Tower Records in Shibuya gleams like a beacon, calling out to music and book lovers across the city and its inhabitant nationalities. It has recently gone under construction, so that what was once a peaceful book haven on the seventh floor has become a cool, sophisticated book/coffee shop on the 2nd. There are spaces for you to sit and read, with chargers for your laptop or phone, wooden floors, the best foreign book selection I’ve yet to see, and music which makes you stop and say “I LOVE that track!” The coffee shop serves taco rice, cakes, make-your-own hamburger sets and is decked out in a comfy, earthy style.

www.tower.jp
apan, Tokyo, Shibuya, Jinnan, １−２２−１４
+81 3 3496 3661
Google map: bit.ly/11odpBl

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Tower Records in Shibuya gleams like a beacon, calling out to music and book lovers across the city and its inhabitant nationalities. It has recently gone under construction, so that what was once a peaceful book haven on the seventh floor has become a cool, sophisticated book/coffee shop on the 2nd. There are spaces for you to sit and read, with chargers for your laptop or phone, wooden floors, the best foreign book selection I’ve yet to see, and music which makes you stop and say “I LOVE that track!” The coffee shop serves taco rice, cakes, make-your-own hamburger sets and is decked out in a comfy, earthy style.

www.tower.jp
2F, 1-22-14, Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0041
+81 3-3496-3661
Google map: bit.ly/164yvHC

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Waltons music shop on South Great George's Street features in several key scenes in the film 'Once'. The most important of course is when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sit down at one of the pianos and perform 'Falling Slowly' for the first time. Staff at Waltons regularly receive requests to allow fans of the film to recreate the famous scene.
Waltons was founded in the early 1920's and is a music school as well as a musical instrument shop. Although you may not be able to drag a piano all the way home, a tin whistle from Waltons makes for a quirky little musical souvenir.

www.newschool.ie/
69 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 475 0661
Google map: bit.ly/XNX8BL


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Everyone knows the best thing about heartbreak, loneliness, and unrequited love is the music. Especially the Smiths. This Valentine's Day, February 14, you can celebrate your love, or lack thereof, with The Sons & Heirs, a Smiths and Morrissey cover band at The Bell House in Brooklyn. (Check out their songs here.) Doors open at 8 pm and the show starts at 9 pm with a Smiths-inspired cabaret. You can buy tickets in advance for $12 or $15 at the door. And yes, there will be lots of alcohol and singles there! The Bell House is located on 149 7th Street off the F and G trains.

www.thebellhouseny.com/
149 7th St Brooklyn, NY 11215, United States
+1 718 643 6510
Google map: bit.ly/TNui8e

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The Red Room is a faintly grungy expat haunt just behind Karlovo Namesti replete with black sofas and dark corners for lounging. You don’t come here for the beer – they only have Staropramen and Hoegaarden on tap which any self-respecting Czech would turn their nose up at – but there’s an extensive range of cocktails if you prefer Long Island Tea to lager. The bar’s main draw is the music. Should you find yourself at a loose end at the end of your long weekend in the city and fancy seeing live acts in an intimate venue, the Red Room is the place to head for. Sunday is open mic night and the standard is refreshingly high. On my last visit I was treated to a French double bass player accompanied by a pal riffing away on clarinet and a British lady with an angelic voice belting out ballad standards like ‘Stand By Me’ as well as the usual mix of aspiring singer-songwriters. Should you need to take a break from the tunes there’s a backroom with a pinball machine and table football. Would-be performers should get there by 8.30pm to sign up for a slot.

www.redroom.cz/index.html
Myslikova 28, Prague 1
+420 222 520 084
Google map: bit.ly/X0psQE

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When it comes to ringing in the New Year in Toronto, dance clubs and restaurants aren’t your only options for getting out on the town.
If nightclubs aren’t your thing, you can take in a classical music performance – like the Bravissimo Opera’s Greatest Hits event at Roy Thomson Hall.
Beginning at 7pm, this concert is a nice way for classical music lovers to wrap up the year. Tickets range from CDN $55 to $145.
The program consists of excerpts from beloved operas throughout history, including pieces from The Magic Flute, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Barber of Seville, La Boheme and more.
This event showcases the talents of an international selection of musicians:
Graeme Jenkins, conductor (England)
Davinia Rodriguez, soprano (Spain)
Annalisa Stroppa, mezzo soprano (Italy)
Gordon Gietz, tenor (Canada)
Ho-Yoon Chung, tenor (Korea)
Gregory Dahl, baritone (Canada)

tickets.masseyhallroythomsonhall.com/single/SelectSeating.aspx?p=339
60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, ON M5J 2H5, Canada
+1 416 872 4255
Google map: bit.ly/12rhTc9

