“You can hear a lot of great people up close and personal,” Hogan said.

HARVARD SQUARE HARMONIZING

While Boston often hosts national touring acts, Matt Smith, managing director at Club Passim, describes the current scene in Cambridge and Somerville as more indie.

“That river is a big divide,” Smith said.

Perhaps the most eclectic venue in the Square is the Democracy Center, a nonprofit organization that makes space available for activists and bands. Concerts there are alcohol-free and pay-as-you-can.

“If you can’t pay anything then you can still come in, but if you can give something, it’s appreciated. The Democracy Center exists to provide a space for nonprofits,” said Sarah Cadorette, the organization’s co-coordinator.

The Democracy Center, at 45 Mount Auburn St., has a 150-person capacity, with four rooms for shows. For the most part, its shows are punk and hard-core metal and rock. Many of the punk shows are hosted in a room with closed doors to facilitate moshing.

As the Harvard Square music scene grows, most proprietors say they are not worried about the increasingly crowded landscape. The main competition for Harvard Square’s music venues comes from Boston and from Central Square establishments like The Middle East, which hosts nightly entertainment in 200- and 550-person rooms.

Hogan in particular said that Club Passim has no reason to fear competition from its new neighbor, The Sinclair on Church Street, not only because concerts at Club Passim tend to start earlier in the evening than other shows but also because of the cooperative environment he sees among local music venues.

—Maya S. Jonas-Silver contributed reporting for this story.

—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.