When New York interloper Michael Swier of Bowery Ballroom fame opened his downtown-adjacent, 600-capacity club in the summer of 2015, it seemed like a dubious venture at best. How could an outsider, even one with local partners like Monty Bar's Joe Baxley and Aquarium Drunkard's Scott Simoneaux, compete for talent in a crowded market against local heavyweights like Spaceland Presents and Goldenvoice? But right from Teragram Ballroom's opening night, which featured Spoon doing a serious underplay, Swier and his partners have established themselves as major players, scoring such impressive bookings (especially for such an intimate venue) as Guided by Voices, Beth Orton, Dinosaur Jr., Lydia Lunch, Queens of the Stone Age, Television and Gary Numan. The main room has great sound and sightlines, and two additional bar areas provide a good beer selection and decent eats. And, not insignificantly, parking doesn't suck — there's an affordable auto-pay lot just a couple blocks away (avoid the pricy valet lot directly across the street, though). It didn't seem as if L.A. needed another midsized music venue, but Teragram is a welcome addition to the concert landscape that will keep the competition on its toes.

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