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If you're in the San Diego area in the summer be sure to head out for the Free "Summer Concert Series" at Del Mar. Every year they have 12-15 outdoor concerts. No charge for them. They have beer tents and quality acts like Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, and more.

www.dmtc.com/
Google map: bit.ly/XltAfl

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Though there are bands on in the night, go there at a quiet lunch time. The architecture will take you back to the old whaling days of Baltimore. From the bay you have to take a water taxi to get there. Something about arriving 'by sea' that makes it all rather magical. Half close your eyes and you can imagine Jack London, Edgard Alan Poe and Captain Ahab shooting craps in the back room. A very special place.

www.catseyepub.com/
1730 Thames Street, Fells Point, Baltimore MD 21231
+1(410) 276 9866
Google map: bit.ly/Sum7dM

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It's a little jazz bar half way up a hill in the scruffy, poetic quarters of Ecuador 169, Valparaiso. Careful, it's a rough hill. To enter, you step through a doorway of stone piano keys.
No English spoken, no beer from a glass, no smoking ban. The place is thick with jazz smoke and there are instruments littered against every corner and wall. Sometimes the regulars will pick up a sax or a guitar and just start to jam, cigarettes hanging from their mouths. This isn't amateur stuff—the standard of the music is incredible..

If you want a beer, you sometimes have to wait for the owner to come back with a slab of cans from the supermarket. Then the party is on. Small place with a hot, lively atmosphere. Named after Henry Chinaski—the most famous bar-fly in American literature.

Ecuador 169, Valparaiso, Chile
Google map: bit.ly/UlK6f2

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Great jazz themed bar, amazing animatronic oompah band.

www.papajoes.de
Buttermarkt 37, 50667 Köln, Germany
+49 221 257
Google map: bit.ly/TGzxm6

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Started a few years ago, Noah's Yard is the new 'it' place to go in the Swansea/Gower area. Every Monday night there is live jazz from local bands with a small entry fee of £2 and the ever-changing magnetic sign over the door is a great conversation starter for all the new people you will meet inside. On the weekends, Noah's is heaving with everyone from students to local millionaires. Owner Noah Redfern's eclectic taste in music and Swansea-based artists gives everyone something to talk about, along with a feel-good vibe from the lovely bar staff. Along with the extensive list of drinks, bar snacks and art gallery, Noah's Yard is definitely the biggest success to hit South Wales in the past decade.

38 Uplands Crescent, Uplands, Swansea, SA2 0NE
+44(0)1792 447360
Google map: bit.ly/Ti0BY8

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A refreshingly unpretentious jazz festival on the banks of the River Aulne in one of the most beautiful corners of Brittany. A young crowd, young musicians and a family atmosphere. Good travel/admission offer from Brittany Ferries too. It is held on the last week of July. Have a look at the video to get an idea of the ambiance:www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv_AEeS8pQQ

www.fest-jazz.com
www.facebook.com/festjazz
Office du Tourisme, Châteauneuf-du-Faou:
+33 2 98 81 83 90
Nearest ferry port: Roscoff
Google map: bit.ly/Q4DLYj

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The Voll-Damm International Festival is back from this weekend to 30 November with local and international artists and bands.
This weekend (19-20-21 October), which unfortunately looks like it will be rainy, has free outdoor concerts between 13.30 and 16.30 at many of the bars and cafés in the city centre. See the website for venues.

www.barcelonajazzfestival.com

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As gig venues go this is pretty slick which is good or bad depending on how grungy you like them to be. Big chandeliers provide cool lighting and the sound is excellent. We saw a band here during SXSW a couple of years ago the name of which totally escapes me but it was definitely a venue that stood out.

www.theparishaustin.com
214 e. 6th St. Austin, TX 78701
+1(512) 478-6372
Google map: bit.ly/V1ry2I

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While ACL may have painful connotations for many people, the ACL festival is really worth checking out. We were there this weekend and the line up was fantastic (The Black Keys were awesome and Alabama Shakes superb) but it still maintained that low key festival feel. Plus the sun shone and it was October so Gllastonbury could learn a thing or two ...

