During off hours, Grog & Tankards is empty, with a few pool players and lonely drinkers at the bar. Consisting of one large room decorated with furniture and artwork reminiscent of a fraternity house, the bar boasts all the elements sought after by your average 20-something college student. Budweiser posters and chalkboards touting drink specials decorate the otherwise bare brick walls, and a humble looking stage sits slightly off of the ground.

By 11 or 12 p.m., the main room of this upper Georgetown bar becomes so packed that it is impossible to see from one end to the other. The T-shirt-and-jeans-clad crowd clusters around the bar to drink one of the 15 on-tap beers. Be it a local, unknown singer covering classics or an up-and-coming indie rock band, the stage is always lit up with most of the patrons casually tuned in.

The setup of the bar is such that patrons are given the choice of acknowledging the live presence or devoting their attention to standard dive bar activities (snacks, stools, sports and beer). With a notably friendly staff and clientele completely devoid of pretension, Grog & Tankards is an everyman’s sort of bar. The combination of a sports bar and live music atmosphere allows for a successful encompassment of anyone and everyone’s idea of an ideal night out.

-Suzanna Vila

This weekend: Ten Mile Tide

Up-and-coming San Francisco sextet Ten Mile Tide will bring its combination of folk, pop and a little piano rock the Grog & Tankards Saturday, Oct. 9. Experiencing recent success in the world of digital distribution, the band joined a partnership with Kazaa.com and Cornerband.com in September 2002. Kazaa alone has had 10 million downloads of Ten Mile Tide songs. These partnerships have caused the band to gain recognition across the country. Ten Mile Tide has toured for over a year straight, playing a different city nearly every night.

-Nicole Carins