Echoing what others have posted, I'm embarrassed to say that I attended a well-attended show at PA's Lounge this week, and messaging with the band the next day learned that NONE of the bands were paid. When I pay a cover I'm contributing to the band -- the establishment makes money off the drinks sold to the crowd the band draws. The booking website has so many warnings, you KNOW that there is a history of mistreating bands. An owner doesn't post such a detailed policy unless s/he's received MANY complaints (there were definitely more than enough attendees to surpass the door fees... unless the bouncer was pocketing cash). That cover charge is the last money that sleazy place is getting from me. I refuse to support an unscrupulous establishment. read more

Want an unfriendly bartender and an uncomfortable performance room? Here you go! The bartender acts like he's doing you a favor to serve you unless he knows you, and I believe this is the owner (at least on Mondays). Furthermore, what kind of bar in the Boston area doesn't have Guinness? On the performer's side, there is one booth and a pile of chairs. Guess you got to pull one up. Or maybe you are expected to break dance? They have started a Monday open mike which has a diversity of talent, if you catch my drift. For beers, a better bet is Bull McCabe's down the street. read more

So bad, it's good. Well, not really. More like, so bad that it's laughable. Yeah, that's more like it. The venue side of PA's literally looks like the owner got in a fight with somebody who ran a AM-Vet's or VFW and took the keys to their building from them and slapped the PA's name on it. The bar side is a functioning bar complete with plenty of local color. They have some decent stuff on tap so you will find something beyond Bud to drink for cheap. I would never come all the way out here just to drink for the 'divey coolness' that is PA's but if I had to come out for a show again I wouldn't say no because of the fact that it was at PA's. read more

Let me preface by saying I don't drink beer. Unless I'm at Bukowski's (check them out if you've somehow missed that buzz). So I'm giving P.A.'s 2 stars for it's capacity as a music venue - which is crappy. It's a small room, with no order though not a cool "chaos" to it either. The stage may indeed BE a desk as someone else suggested. The sound is horrible and if you want a beverage, you have to leave the show and go to the other side where the bar is, leaving you missing the show. I didn't use the bathrooms, but I would venture to guess that they'd get a 2/5 stars as well. read more

I passed by and dropped into PA's many times in the 3 years I lived in Inman Square, a stones throw from the Union Square venue. Every time, PA's was empty, cold, and rude. I previously viewed it as a decent music room for up and coming artists from the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area to run a trial gig of songs or bills, but even from that, the stories kept being reported from every person I know that has played there how the owner and management consistently failed to pay artists for their hard work. Poor PA's! They haven't had more than a handful of decent reviews in at least 5 years. The bar isn't anything special and is cash only, and the whole room dirty. Pass. And on top of all else, now hearing all of these sexual harassment claims doesn't come as a surprise, but prompted me to write my long harbored thoughts on PA's Lounge. If you want a good bar or music scene in the area, Thunder Road, Bull McCabe's, and Sally O'Brien's are all within 5 minutes walk. Avoid PA's at all costs. read more

If I could I would give this place zero stars! My boyfriend is in a band and they played their first show at PA's Lounge a month ago. The owner is very rude and the sound tech was 30 minutes late...Nothing was set up so the bands had to start playing almost an hour late! The cover charge to see the 3 bands playing that night was $7, but somehow after 4 hours of preforming the owner claimed the bands only made $90 in tickets altogether. I was present for the entire show and I counted at least 3 times that many people in attendance. They owner clearly STOLE money from all of the bands (including one of his resident bands) and each group of 3+ people only walked away from 5 hours of work with $30. A friend's band played at PA's last night and had a similar, if not worse, experience. The sound guy was 2 hours late (he needs to be fired immediately) and once again the owner was extremely rude. Not to mention that the place is dark and creepy and they don't serve food. Complete rip off! I suggest that if you are a band that is considering playing here...DON'T!!! And if you're looking to listen to some great local music go elsewhere as the show is likely to start hours late! read more

Scammed us, plain and simple. Staff called us a**holes for asking questions, bar tender refused to answer any questions.

