Big talk with Small’s man himself

Millvale has got one wicked secret. From the outside, Mr. Small’s appears to be picturesque… Millvale has got one wicked secret. From the outside, Mr. Small’s appears to be picturesque Catholic church. Looks can be deceiving, though, as this venue is actually a recording studio, a skate park and one of the Pittsburgh area’s most popular rock ‘n’ roll clubs.

The man behind this complex is 37-year-old Mike Sporanzo, a former professional skateboarder, director of a skating camp and currently, an entrepreneur. Sporanzo’s three-pronged business began when he met his wife, Liz Berlin, as his band played around Pittsburgh with hers – local heroes Rusted Root. Sporanzo soon changed his focus from being onstage to backstage and collected nearly half a recording studio’s worth of equipment.

Mr. Small’s Funhouse – Sporanzo’s first studio – opened in Millvale more than eight years ago. But when the local diocese decided to consolidate Millvale’s two Catholic congregations into one, suddenly the dream of taking over a church became a reality.

“The diocese came to purify the area – they took all the God out,” Sporanzo joked, quickly adding, “But there’s still a lot of God in this building.”

Sporanzo had to be faithful, for the following two years saw him and his handful of Pittsburgh locals working day and night to convert a church into a music lover’s playground. He quickly helped to create seven different rental spaces – artists’ rehearsal rooms and small apartments – in the complex to generate enough capital to sustain the long building process.

“We saved so much money by doing all the manual labor ourselves,” Sporanzo said. “Our workdays were 7 a.m. to 4 a.m. for two years.”

By purchasing not only the church building, but also the adjacent properties, Sporanzo could construct a facility incorporating all of his passions: performing, recording and skating.

With the pews gone, the church itself was slowly converted into a club, complete with a bar, elegant backstage area and room for 650 rabid fans. Soon came the recording studio, then the skate park and after two years of preparation, Mr. Small’s was open for business in 2002.

From the club’s very first show, Sporanzo knew he had created something special. “It’ll always just be a club, but I see an art in it. It’s a creative space,” he said.

But just as Mr. Small’s was on the rise, several other Pittsburgh clubs sadly saw their own demise. How did this rock ‘n’ roll church stay afloat?

“We have so many different revenues,” Sporanzo explained. “When one suffers, another one is in a peak. If recording is way up and the venue suffers, the studio subsidizes the facility.”

While he is undeniably a sharp businessman, Sporanzo leads his musical dreamland with the enthusiasm of a fan. Mr. Small’s eight full-time staff members, along with a team of 19 others, get along like a family, he said. Much like a family, everyone keeps themselves busy, and the venue is constantly full of life.

“On an average day, we’ll start to load in the band, while at the same time we might have two sessions in the recording studio, while we also have maybe 30 kids at the skate park.”

The most visible aspect of Mr. Small’s, of course, is the club. Featuring shows nearly every other day, Mr. Small’s Theater has featured such acts as Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Pittsburgh locals Anti-flag and Sporanzo’s favorite, Muse. “They were amazing,” he said of the latter. “I was mesmerized.”

While the staff can mostly steer how each day goes, the night’s shows are unpredictable. “There’s drama, but that’s inevitable,” said Sporanzo, who can usually be found somewhere in the club on show nights, adding, “Sometimes I’m a little bit too nervous, so I’ll stay in my office.”

This fall promises to be another successful season for Mr. Small’s, with such popular underground acts as G. Love and Special Sauce, Matchbook Romance, Dresden Dolls and Mike Doughty taking the stage.

The club has also begun to expand beyond rock shows into the world of multimedia: Emo favorites The Juliana Theory shot their first music video in the church and one-man jam band Keller Williams’ newly released live DVD was captured on the Mr. Small’s stage.

Not only is this unique venue a joy for its staff and concertgoers, bands seem to love the place as well. Michael Shepherd, the singer and pianist for rockers Lovedrug, said, “It’s a good atmosphere to play a real rock show, there’s so much aesthetic here. It adds to the aura of the show.”

“I can’t say enough good things about it,” said Chad Alan, bassist for The Juliana Theory. “We feel comfortable here. There’s no place else I’d rather play, to be honest.”

While all three branches of Mr. Small’s operate in full swing, Sporanzo is always looking to improve. He and his crew are working to create a comprehensive program to teach aspiring musicians not only how to record, but also how to mix and produce their own music. In addition, financial packages are in the works from Mr. Small’s for young bands to create their own merchandise and promotions.

“It’s a hand-and-mouth process. When we get more money, we build something new,” said Sporanzo.

The underlying theme Sporanzo and his staff share is simple: pride. “We’re homegrown. We did this all ourselves. It’s like a bunch of kids who want to build a fort,” Sporanzo said. “The best thing about this place is just that it exists.”