20 at Cadenza Music

St. Paul’s Cadenza Music has served the needs of music lovers since 1974, providing music lessons, instrument repair and rental, sheet music sales, and any other musical accessories you could possibly want. When longtime Cadenza employee Dan Lehn bought the place in 2019, he added music programs and classes for kids and groups to their offerings, as well as expanding the use of their recital space. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Cadenza is also starting to begin hosting public concerts in their recital space in a venue Lehn is calling Studio 20. On Jan. 27, Cadenza hosted their first show featuring local punk rock groups Romantic Comedy, Squanchy, Civil Decline, and Amateur Hour. And on Feb. 11, they are featuring an afternoon of live jazz with the Cadenza All Stars, comprised of local jazz stalwarts Jeff King, Joel Shapira, Eron Woods, and Wes Ruelle.

Uptown Theater

Uptown Theater completed the transition from movies to live music in June of 2023. The historic location is now a 1,600-plus-capacity, multi-level music hall. The totally revamped and redesigned Uptown has hosted celebrated national acts like George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Mars Volta, and Bad Religion, as well as beloved local bands like Motion City Soundtrack, Owl City, and Yam Haus. There are multiple, full-service bars on both levels, with a general admission floor area on the first floor with reserved and open seating on the balcony. The sound, sightlines, and lighting at the Uptown are all top-notch, with the renovations blending the distinct charms of the old Uptown with modern flourishes that give the space a modern, contemporary flair.

The White Rock Lounge

The White Rock is a music and arts space that opened in August of 2023 right next to CHS Field on Broadway Street in St. Paul. And they have done a spectacular job hosting local and national indie, punk, metal, and noise rock acts Thursdays through Sundays every week since their celebrated opening. The White Rock brings a welcome musical ruckus to the Lowertown area, and aims to partner with CHS for future events. The intimate, 200-capacity room has a full-service bar with local craft beers and THC beverages available, along with drink specials available on the weekends (Bloody Mary’s, screwdrivers, and mimosas) as well as matinee shows for you early risers. Their packed concert calendar has a little of something for anyone who likes their music loud and fast, with the Learning Curve Records Showcase on Feb. 17 a clear highlight.

Zhora Darling

Zhora Darling opened as a bar and restaurant in September in the old Red Stag Supperclub space in northeast Minneapolis. It is owned and run by Michael Petersen and Eric Odness, a Moorhead native who also started up a string of successful bars in Brooklyn before moving to Minnesota. In mid-November, their first live music event was New York post-hardcore legends Quicksand. Local electronic noisemakers Marijuana Deathsquads followed in December. Coming up: a late-February local rock show featuring Dug, Murf, Cache, and Cult Sequence, along with a variety of DJ performances and weekly karaoke nights. Zhora Darling’s front of house features a fine-dining restaurant — serving ‘til 1 a.m. — and a stylish, full-service bar with custom cocktails and local craft beers on tap. The back room is a 150-200-plus-capacity space reminiscent of a cleaner, sleeker version of the Triple Rock — with a disco ball overhead and a full-service bar. Complimentary pool tables near the main entrance keep patrons entertained before or after the set. The space has unobstructed sightlines, a simple, compact stage, and a booming sound system to have the neighborhood rocking.