it's a dive. the beers come in bottles or plastic cups. decent concert venue, tho it's really convoluted to get to by T. basically, i wasn't wowed by the place, but it worked for what i was there for - a beer and a concert. moo. read more

Being a JPer and terrified of going across the river, I ended up here this past Friday and fell a little in love with it, even though Union is even further than Inman (but bonus for being near toast for lesbian debauchery!). If I lived near here, I would be here regularly. Really not much to write about in terms of 'decor' or style or ambiance-just a good solid neighborhood bar-just the way I like 'em! read more

Great selection of local (and occasionally not-so-local) bands playing here. That - and that alone - is what keeps me coming back. I hear the same stories everybody else does regarding bands getting ripped off - but just try to find another venue that a band can score for $150/night. With a little luck you might find one. In Springfield, MA. That said - let's not kid ourselves. These guys are totally half-assing it. It's kind of ironic that a bar with "PA" in its name would sport the worst sound of any music venue in Boston, but it's true. And it seems like there's either a different sound guy there at every show, or he's a master of disguise. As others have noted, the decor is lousy. And on occasion the place smells kind of funky (a mass grave of sound men wafting up from beneath the floor boards?). And, yes, the beer is a bit more expensive than it ought to be. But I keep coming back. And if I do I really ought not to give this place less than 3 stars. At worst this place provides a low price of admission for new bands to enter the local scene. Let's hope it continues to do so, after the Green Line goes to its front door. In about 10 or 15 years... read more

I'm telling everyone I know not to support this bar. I paid $10 to see my favorite band who happens to be up-and-coming only to witness the owner be completely rude and disrespectful to myself, the band, and everyone there. They drove in 7 hours of traffic to play the show just to struggle with a terrible PA system and get kicked off the stage after 3 songs before the bar even closed. She belittled them and was nasty to those of us who purchased drinks from her all night. No m'a'm, I don't care what you say to me but you can't treat my favorite band like that and not get a bad review. If you're in a band and looking or a place to play, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere for bookings. read more

There is a first time for everything. And mine was here last night. Small get together of friends who grew up in the area wanting to go out on a week night to do a little open mic and libations. Tony is a great guy and a solid bartender. I was expecting a lot more hipsters to stroll through but I think they were all Precinct. I did watch a guy walk right in lean over the bar and yell at Tony to plug in his Iphone. Tony politely told him he didn't have a charger. Now what makes this guy think he can just have free electricity? At least order a drink first then ask if there is a charger available right? SMH. Anyway I will be back for sure. Maybe I can get HLs on the beer menu ;) read more

This place has some good music gigs from time to time but its got its own look to it. The bar itself looks like a old sports bar and the stage side looks like a private event room. I guess this place use to be a resturant. There is no way to beat the cheap prices on draught beer but the bartenders are kind of slow and uneventful. All in all not a bad place but not great either. read more

Only been a few times in a few years. Last time I was here we stayed on the bar side eschewing the musical entertainment. It was pretty dead so I didn't encounter any of the oft mentioned smelly hipster dufuses. I'm old enough to remember when bars like this littered Somerville and Cambridge and frankly I find it a breath of fresh air. Wine in plastic cups? So what. No 22 seasonal bullshit beers to choose from? Good. So you have to pay, on the spot, for every round or drink? Fine with me. Sometimes a bar simply needs a be a place with low lighting, no frill, no bullshit, sit down and talk to your friends with some cheap libations kind of place read more

I had read a few reviews for this local dive and all seemed to point in the positive direction. I wasn't overly impressed. Packed with old sports cards and 70's baseball pics this place looks sharp. A super small bar side can host about 50 people tops and the venue half has been rumored to fill out with about 175. There was no music when I showed up, some sort of poetry reading, either way it was lame. By the looks of the place the beers should be cheaper with the low end PAs Brew (AKA High Life) tipping the scales at a not so meager $2.75 per plastic 12 oz solo. This place is definately a "hey I'm cool because I'm at a so-called dive bar drinking cheap beer with all my ecclectic friends, did I mention three of us are vegetarians, neato". Its only open till 1. I gave 4 stars because it is definately an interesting place and the owner poured our beers and had some small talk. read more

