Best Beginners Jam Session

You got a shiny new guitar for Christmas and you've been jamming along to Steppenwolf for four months straight. Put on some snazzy duds, champ, you're ready for the big time! Well, almost the big time, at this unassuming Bernal Heights dive. The owners survived a recent tussle with ASCAP that threatened to quiet the bandstand, and now the bar hosts three open jam sessions a week (Sunday, Monday, and Thursday). The cast of regulars is welcoming toward newcomers, capably acting as backing band with little provocation, bashing out countless strains of "Mustang Sally" at the drop of a hat. But best of all, the place is usually sparsely attended, so you'll be making a fool of yourself in front of only a handful of witnesses.