1. Rudyard's: Ask any local musician what venue they think has the best sound in Houston and most of them will probably say Rudyard's. It's odd that this pub-turned-live-music-venue has turned out some of the best and most consistent live sound in our city for the past 20 years, but not when you realize the man behind the board, Joe Omulchuck, has been there the entire time.

Onstage and off, the sound at Rudz is nothing short of spectacular, even when the bands are not, and Omulchuck is the reason.

Here's what we said about the then-new HOB's rig back in '09:

Really, now: You didn't think we were going to give Houston's newest (and priciest) concert hall "Best Drink Prices," did you? But House of Blues deserves credit where it's due, and it has due aplenty for bringing in artists who might otherwise skip Houston altogether -- legends like Willie Nelson and rising stars à la Santigold alike -- and even more for a sound rig that makes them all sound as good as they do on record, if not better.

HOB's all-digital setup looks more like an instrument panel from the Starship Enterprise than the levers-and-knobs soundboards most other local music venues use, and it shows. Most nights, it even works well enough to drown out the conversations of HOB's exceptionally chatty clientele.