I went there for a show, and got some food while I was waiting. The grilled cheese was PERFECTLY crispy and the fries were delicious! My husband got a burger and said it was great, too. read more

pa's is cool. the beer is cheap, the vibe is laid-back and the venue side usually smells like sweat socks. go here if you want to watch hipsters in their natural environment - the place is thick with plaid shirts, skinny jeans, thick black glasses and beards. i've been here for both music and comedy shows and have enjoyed both... though beware, there are like 10 seats in the place, so comedy can be a little weird. i saw eugene mirman while leaning against a wall (and sweating my butt off - the place gets HOT in the summer). go early and claim the single booth in the back if you're going with friends! this is my dream, not yet achieved. can't speak for the food - i am vegan and their menu is most definitely not. read more

I am not a reviewer. This is the first review I've ever written, and unfortunately, IT HAS A CONTENT WARNING! CW: enabling abuse, transphobia, ableism, aggression, racism, misgendering, assault: NEVER EVER go to PA's Lounge in Somerville! If you've booked a show there, cancel it and if you have friends who have booked shows there, encourage them to do the same. My partner and I were there last night to support a friend. There were red flags from the beginning and as the evening went on, things only got worse. First, a loud and obnoxious heckler was encouraged to continue heckling the performers by the entire bar staff who were chatting him up and seemed to find his antics incredibly charming. During this time, my friend who was performing later turned to me and expressed feelings of unease. Ze* mentioned that another performer had been sexually harassed on their way into the club. (I later found out that the bar staff were informed of this and responded by laughing and saying, "oh yes that's so-and-so. He has a thing for Puerto Rican women") I tried to reassure my friend that we would protect zem. Empathized with zer valid feelings of terror related to the harassment incident, Told zem Ze was unhecklable, that ze just had to be zemself. The heckler eventually left and my friend started setting up zer act, laying a tarp on the ground and carrying a big bucket in which you could hear liquid sloshing. THIS was the time when the venue, should have been asking questions if they didn't have advance info about unusual performance plans, which granted, they didn't and probably should have. Instead, they let my friend get set up, and in the middle of performance, after Ze had dumped out a bucket of very simple fake blood (just water and food coloring) onto the tarp, they cut the PA, rushed the stage, asked my friend to stop the performance immediately, and clean up the mess, which Ze was planning to clean up after the performance was finished. They then GOT MAD THAT MY FRIEND NEEDED TO USE A CANE TO WALK OFF THE STAGE AND CLEAN UP THE MESS! They started yelling things like "you don't need the cane, what are you, an infant? Are you going to make us do this for you?" etc. While this was happening, the first performer tried to stand up for my friend and got punched by a PA's lounge employee. He then called the cops (not necessarily the smartest thing to do). I decided to go ask for our money back as we had come explicitly to see the person who was banned from performing. The person who was collecting cover said, "the show happened, you're not getting it back." I responded, "You kicked my friend off the stage." He responded, "he kicked himself off the stage," misgendering my friend and adding insult to an already injury-inducing night." I am pleased to say that my partner had driven there and we were able to get my friend home safely. I am also pleased that many audience members helped my friend clean up and another performing group who had played before my friend walked out after my friend's non-set, possibly in protest, possibly for safety reasons. Possibly both. I saw a yelp review today that said this venue hosted a white pride event with people in Klan robes and confederate flags. I am never going back. I hope you don't either *My friend's preferred pronouns are "ze, zer, zem." this is an alternative to gender binary read more

This place is cool, and by Boston rock club standards this place might actually deserve 5 stars. I play in a band, and aside from Charlie's Kitchen (which only does Monday shows), this is probably my favorite place to play in town. Similarly, it's probably my fave place to attend a show, too... It's nice having the bar in a seperate room from the music so that the people who really don't want to see a particular band can just head over to the other room and not have the noise at the bar ruin it for the people who do care. I'm told the beer selection is a little lacking, but I don't drink, so whatevers. SEE YOU IN THE PIT. read more

