By far the best bar in St. Paul, Minnesota to see a good rawk show. The Turf Club is located in St. Paul's midway area on the corner of Snelling and University, one of the only main-stays in a neighboorhood troubled by urban decay.
From the Turf's bio:
"Nicknamed the "best remnant of the '40s," the Turf Club had a reputation as the Twin Cities' foremost place for country two-stepping long before line dancing became a pop-culture phenomenon. While other bars at the busy St. Paul intersection of University and Snelling decayed and dropped in popularity, the Turf managed to keep its old-fashioned, hokey atmosphere in pristine condition.
Then the management decided to lend a hand in the "land of 10,000 bands," offering the Turf as a place where new bands could hone their performing skills. The rest is a brief but mercurial history. Alternative rockers who used to confine themselves to Minneapolis' Uptown, downtown and Lake Street found their way to St. Paul and hit the Turf."
Since it is a bar, all shows are 21+, which I admit, sucks the proverbial ass. But, as I have found out firsthand, there are ways around this if you really, really, really need to see a band on a particular night. The staff is not at all plagued by the "I work at a rock bar" assholism that seems to run rampant in the industry.
The Turf specializes in local bands; any established Minneapolis rock band has played the Turf at least once or twice. Now and again they will have bigger national acts, though this is a rare occassion.