Profile

The two floors to National Underground, a live-music venue owned by singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw and his big brother, Joey, showcase low-profile acts performing roots rock, throwback soul, and hee-haw rockabilly seven nights a week. The upstairs bar, which doubles as a part-time acoustic-show space—no stage, just a throw rug for the drum set, a few mics, and a clearing—boasts a southern theme: a wooden plaque proclaiming, "TEXAS"; mounted longhorns; and sepia photographs of men with bushy mustaches. Downstairs (underground), folks bump and grind on the black-and-white-tiled floors, and there’s a little more neon glitz to accommodate the plugged-in sound. It’s an intimate venue—the bands set up on the floor, and any given drummer could make ears bleed if he pulled an Animal from The Muppets—but the sound system is balanced just right for the joint’s low-key Americana offerings. — Ben Lebeaux