Club Scout

The music was great at the Cabo Wabo semi-finals at Herman's Hideaway Monday night (round two is August 15), but even more impressive was the new sign out front. Times Square doesn't have anything on the electronic, ticker-tape type of marquee that now graces the entrance to Alan Roth's timeless club at 1578 South Broadway. "Can you believe he did that?" asked a still-awed bartender.

On Wednesday, August 17, catch another Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Cafe, 500 16th Street. Dee Snider hosts the Sauza-sponsored event; the winner gets to perform with the Exies on August 31. (On the other hand, the Cabo Wabo winner gets to party with Sammy "Tequila Made Me Do It" Hagar.)

Party on! Scorpio Cafe and Nightclub is now holding down the fort at 1361 Court Place, in the former home of La Bonita and countless other restaurants. By day (actually, from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., when the kitchen closes on weekdays), Scorpio is a restaurant specializing in salads and sandwiches. But on Friday and Saturday nights, it turns into a nightclub. Friday's theme is "In to the Dark," with DJs Ivo, Samir and Rexualplaying dark and underground music. Saturday brightens up with "Everything Alternative," with music from the '80s to today, everything from electronic to indie rock to brit pop to goth. Manager Rex Finfgeld promises that the club will add more nights soon.

The Burnsley Hotel(1000 Grant Street) has long offered music on weekends in its cozy, comfortable bar. Now it's added "live entertainment" -- the Burnsley isn't labeling it "jazz" anymore -- during weekday happy hours through September. As an added bonus, martinis are $4 from 5 to 7 p.m., which should make everyone very happy indeed.

For jazz, you can head a few blocks away to 1037 Broadway, where the Milk Bar is one of two new rooms at Serengeti. The other, Groove Top, is actually a rooftop patio, with a great, 360-degree view of the city rivaled only by the view at sibling Vinyl, just up the street. In addition to the scenery, Groove Top features video mixes projected onto forty-foot screens. Meanwhile, the Milk Bar offers live music by some of Denver's best jazz and blues artists.