www.aclfestival.com

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This small central Texas town has a strong German influence and is home to one of the best water parks in the world, the Schlitterbahn. They allow guests to bring in their own ice chest full of cold drinks and picnic fixings. Families park their belongings at a picnic table for the day and other guests respect that the table is taken. I have never heard of any problems with this set up. The park is fed with cold spring water from the Comal River which on its own allows for some fine tubing. Several companies rent the tubes and you literally just lay back and float down river for hours on end. Landa Park, a public park, has beautiful grounds and a small train for all ages to enjoy.
If you are hungry, German food and barbecue beckon but my favorite is Schobels set on the banks of the Guadalupe River. It is an all you can eat home style cooking buffet. Pastries and coffee are best at Naeglin's Bakery set around the historic town square. You can finish your day with a visit to one of the most famous honky tonks in the entire US and Texas' oldest dance hall, Gruene Hall.
Hotels and self catering facilities are plentiful and range from budget to expensive with many on the Comal or Guadalupe Rivers.

www.schlitterbahn.com
400 N. Liberty Avenue, New Braunfels, TX, United States
+1 830 625 2351
Google map: bit.ly/OSwNoD
www.nbtexas.org/
www.rockinr.com/
gruenerivercompany.com/site/
www.cornertubes.com/
my.gactv.com/50-honky-tonks/Texas---Gruene-Hall/detail.esi?oid=29263852
www.gruenehall.com/
www.schobelsrestaurant.com/
www.naegelins.com/

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When thinking of Arizona, Phoenix and the Grand Canyon probably come to mind. However, there is a gem of a place halfway between the two. Prescott, a town with a slice of the Old West, has developed around the grassy Courthouse Square, which gives it the feel of small town America. Every year on the first Friday evening after the lighting of the large Courthouse Christmas tree, Prescott is alive with the sound of music. The annual Acker Music Festival Showcase is a fundraising activity for the local performing arts. More than 100 musical groups perform for three hours in the businesses surrounding the square. This year the Showcase is on December 7th, from 5.30 to 8.30 pm. An evening you would never forget!

www.ackershowcase.com/acker.html
www.cityofprescott.net/visitors
Google map: bit.ly/PkSP3e

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If you enjoy bluegrass, alt country or even shape-note singing, you cannot get much better then Knoxville, Tennessee. Although classed as a city, it feels like a small town, with locals who are friendly, full of life and very welcoming. The downtown area is a joy to cover on foot. Take a seat at the Knoxville Visitors’ Center for the free lunchtime Blue Plate Special concert, broadcast live on local community radio station WDVX or stroll around the streets on the first Friday evening of each month when Knoxville’s artists and musicians come out in force to entertain. Alternatively, explore beyond Main Street and head north to the annual family-run Raccoon Valley Bluegrass Festival or east to the magnificent Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There you can enjoy music, food, crafts and more at Dolly Parton’s annual Harvest Celebration and Gospel Festival. Take the scenic route and follow the Appalachian Quilt Trail through authentic, rural Eastern Tennessee on your way to Dollywood.

www.wdvx.com/webcast.html
knoxvillefirstfriday.com/
www.dollywood.com/themepark/entertainment/Harvest-Celebration-Gospel-Performers.aspx
www.arcd.org/quilttrail/
www.knoxnews.com/videos/detail/songs-appalachia-shape-note-singing/
Google map: bit.ly/QYwKD5

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The Jersey Shore is a great place to visit from nearby New York - you can get there in under an hour on the ferry. Forget the gambling hub of Atlantic City, and what you've seen on reality TV shows, the Shore is also the home of the drive-in movie and the knickerbocker glory. Explore the lovely small towns scattered along the coast, from Wildwood in the south, with its two-mile boardwalk, 50's 'Doo-Wop' architecture and sweeping beaches, to Long Beach Island with romantically named towns such as Ship Bottom and Loveladies. My favourite place is Asbury Park. You don't have to be a Bruce Springsteen fan to enjoy the boardwalk, clam bars, pinball museum and jazz clubs, but if you are, then there's the extra attraction of hoping Bruce might turn up and play an impromptu gig at one of the town's rock venues such as the Stone Pony.

www.newjerseyshore.com/

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Pub with home cooked pub food - the chicken is especially recommended.
Live music on some nights including Blues and jazz.
Nice atmosphere.

22 Narrowgate Brow, Royton, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL2 6YD
Google map: bit.ly/PCInR4

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