The Warsaw (located at 261 Driggs Ave. in the Polish National Home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn) is one of the coolest venues of the year, despite the fact that the management failed to give me a lot of the information that I wanted when I contacted them.

What I do know is that the main hall holds upwards of 800 people, and the stage, complete with red velvet curtains, resembles the auditorium at the Elementary School of Rock. The main reason I dig Warsaw so much has not so much to do with its ability to host an epic rock show, which it definitely- Arthur Lee, The Polyphonic Spree, Guided By Voices- but rather its ability to showcase events like the Kaiju Big Battle Double Danger Show, in which Japanamation-inspired pro-wrestlers settle grudges and battle for championship titles inside a caged cityscape (to learn more, hit up www.kaiju.com).

Also taking up residece in the main hall are a small balcony in the rear (which im sure is for V.I.P.'s), a small bar with limited drink options, and a DJ booth. Two doorways in the main hall lead into a bigger bar area and a school-style cafeteria with lots of tables at which you can sit and enjoy Polish cuisine from Kielbasa to potato pancakes (These seperate areas are a blessing if you want to have a beer with a friend and actually carry on an audible conversation). The mess hall also serves as a merch area big enough to house quite a number of mid-level bands' merch booths.

If you don't live in Williamsberg and/or go to art school, the overwhelming hipster scene might make you feel out of place. Beer aficionados might also feel uneasy about the limited selection, which isn't terrible (basically Polish beer and Heineken), but I would personally like a few more choices. If these are things you can embrace/ignore, then Warsaw is just about the perfect place for rock lovers.