Dallas has a surprisingly wide variety of open mic nights, from classical music to country, blues to hip-hop. The Prophet Bar in Deep Ellum offers the greatest in the latter end of the spectrum, and for the audience, few open mics are quite as entertaining. RC Williams, an Erykah Badu producer and band member, plays with The Gritz every Wednesday. After, he leads the open mic, accompanying aspiring musicians seamlessly onstage with his band. Although some of the strongest rock and R&B musicians in Dallas — including Badu — grace the stage at turns, the prevailing atmosphere is that of an unshakable hip-hop culture. With the allied community making up the liveliest crowd and its smooth production, the Prophet Bar's is the open mic night that most resembles an actual concert.

Vinyl records sales have been on the steady increase over the past decade and locally that has been most visible at Good Records, where the vinyl racks moved from their upstairs to the main floor display a few years ago. Every year Good leads the charge with an all-day lineup of DJs and bands playing in celebration of Record Store Day. The line up is always a good thermometer of what's coming up or buzzing in Dallas' backyard. This year was no exception with sets from synth prog punks Nervous Curtains and Pinkish Black, dubbed-out deepness from Wire Nest, Son of Stan, Ice Eater and an acoustic set from the slightly more notable Midlake. The standout out-of-town act came in the form of Oklahoma's Stardeath and the White Dwarf with Tyson Meade of the infamous Chainsaw Kittens. Throw in some kegs, a few food trucks and a busy parking lot from 8 a.m. till late into the evening and Good Records embodies the spirit of Record Store Day as a bona fide national holiday.

Night in and night out, you can make the trip up to Denton to catch an up-and-coming punk band from literally anywhere trying to make it work in the same grim room so many of their forebears played in. Josh Baish and his crew of merry men and women have been going strong since 1997 and don't seem to be showing any sign of slowing down despite new venues to compete with opening every year. Plus, they get bonus points for going smoke-free, so you can get hot, sweaty and beer-soaked, but your lungs will be safe.

It's hard out there for the under-21 music fan. You have to sneak your own booze in and venues up-charge you on tickets as sort of a bizarre punishment for you having your whole future in front of you, but lucky for you Dada has your back. They get all the up-and-coming shows and make it a point to let fans of all ages enjoy themselves. When you think about it, it's sort of cute to see some teens running around having their minds blown by their first real show.

Far removed from the usual bar and club spots in Dallas, It'll Do has carved out a little oasis off Columbia Avenue in Old East Dallas. A big dance floor, no VIP, no bottle service and one of the best club sound systems in town make for a true-to-roots dance club experience that at times feels just like an old warehouse party. The booking is top-notch, featuring some of the best talent in underground dance music. Simian Mobile Disco, Roy Davis Jr., Doc Scott, Kevin Saunderson, Maceo Plex, MK, Mark Farina, Disclosure, Juan Atkins and James Murphy are among the international club heavyweights who have brought heat to It'll Do. To see most of these DJs you have to travel halfway across the country and still probably have to see them at a festival. Supported by the always dependable resident DJ Red Eye and every now and then some of the city's finest house DJs, It'll Do has filled a void in Dallas' long legacy of house music that had been needing a proper home for many years.

A triple Best of Dallas winner this year, Dada is a welcoming place not only for all ages, but for those with all kinds of musical tastes. In an average week at Dada you can see indie, rock, rap, metal, country, folk and probably country-metal, if you look hard enough. Dada's not fussy about genres. Many venues around Dallas have a set place, and that's good too — you know where you can go to see a particular genre you enjoy. At Dada, though, every single kind of music will come through that divine patio and into a room with a weird-angled stage and cheap booze (sorry, kids), and that kind of eclecticism is good for Dallas.

While North Texas has a more than an adequate array of outdoor venues and patio stages, and although the climate may be unbearable at times, there are still a few outdoor settings that cater well to the music lovers of the outdoorsy type. Among them, Klyde Warren Park easily sets the standard. With the city's skyline serving as the backdrop, the concerts range anywhere from large-scale shows by notable artists to intimate singer-songwriter performances. This architecturally attractive setting, now approaching its two-year anniversary, isn't necessarily a traditional venue, nor a staple entity among Dallas' list of stages in the open air; they don't even charge admission. Touring artists don't typically book shows here, and while that is best left to grandiose outdoor auditoriums saturated with corporate sponsorships and overpriced beer, what is gained from a concert at Klyde Warren Park is the quintessential outdoor experience at the heart of downtown coupled with a humble appreciation for local musicians of all varieties.

JR's has been pouring drinks on the Cedar Springs strip since 1980. The lively bar is split into two different sections; the downstairs is adorned in dark wood and has the feel of a charming, old-school pub, while the upper level feels more like a Miami nightclub decked out in stark white walls, crystal chandeliers and LED lights. There's a different drink special at JR's every night of the week (yes, even on the weekends), making it the perfect spot to grab a draft beer, or even a fancy Irish coffee with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

"We gladly serve gator because they would gladly serve you," says the menu, giving some attitude in its explanation for why a dish of fried alligator and french fries is on there. The Free Man is on Commerce, away from most of the Deep Ellum nightlife and music venues. That's for the best, as it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the neighborhood anyway. This quirky, fiercely independent lounge brings bluesy, New Orleans-style jazz and swing music to an otherwise quiet block every night. The drinks are strong, and the kitchen serves Cajun favorites such as gator, crawfish and jambalaya. At least two jazz bands play most nights, and regular performers include the The Free Loaders and the Savoy Swing Band. The lounge gets its name from an American libertarian journal, and the bar is decorated accordingly with anti-government posters and signs. It's not just a shtick: The lounge recently played host to Rocky Palmquist, the Libertarian candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner.

Single Wide offers the same cheap deal as Double Wide, its sister bar: $2 wells and domestic beers every weekday from 5 to 9 p.m. Both bars attract an artsy-looking but unpretentious, slightly punk, tattooed crowd. But Single Wide's patrons are a little older, calmer and generally less annoying for anyone who just got off a long day of work, and business clothes worn to Single Wide are far less likely to get anything spilled on them by a fresh-faced 21-year-old. This is a mellower dive bar. It gets crowded during the weekend and isn't a bad place to party. But it's best as a judgment-free zone for anyone who just needs to get wasted in the middle of the week.