Silver Dollar
486 Spadina, 416-763-9139, silverdollarroom.com
No surprise that the Silver Dollar was voted best blues club: it’s provided a home for the genre since 1958. However, there’s been lots of speculation about whether they’ll continue that winning streak next year, because long-time blues booker Gary Kendall parted ways with the institution this summer. This changing of the guard led many to think that notorious rock’n’roll madman Dan Burke would fill up that gap with more of the garage rock and indie shows he already books there.
Well, it turns out that the club isn’t going to give up the title without a fight, as they’ve managed to maintain their relationships with the community, and management is committed to continuing with their weekly blues bookings, as well as their long running Wednesday bluegrass party. So while it might be more accurate to describe the club as a general purpose venue, expect to keep on hearing awesome harp players and slide guitarists there for the foreseeable future.
Runner-up
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina, 416-977-7000, grossmanstavern.com
