Though El Rey started as a 1930s movie theater, in the last decade the art-deco venue has become a significant stepping stone for bands coming through LA.

In addition to its increasingly popular concert-hall status, El Rey has become a go-to place for artists like Damien Rice to try out new material on invite-only crowds. An even more recent reinvention has upped the venues class quotient: The upstairs balcony has been converted to strictly VIP-only, and the heavy red velvet curtains that now cover the stage give the venue an aura of mystery it previously lacked. —Jeff Miller