Went here for a show a few mos back. Totally decent space, beers are a decent price, people seemed pretty cool. They seem to have some pretty good local bands come through here pretty consistently. read more

We were walking around Union trying to decide where to eat, and saw a menu posted for P.A's. They recently opened the kitchen, and the food is surprisingly good. The prices are quite reasonable, too. They have a charcoal grill, so the burger is amazing...juicy and beefy on a toasted Portuguese roll and about $6, with $2 more for fries. We also really liked the bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog, but I'm not sure my arteries can take that too often. I was pretty full, but tried a bite of the grilled pizza with linguica and grilled onions, which was crispy and smoky and delicious. We'll definitely be back. . read more

I've been going to PA's Lounge for shows on the weekends for years. Recently they've added a couple residencies that give me a good reason to show up during the week. Americana Mondays hosted by Greg Klyma is a fun night of country, folk, and blues. The crowd is the best part of the night as the huge open floor is filled with dancers. Not the club style bump and grind, but pairs of folks blues dancing, two-stepping and waltzing. It's a great time. The newest edition is a trivia night on Thursday, thought it's not just trivia. Instead of there being an iPod or playlist that fills the time between questions, there is a house band providing live music. After the game, there is a featured performer that takes the stage. If the crowd is feeling it there is sometimes an open jam to end the night. The downside is that there is a $5 cover that goes to pay the trivia prize and the featured band. The upside is that it is waived if you bring a shelter item (there seemed to be a lot of razors, soaps, and canned goods) to donate to a local charity. read more

It is four stars, because I am giving PAs credit for being True To Themselves. The food, actually, is pretty good. It is bar food with a Portugese influence (read: linguica in several items). Fact: P.A.'s stands for "Portugese American". I asked. The beer selection is wretched, but who am I to judge? PA's is just being True To Themselves. Same goes for the decor, the service, etc. The decor is, at first glance, uninspiring; then you see a Fred Lynn rookie card laminated in the bartop. The bartender seems rude; then you see her being rude to regulars, who are just as rude back. PA's exists for this purpose: Go on a Thursday; eat a linguica sandwich; get a Budweiser with it. Watch the Red Sox on the circa-1989 television and crack wise with the regulars. Pat the Bobby Orr poster. Then see your reasonably priced rock show. read more

I go to PA's on Mondays because I like the music (Americana Monday with Greg Klyma) and the vibe. It is a good crowd of people. It's the kind of place that after a week or two everyone knows your name, even the band. People ask you to dance. If you can't dance they'll dance with you anyway and let you learn. Greg and the band are special and there is a stream of amazing guest musicians that regularly drop in and sit in with the band. read more

Don't go, especially if you're a band thinking of playing here. There's a laundry list of problems with PA's. They stuff the bill with any band they can find who will play, the sound guy is basically asleep on the job, they don't pay bands a cut from the door, there's no guest list, they don't give drink tickets or discounts, and they don't promote in the slightest. Not to mention the bartenders' drunk friend who threatened one of the performers with a glass bottle and didn't get thrown out. I'm not expecting to be given much, I understand we are a largely unknown local band, but the blatant lack of respect in every category prevents me from ever considering this venue again. read more

Terrible place. Bartender/owner is rude and I heard he puts his pubic hair in people's drinks.Rips off musicians.

changed the name but not the horrible attitude of the old man behind the bar last night a women was passed out on the street i ran in asking for ice because she had heat stroke and he looked at me and said well thats why they have ambulances ya know after 3 minutes of him looking for something to put the ice in he finally gave me a plastic garbage bag when i went to grab it and said ok thats enough ice he told me to fucken wait i did get the ice and did help the lady but humanity is lost on this guy read more

Musicians beware: Bad sound, shitty stage, and management operates at a childish level of unprofessionalism.

