By Lori Bartlett

Daily Press Staff Writer

CITYWIDE — As the temperatures drop, the music scene in Santa Monica tends to heat up, with a menagerie of local and national acts set to take to the stages of area venues. In the lull between holiday shopping, office parties and family gatherings, Santa Monicans can check out of the holiday hustle and bustle, and check in to local clubs for some live music from a host of genres ... all without trekking into LA traffic.

The venerable Harvelle’s has been a staple for visiting bands and local acts alike, being the oldest live music venue on the Westside. For a spicy Tuesday night, head over for Bongo Fury, a show filled with afro-cuban jazz and a burlesque show. Every Wednesday in December, and beyond, Harvelle’s hosts a Juke Joint night featuring Mississippi-style ambiance, including free barbecue and waffles. The band Ass-Pocket-Of-Whiskey accompanies the southern-style evening. Closing out the week is the soulful sounds of The Toledo Show. Harvelle’s is located at 1432 4th St.

For more information on shows or tickets, call (310) 395-1676 or visit www.harvelles.com.

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On Dec. 8, The Smokin’ Joe Kubek Band, featuring Bnois King, bring their brand of guitar-driven, southern blues tempered with a little jazz influence.

Temple Bar is the area’s spot for edgy, hip and up-and-coming acts. This month features a variety of hip-hop, indie rock and world beats. On Thursday, Dec. 7, KCRW presents Les Nuibians. The French-born sisters have earned a Grammy nomination for their “Afropean” sound. The hip-hop beats of Boston’s Audible Mainframe rock the stage on Dec. 9. This seven-man crew recently opened for hip-hop heavyweight Slick Rick and have earned multiple awards for their live act and turntable skills. The end of the month brings Chicago Afrobeat Project, a collective group with roots in ’70s funk and a mix of jazz-infused afrobeats. Temple Bar is located at 1026 Wilshire Blvd.

For more information, call (310) 363-6611 or on the Web at www.templebarlive.com.

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KCRW presents the soul and R&B jams of Vikter Duplaix, with special guests DJ Oakasan, The Hardson and Debi Nova on Dec. 16.

The aptly named 14 Below, on located at 1348 14th St. near Santa Monica Boulevard, offers an intimate live music experience. The venue attracts acts across the board in terms of genre. Every Sunday features Cubensis, a Grateful Dead tribute band. The Libra Project’s progressive style hip-hop will headline a show on Saturday, Dec. 9, and the Rebel Soul Band bring roots rock with a reggae splash to the stage on Dec. 16.

For more information on shows, call (310) 451-5040 or visit www.14below.com.

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On Dec. 15, Malibu’s own Big Dume play with Dirty Robot and The Inner Clockwork.

Over in the Pico neighborhood, locals can catch the occasional show at McCabe’s Guitar Shop. The guitar blues of Dirk Hamilton comes to McCabe’s on Saturday, Dec. 3, with singing chanteuse Lebo opening. On Sunday, Dec. 10, McCabe’s features a free annual holiday extravaganza. McCabe’s is located at 3101 Pico Blvd.

For more information, call (310) 828-4497, or log onto the Web at www.mccabes.com.

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Tonight, diverse singer-songwriter Sara Hickman with local acoustic-roots rock artist Rick Shea at 8 p.m.