Mr. Smalls

400 Lincoln Ave.

Millvale, PA 15209

Mr. Smalls

400 Lincoln Ave.

Millvale, PA 15209

www.mrsmalls.com

It’s not such a small world after all. Mr. Smalls, a skate park, venue, recording studio, video recording area and band liaison, has opened as a new venue and gathering place for local Pittsburgh shows and events. Created and operated by Mike Speranzo and Liz Berlin of Pittsburgh’s own Rusted Root, they built up a church and priest’s rectory into a full-scale venue. Berlin is a Pitt alumnus who majored in liberal studies (poetry, photography and women’s studies) as well as music.

Located in the heart of Millvale, they host both concerts and art shows. Only a few blocks away is the skate park, with a vert ramp from ESPN’s 2001 X-Games, and an outdoor concert stage. They house bands on the road, and even are willing to record live performances (on video and audio formats). According to Speranzo, they feel that they differ from places such as the Mr. Roboto Project and Club Laga because Mr. Smalls offers different services.

“We feel like artists are getting ripped off,” Speranzo said. At rental costs comparable to clubs around the city, they feel that they can provide an outlet for musicians; but as both Berlin and Speranzo emphasized, “We want the people to get the most out of it all.”

Speranzo also said, “the bands are what keeps the industry alive. Indie music is indie music, punk music is punk music, hardcore music is hardcore music – I want to see it all survive.” He also encouraged diversity, and that “there are no boundaries, from avant garde jazz to electronic.”

Mr. Smalls’ biggest problem is getting people out to the shows they host. But Berlin and Speranzo are trying right now to work out a deal with Port Authority to get a loop to drop concertgoers off at the front of the venue. They also proposed having a shuttle service for shows (15-person capacity vans) that would pick students up in Oakland, and drop them off right in front of the venue. They plan on doing this for some of the bigger shows coming up, including the three-day Rusted Root concert beginning Jan. 31, or the Anti-Flag show in February.

Currently, people can get to Mr. Smalls’ by taking a bus Downtown, then changing to a bus that goes to Millvale – the 1A is the best choice. The 1A stops at the Family Dollar – which is still five blocks from the venue.

Mr. Smalls allows alcohol and smoking on the premises, depending on the artist’s preferences. For such a newly constructed venue with plenty of options and convenient shuttles to shows, this may become a new outlet for artists and students alike: a convergence of music and artistry that will thrive on a scene based on the people, by the people and for the people.