Third stop on our bar crawl, and I'm a bit more observant that I anticipated. It was a late Saturday night and I think they closed at 1, so we had the tail end of a crowd. Space for a live band, though we missed that. Bartender was hilarious, drinks mediocre. No problem moving on to our next bar. read more

The sound at P.A.'s is ALWAYS bad. I've seen wonderful bands here (or bands that USUALLY sound wonderful) but the sound is just not right. And they even have a sound guy, though the sound guys are almost always half asleep. It kind of bums me out. I want to like the place, but I just can't. Also, there's this one bartender there who doesn't do a very good job pouring beer. It's like 50% head. Unfortunate. read more

(Letter I wrote to the Promoter of PAs) It's unfortunate that I have to contact you under these circumstances. Last night was a total disaster. I was robbed out of both money, and respect. Before I proceed, I shall give you a brief history of myself as a businesswoman and a company so you can understand where I am coming from. I have worked in this music business for over 10 years and recently I left my position as Chief Marketing Coordinator for a large radio syndication company in Manhattan, to move to Boston to pursue my start-up company TALL MIDGET as well as my music. In the past three years, we have had the opportunity to work with many successful companies such as Hennessy, Paul Mitchell and 10 Deep Clothing. I must say, in all my experience, never have I encountered such un-professionalism before. Out of respect for my fellow artist Ana Sol, I will also share with you a brief history of her as a businesswoman so you also understand where she is coming from. Ms. Sol has been featured in many showcases, and events through out the New England area. Amongst those she was featured in the Worcester Magazine for an entry entitled "International Miss Ana Sol." She is a professional artist who holds much respect. As an outline of last night's events, Ms. Sol showed up at your venue at 8:30pm. At 9:00 I received a phone call from her. She explained that the bartender was closing down, so I asked her to please put the bartender on the phone with me. The bartender immediately and aggressively started threatening to shut the place down. I kept it professional and did not use any profanity or aggression when responding. All I kept responding was that I understand and that we will have a lot of people attending later on in the night. After explaining to her that I had promoted this show for over a month, and had a multitude of people coming from all over, she finally calmed down and said that there was a huge miscommunication and that they never have done a hip-hop show at their venue. However, upon arrival I enter the bar to see Ms. Sol being threatened by the bouncer and the bartender saying that if she did not get the "fuck" out, they would call the cops. The bartender was speaking poorly about the show before I had entered, and after 15 minutes of the bartender's continuous disrespect and obvious racial tension, my fellow artist decided enough was enough. The bartender refused Ms. Sol service. She then threw Ms. Sol's phone on the bar even though Ms. Sol had her hand reached out. Please keep I mind, my cousin was there is of European decent and the other performer appears to be of European decent when in fact he is Puerto Rican. They were drinking and not being harassed. I tried to smooth everything over with my team and the performers but none of them wanted to give business to PA's. They all were upset with the way that the bartender had treated Ms. Sol. Due to this I couldn't get anyone to perform. So when I entered the establishment to deliberate, the bartender thought we were cool enough to explain to me that we could continue on as long as Ms. Sol wasn't allowed in because she would "cut" her. This is un-acceptable. Granted there was a miscommunication, there is no reason to treat people in these regards. I will be speaking to the AG office of Somerville. "To whom it may concern: November 25, 2012 My name is KR and I am writing today to endorse Ana "Ms. Sol" Perez. I am happy to say that I am friends with Ana and have been for 15 years. I was quite disappointed to find out about the mistreatment, profanity, and aggression she endured at your establishment, PA's Lounge in Somerville, MA. For the duration of our relationship, Ms Perez has always proven to be a good human being with qualities I would seek in any friend. She has shown to be an honest, upstanding citizen with good morals. In fact, I have never known a person who gives as much of themselves as she does. I have seen her resolve conflicts and handle other difficult situations with remarkable patience and admirable tact. In the community she goes out of her way to help people in need. She loves people, works hard, and always tries to lift the spirits of those around her. Ana Perez has never wavered from the standings which have allowed me to say that she is a person I trust and value in my life. As a result, I would never step foot in your establishment and will be sure to share this story with everyone I know. The poor treatment you displayed will negatively impact your business for sure! Thank you for your time. KR" read more

Went to a show at PA's Lounge last night; expected the worst but was pleasantly surprised. The sound system was actually very nice, the lighting was decent, and the place itself was not any more divey than average. The staff was relatively subdued and it seemed like they had people who weren't employees running the music and sound. Overall I expected the worst based on their past reviews but was pleasantly surprised. Seems like they took some criticism from the past years and are on the upswing. read more

