Its street address may be on Atlantic Avenue, but you won’t see The Hurricane Bar & Lounge (hurricanelounge.com) while driving down the popular downtown Delray Beach thoroughfare. The club is actually behind the Sonoma Cafe and faces south, away from Atlantic Avenue near the intersection of Northeast Seventh Avenue. But owner Pasqual Ranich likes being off the beaten path.

“We want to attract locals who appreciate live music;” says Ranich, 58, “a select clientele of nice people through word-of-mouth. And 80 percent of our staff has been with us since the day we opened in 2006.”
A Pennsylvania native, Ranich was on his way to the Florida Keys in 1980 when he stopped at a brand-new club called Boston’s in Delray Beach. He didn’t return home, staying in Florida to manage and book bands at Boston’s for most of the next 26 years, until he opened The Hurricane.

A non-smoking indoor club, The Hurricane also features an outdoor patio bar for those who light up, plus lots of signs that Ranich hails from the Philadelphia area (like Phillies baseball and Eagles football games on TV). But it’s the sizable stage, lights and sound system that showcase the owner’s passion for music.

“I ran a music store and a booking agency in Pennsylvania,” he says. “Most of our weeknight bands play what I call modern rock. Thursdays through Saturdays lean toward alternative rock; Sundays are indie rock.”

See The People Upstairs at 9:30 p.m. Friday; Dirty University at 9:30 p.m. Saturday; The Sosas at 8 p.m. Sunday; The Mirandas at 9 p.m. Tuesday; Grindstone at 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday; Morning Wood at 9 p.m. Thursday; the Mighty Quinn at 9:30 p.m. May 28; and Brain Grenade at 9:30 p.m. May 29, all at The Hurricane, 640-7 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call (561) 278-0282.

Now hear this:

The North Palm Beach School of Rock (schoolofrock.com/northpalmbeach) students present the challenging music of Led Zeppelin this weekend at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Duffy’s Sports Grill, 11588 U.S. 1, North Palm Beach. Call (561) 721-2650.

Texas-born international touring artist Chris Duarte (chrisduartegroup.com) continues the Lone Star State’s fine tradition of singing blues/rock guitarists (Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan) by making a local stop at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday at The Back Room Blues Bar, 7200 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton. $20. Call (561) 988-8929.

Port St. Lucie-based singing guitarist Scott Benge will use a vocal harmonizer to sound like a choir while playing solo from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Tiki Waterfront Sea Grill, 200 E. 13th St., Riviera Beach. Call (561) 845-5532. He’ll also play with the classic rock band Monkey Bone from 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. on May 28-29 at Good Times, 9144 S. Federal Highway, Port St. Lucie. Call (772) 337-3546.

International jazz guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg (jonathankreisberg.com), a South Florida star before moving to New York City in 1997, returns to play 9 and 10:30 p.m. sets on Thursday, and 7 (an all-ages show) and 9 p.m. sets on May 28 at Tobacco Road, 626 S. Miami Ave., Miami. $15 and good for both sets each night. Call (305) 374-1198.