Ace of Clubs   

9 Great Jones St
New York, NY 10012
212-677-6963
www.acmebarandgrill.com

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There's a circuit of small venues for incubating bands, and Acme Underground is on it. The room is a small black box entrenched under Acme, the ultra-casual southern food restaurant known for its blackened calamari and "almost flammable" hot sauce. Musicians like it because the stage is large enough for a five-piece band, the sound is big and clean, and the lighting is professional enough to make them look good for photographs. There's a small bar at the back of the room, but otherwise it's all business: Either show up and play or show up and listen, but there isn't much reason to hang around afterwards. An open-booking policy keeps the lineup of bands diverse, although the bulk is indie-rock and power-pop. However, if you're sporting metal studs in your forehead or like to break up your equipment onstage, don't bother calling -- their stated booking policy is no hardcore, metal, or hip-hop.