Star Community Bar   

Forget about mom, baseball and apple pie, it's all about Elvis, rock 'n' roll and Pabst Blue Ribbon at this neighborhood dive. Since opening in 1991, the Star Bar has gone through a few changes, including shifts in musical tastes, and a recent ownership change, but the aesthetic that has made it a Little Five Points institution, remains. Dark wood paneling, kitschy Americana signs, the Gracevault (a candlelit Elvis shrine) and three full bars are indicative of the bar's attitude, which is best described as, "leave your pretensions at home and get drunk with us." This can be done in the bar's main room, where you'll hear a variety of local, regional and national acts -- predominately playing alt-country, and straight-ahead, hard rock -- as well as downstairs, in the Little Vinyl Lounge, among an abundance of red leather. Each week starts off with two of the bar's most popular events. On Mondays you can show your rock prowess during '15 Minutes of Fame Karaoke,' while on Tuesdays you can shake yo thang, as DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the bar into a bizarre dance club, by spinning disco and funk. -- Tony Jenkins