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ATMOSPHERE: Virginia-Highland doesn't seem the place for a rock club, but one lurks below the Buckhead-lite surface. 10 High is a dark hole in the ground beneath the Dark Horse Tavern. With the poles in the middle, this could double as strip club — and it feels like you're living a little dangerously as you descend the precipitous stairway into the dim cavern.

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THE CROWD: The upscale posing and preening that goes on upstairs can spill over into the basement, but once the hair product and bronzer start to melt, the lightweights will head for the woody familiarity of the Dark Horse.

MUSIC: You'll usually see local bands — from Americana to hip-hop, but heavy on the rock — gracing the smallish stage, but the club also books newly signed major label artists trying to get their names out there and sell some records.

COMING UP: The club has about three bands most every Wednesday through Saturday. The cover charge is generally $5 weeknights and $7-$8 Fridays and Saturdays.

— Shane Harrison