Bobby's Idle Hour Tavern   

Amid the studio glitz of Music Row, this little bar attracts musicians of all stripes because it's completely without pretense. It's a little dingy and could probably use a coat of paint, but there's nothing fake or contrived about the ambience. Regulars come for the peanuts, pizza, cheap beer and companionship; it has a reputation for being warm and friendly. There's a jukebox and a pool table, just as you'd expect. Unlike other venues with structured songwriters' nights, here songwriters just pass a guitar back and forth in a relaxed, enchanting music experience that's completely spontaneous. There's usually good conversation among the musicians, Music Row workers and other locals. It's a quiet, relatively undiscovered gem of a bar. -- Brian Whitaker