Making big bucks in the small music scene

In February 2005, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published a story about the arts in Pittsburgh… In February 2005, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published a story about the arts in Pittsburgh titled “Music Scene on a Low Note.”

“Heading South?” asked City Paper a year earlier, when two South Side venues, the Lava Lounge and The Memphis Room @ Zythos stopped hosting live bands.

As bleak as it sounds, it’s true. Pittsburgh doesn’t have the economy or population to host a booming music scene, which in recent years has made it difficult for local music-venue owners to keep their clubs in business.

In just the past five years, Pittsburgh has lost two of its best venues. The Strip District’s Metropol closed in late 2003, and just a year later Oakland’s own Club Laga closed and was replaced by apartment complexes.

With a 1,400-person capacity, Laga was the largest indoor club venue in the city. In addition to those two major losses, the city has seen many smaller venues like Club Graffiti, Decade, The World and The Electric Banana slip away as well.

With the 20-somethings of Pittsburgh evacuating the city as soon as they’re handed their college diploma, combined with the turbulent economy and many other inhibiting factors, running a live music venue in Pittsburgh has become a challenge.

But fear not, Pittsburgh concert-goers. Several venues have beat the odds and found the right formula for keeping a music venue open in a city known for being bereft of a young, hip population. Venues like Mr. Small’s Funhouse, Diesel Club Lounge, The Rex Theater and Club Cafe are still up and running to keep the local live music scene alive.

The remaining music venues of Pittsburgh have created diverse and original environments in order to stay in business. Each has developed it’s own identity.

With its small and intimate setting, Club Cafe is Pittsburgh’s only soul club. Having hosted national artists such a Nora Jones and John Mayer, as well as local jazz and soul bands, Club Cafe attracts a very specific soul-loving crowd.

The South Side’s Diesel Club Lounge provides a more modern atmosphere with its multiple levels and VIP rooms. Hosting a wide array of bands that spans many genres, Diesel appeals to concert-goers of all ages and demographics.

Mr. Small’s concert hall, on the other hand, is in a uniquely renovated old church in Millvale that generally draws in a teenage crowd. National alternative bands and local high school bands generally perform on its altar turned stage.

The Rex Theater is in a 90-year-old movie theater that’s been transformed into a concert hall hosting mostly alternative bands.

So what does it take for a music venue to survive in Pittsburgh? Consistencies among the remaining venues suggest that small and middle-sized venues with alternate sources of revenue are having better luck staying in business.

But small venues can be a good thing for both artists and fans alike when offering more personal and intimate concert settings.

“Small is beautiful, shows are much more intimate when you can see the sweat rolling down the performers’ foreheads,” said Marco Cardamone, co-owner of Club Cafe.

While the area has some stadiums and amphitheaters for big-name national artists, since the close of Club Laga, Diesel has moved up as the largest club venue. With a 700-person capacity, a mere half of Laga’s size, Diesel is just slightly larger than Mr. Smalls Funhouse, with its 650-person capacity, and The Rex Theater, which holds a maximum of about 500 people.

WPTS productions director and frequent concert-goer Varun Bhandari said, “I’ve seen a lot of my favorite bands from three feet away. I like knowing that if I punch my fist in the air, it’s motivating the performer.”

Smaller venues like Club Cafe, which only holds 150 people, and coffee shops and bars like The Quiet Storm Coffeehouse and The Shadow Lounge benefit from the intimate settings they offer and provide local artists with great places to promote their music.

“It’s more [of] a friendly atmosphere,” said local singer and songwriter Cathasaigh. “I prefer a more intimate venue. It allows me to connect with the audience on a more personal level. It’s what I imagine it was like in the ’60s with the audience listening more intently and can focus more on individual songs rather than the show as a whole.”

From a business standpoint, small clubs succeeding over large ones makes sense. The former owner of The World and founder of Joker Productions, Jon Rinaldo, said “Smaller clubs cost a lot less to operate, but it takes a lot more to make the finances work. That’s why Club Cafe was running two shows a night for a while and why Diesel has to have dance nights to stay in business.”

“Being small helps because you don’t have a big venue to fill up, even though the economy of a small club is kind of tight,” Cardamone said.

According to Rinaldo, “Most dance clubs have a two-to-five-year life span. It’s sad, but most owners are just in it to make a quick buck and then get out.”

But owners of persevering music venues like Mr. Small’s, Diesel, The Rex Theater and Club Cafe are committed to keeping the local music scene alive by giving local and national artists venues to play, even if it means putting in a lot of extra effort to stay in business.

“Commitment and sacrifice are what keep our doors open,” said Mr. Small’s Funhouse president Mike Speranzo. “We’re all about giving back to the community