Rock out to your favorite bands without leaving town

As a freshman or a student new to the University of Pittsburgh, you may be wondering -… As a freshman or a student new to the University of Pittsburgh, you may be wondering – whatever shall I do on Friday or Saturday night? Well rest assured, because no matter who you are, you’ll be able to find something fun, educational, interesting or downright debauchery-filled to spend your time here any night of the week.

While many a Pitt student would offer the obvious answer of “get trashed,” “get stupid” or even “get crunked,” there are certainly plenty of other things to do than spend your Saturdays in the keg line for 40 minutes before realizing that the stale Natural Light just wasn’t worth it. That said, Pittsburgh is a veritable playground for all things musical, artistic and cultural. You just have to know where to look.

The artistic and the cultural are covered elsewhere in this issue, so let’s focus in on one of Pittsburgh’s most lively qualities: live music. Though the city suffered the tragic demise of several great clubs in the last few years, the Pittsburgh music scene has recently seen a resurgence of music venues. So, if live music is your thing, you’re reading the right article.

Mr. Smalls Funhouse: Nestled atop a hill in the not-so-friendly neighborhood of Millvale, Mr. Smalls is a club hard to reach by bus, but well worth the trip. Picture an old church with high walls, dim lighting and stained glass. Now add a stage and get rid of those pews and you’ve got one hell of a rock venue.

As Smalls can fit up to 650 sweaty fans, the club is big enough to house wild dances and brutal mosh pits, but small enough to maintain a truly intimate musical setting. In addition to a near-perfect atmosphere, Smalls also packs each week with enough varied and exciting shows that it’s hard not to find something that piques your interest. Just this past year, the club’s lineup included The Blood Brothers, Keller Williams, Switchfoot, Thursday, Reel Big Fish, Citizen Cope and the Disco Biscuits.

As if that weren’t enough, the Mr. Smalls complex also includes a fully functional studio that can be rented out by local artists and a skate park, as well as the home base for independent label Creative.Life.Support Records. Go to www.mrsmalls.com for more details.

The Rex Theatre: This club fits in perfectly among the used record shops and quirky boutiques of the South Side, and it’s only a bus ride away. Hop on the 54C, ride down East Carson and you’ll eventually see a classic-looking theater marquee – The Rex. Opening as a movie theater more than 90 years ago, The Rex is not only a place of rock but also history.

The 550-person wide-open space provides plenty of room to get down, and you’ll be amazed how much more of The Rex there is behind that tiny street-front ticket booth. A balcony provides some space for those who can’t take the heat, as the theater often brings some of the most hardcore acts around to town, as well as both indie and mainstream favorites. Past shows have included Broken Social Scene, The Hold Steady, God Forbid and Bury Your Dead. For more show info, type in www.rextheatre.com.

Club Zoo: Able to keep the energy of more than 2,000 rock-ready folks inside its doors, Club Zoo doubles as a music venue and a dance club. As a club, Zoo is open every Friday and Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., releasing tons of teens dance-dancing into the Strip District late at night every weekend. Club Zoo doesn’t bring live music terribly often, but certainly gets a fair share of national acts to rock its stage. This summer, the venue will feature Robin Thicke and Rise Against, and has put on shows in the past for Yellowcard, Coheed and Cambria, Rancid and Hatebreed. So if you want to shake it or rock it, check out www.clubzoo.net for more info on how and when to do it.

Mr. Roboto Project: Located just outside the city in Wilkinsburg, the Mr. Roboto Project is certainly one of the more unique music venues around Pittsburgh, as it aims to create a living, breathing community of music fans in the area. Roboto offers membership to any who are interested, which allows voting rights at meetings, discounted ticket prices and the ability to use the club as a practice space as well as to throw shows there yourself. Whew, that was a mouthful.

This venue certainly doesn’t have the draw of Pittsburgh’s larger clubs for musical acts, but revels in putting on shows to expose underground and local acts for a music-thirsty audience. Bands described as “metal/grind/punk” or “possibly the weirdest band in Pittsburgh” are not uncommon at Roboto. For more info on how to check out some of the weirdest and best acts in the city, go to www.therobotoproject.org.

Club Cafe: Strictly for the over-21 crowd, Club Cafe is a smaller venue on 12th Street in the Southside, just off of main road East Carson. Though the club doesn’t always bring the big names, it certainly always brings someone. Club Cafe often has live music every night of the week except Sunday, and has featured artists like Duncan Sheik, Pere Ubu and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Just don’t try to get in looking under 21; it won’t happen. Check out www.clubcafelive.com for more info.

While these are the main venues around Pittsburgh, there are many other locations for live music in the city. The Andy Warhol Museum, Brillobox and the Shadow Lounge keep it real with hot indie acts, while Duquesne University’s A. J. Palumbo Center and even our own Petersen Events Center often house shows of the huge variety. For example, Kid Rock played at the Pete. Don’t you feel great about going to Pitt now?

There are venues to catch hot live music all over Pittsburgh – keep your eyes and your ears open and you’re bound to stumble into a show that’ll shake your groove thing. And if you’re a homebody who doesn’t like to leave Oakland, there will always, always be hot and sweaty basement shows to fulfill your musical needs.