This place is just awful. Draft Beers are expensive and the service was rude. They had 5 bands playing and no one showed up, and according to the bartender that's not their fault and tried to make the band pay to make up for they lack of customers they had and to pay the bouncer and sound guy. That's pretty lame. read more

Not sure what this place is like other nights, but the Americana Monday show each week is great. Not many places around town where you can grab drinks at the bar and then have a spacious dance floor to dance when the live music is just right. Two thumbs up. read more

As well as being an excellent local bar, P.A.'s is one of the best up-and-coming rock venues. There are excellent bands there practically every night of the week and covers are always low, usually about $5. The staff is friendly and the drinks are cheap. Most shows are 21+. Come out and support this welcome addition to the local music scene and the bands that play there! read more

If you're thinking of going to this 'bar' for a drink or to see a band, don't. If you're thinking of holding an event here, PLEASE DON'T because then people may feel obligated to step foot in this horrendous place. The place looks dirty and unkept. I asked for a water and was told to serve myself from a nasty pitcher at the end of the bar because the bartender, who I'm pretty sure was the owner, 'doesn't work for Poland Springs'. My boyfriend got a drink that came in a tiny plastic cup and cost $13, completely overpriced. We asked the bartender 2 more times if I can have a water, one time he was leaning against the bar not doing anything for at least 2 minutes, and he yelled at us to get it ourselves. Needless to say, he saved us a lot of money we were willing to spend because we didn't get anything else to drink. It's cash only too which is really wack. Save your time and money, this place isn't worth the one star on this review. read more

i wish i could give this place negative five stars. i went to a show tonight and had to leave early because i was too pissed off. 4 bands were up. the vocals never worked for any of them. i would have figured they could solve the vocal issues by the time the first band was off. apparently not. didn't even look like anyone was trying. i cant believe i paid money for that crap. I wish the sound guy tried to fix the stuff on stage AT ALL. screw you all for taking peoples money for this crap. I WILL NEVER COME BACK. RIDICULOUS. this place sucks, and bands should be aware they will screw you over. i love instruments but 3 freaking hours of not doing anything, they should not be in business. use the money i just wasted to hire a new sound guy and better equipment. read more

You've got to be kidding me. I went to a show here this weekend for the first time. This place is so bad that I STARTED this yelp account to give them this review. If I PAY to come into your establishment I would think there would be some small bit of hospitality, or at least respect given to me. Not here though. In fact the staff were down right rude. It's like I gave them money to treat me like a pain in the ass. They should stick to being a crappy bar that serves crappy drinks with the crappy TV on too loud - at least then there's an ironic charm in hearing the bartenders crass conversations that can be heard above almost anything. Reading the other reviews here makes me feel a little better - It's not just me! (those 5 star reviews have got to be friends with the owners, or maybe the owners themselves). In a city filled with music venues I find it very hard to believe this place is still in business. This is one person who will never support them again - no matter who's on the bill. read more

I went here to watch one of my good friends perform in his band, this was his last show for this band "B for Brontosaurus." The place is ratty, empty and dark. There is no food here, only drink, beside the tiny tables against the wall, along the bar on side, with a couple against a window trying to be cute, the bar is all there is to this dump. Now I think it's safe to say I was the person there that night that was under 21(by a few months) and I would highly recommend no one to go here at all, especially if you are under 21. The musical acts get loud, the lighting was crazy and could easily cause seizures. Now the worst part is because I was 21 it's segregated bathrooms( the bar one was nicer), you get no service and my friend was kind enough to get me some water once or twice. The employees were not very helpful and unwilling to help you. Furthermore, the other worst aspect is I ran into the owner a couple times, upon meeting him, he judged me harshly and incorrectly, he threatened me that if I went anywhere near the bar or over some invisible line or caught us doing anything he was going to send us to the curb and he was just ruthless and not understanding at all, very belligerent. I'm never coming back here and I hope he gets his ass kicked to the curb.(zero stars) read more