The Hub is perhaps Sacramento's best music venue you've never heard about. The location is secret, only members can attend shows and newcomers are invited by word of mouth.

Once you attend a show, you've become an official member. A required $1 fee for first-timers adds your name to The Hub's e-mail list that will send you information about future shows.

The Hub's four founders requested their identities and the location of the venue remain anonymous.

Sunday night, a group of about 50 people braved the rain to see The Ganglians, The Fresh and Onlys and Woven Bones rock a packed Hub. Christmas decorations, a Persian rug and a homemade mural on parchment paper adorned the minimalist one-room club. A merchandise table sold T-shirts for $10 and bands' records.

The stage, complete with a PA system, monitors and a soundboard, took up about a fourth of the room. The only other amenities were a water cooler, about a dozen chairs along the walls and a bathroom.

Earlier Sunday, The Hub held a members-only dinner, the remnants of which remained available for the taking by the time the show began. Outside, a small crowd smoked cigarettes while huddled around a makeshift fire.

Local band The Ganglians started about 9 p.m. filling every nook of the venue with echoing, reverberating, surf-inspired rock. Their spirited caterwauling over catchy rhythms drew a large crowd of dancers, heads bobbing and hips shaking.

The four-piece, which consists of vocalist Ryan Grubbs, guitarist Kyle Hoover, drummer Alex Sowles and bassist Adrian Comenzind, performed a polished handful of eclectic tunes.

Last year the band released a self-titled EP on Woodsist Records, a full-length record, Monster Head Room, and toured the United States, Comenzind said. He added that the group plans to release a new album and tour Europe next year.

Online album review website www.Pitchfork.com said of Monster, "Ganglians are wild men -- they make music that gets fresh air all up in your teeth and gums." The review also compared the group to the Beach Boys and indie rock band Grizzly Bear.

Woodsist labelmates The Fresh and Onlys took the stage about 45 minutes later, sounding like a rawer version of the Killers. The band, who recently backed Stephen Malkmus on his California tour, played ambitious rock anthems that sent an already fervent audience into a frenzy of head shaking and interestingly, swing dance moves.

Woven Bones, an unsigned rock trio from Austin, Texas, began its set a little before 11 p.m. to a much smaller crowd. About 20 people stood outside the venue smoking and talking while the rest of the audience stayed until nearly midnight listening to the psychedelic blues rockers.

With the help of Sol Collective, a nonprofit, arts education center, the Hub's organizers hope to launch a second public music venue near the corner of 21st and Broadway early next year, said one of the club's founders. She also said The Hub has held more than 30 shows.

If you're looking for one of Sacramento's best live music experiences, ask a friend if they know about The Hub. It's a unique venue with a hipster appeal. And with ticket prices under $10, it's worth the hunt.

Photographs 1-4: The Ganglians