The Knitting Factory is the L.A. offshoot of the eponymous downtown N.Y.C. club. The modern, medium-size room seems all the more spacious for its balcony-level seating and sizable stage. Despite its dubious location on Hollywood Boulevard's tourist strip -- in the building housing the Galaxy movie theater -- it's a great set-up for the arty, big-name performers it presents. There's live music almost every night in the main room and in the smaller Alter-Knit Lounge; there's also a restaurant, a full bar, and Web stations for surfing music sites. Covers are free to $40.