Hey. How’s it going? Good, great. So, yeah, you might be new here. Maybe you’re a freshman at Pitt or CMU or somewhere else. That’s terrific and we applaud your good choice in city. But maybe you’re not exactly new here, and you’re finding yourself ready to explore the town and uncover it’s wonders. You’re like a goddamn pearl diver, ready to take the plunge and come up for air with a little bit of treasure. Well, we’re here to help you with that whole situation. It could definitely seem like a staggering endeavor. We understand. We went through it all and others have succeeded and/or failed before you. Our goal is to make it easier and get you on the right track so however many years you have left in school, or after school, you have the chance to enjoy them to capacity. Yeah. Welcome to The Draw Us Lines College Primer.

Yesterday we brought you Pittsburgh bands. A natural follow-up question is: where can I see these awesome bands play? We’re way ahead of ya, pal. This is venues.

If you already like seeing live music, then use this as a list of places to see lots of fantastic local acts (and national bands, depending on the venue) . If you’re not so much into the live thing, or if you’re not sure yet, use this as a guide to get your feet wet. Gather some friends and venture out to a show one night as a group activity. Maybe you’ll stumble upon your next favorite band. Maybe you’ll have a chance to interact with a group you already love. The bottom line is that the live music experience can be entirely different from sitting in your dorm room and playing mp3s on your laptop. Who wants to hear tinny, compressed sounds when you can go stand in front of the stage and feel the pounding of the drumkit hit your chest, or watch a guitarist pluck notes from physical strings, or see a folk singer, raw and acoustic, right in front of you? To help you out, we’ve included some common city bus routes that will lead you to these venues (and links to Port Authority’s .pdf schedules!) and we’ve listed all the best 18+/non-bar/don’t-need-to-worry-about-an-ID places first because, hey, you might not be as old as we are. So put that free bus pass to good use, explore the town with friends, and have an experience!

This is part two of our three part series, highlighting local live music venues. Specifically, we’re pointing you to 222 Ormsby (18+), Garfield Artworks (18+), Mr. Small’s (18+), Brillobox, Club Café, Gooski’s, Howlers, Stage AE, and Thunderbird Café, and we have a list of other places around town where you might catch a show.

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222 Ormsby (18+)

This is a true haven for indie rock and the DIY ethos, and is simply the best all-ages venue in the area for local music. The name is the actual address of a house in the Mt. Oliver neighborhood, and the handful of residents (Max is super nice, in particular) run all of the shows there: booking bands, promoting shows, sound equipment, etc. The building itself used to be a small grocery store, and the shows are held in the basement area (on ground level, though) which has huge, wide walls covered in graffiti (governed by an “if we like it, then we’ll keep it” kind of policy). There are shows here quite often (although during the school year, the frequency might drop a little bit) and they typically start on the earlier side (7ish pm) to be done before noise curfews, and are run on a donation basis, to help out the national touring bands that swing through. The usual crowd is kinda varied, but skews towards the younger side, and is definitely an 18+ place (BYOB for the rest of us). This is one of your best bets to get out and see some local bands on the cheap if you’re under 21. The only catch is it’s a little farther from campuses than other places, but the 54 bus route will take you all the way into Mt. Oliver right from Oakland, and the house is just a short walk down a residential street from the center of the neighborhood. Also, the folks who go there have a pretty tight-knit community, so there’s a good chance you can find someone (via their Facebook page, or just by going there for shows and asking around) who lives near you and can offer a ride.

Address/Google map: 222 Ormsby Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15210
How to get there: 54 from Oakland, 44/48 or 51 from Downtown or South Side, car!
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Email

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Garfield Artworks (18+)

Booked and managed by the inimitable Manny Theiner—a true Pittsburgh music scene legend—Garfield Artworks has an endless stream of indie artists hitting its stage. The shows themselves cover all manner of genres, so chances are there’s something here that you’ll like any given week, and Manny does a great job of finding local acts to play with the touring bands. What’s more, it’s a common place for really underground acts to play on their first visit to town. (Believe it or not, Arcade Fire played here many many moons ago. Crazy, huh?) GarfArt is also an 18+ venue, a big benefit for the college crowd. Check out the flyers at Kiva Han and around Craig St. for little snippets about the bands playing and if you see something that strikes your fancy (stoner death metal, hippy acoustic folk, whatever it is) just go check it out and see how you like it! Word to the wise, though: hit the bathroom before you go; it’s kinda dingy in the basement there …

Address/Google map: 4931 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
How to get there: 54 or 71 or 93 from Oakland, 64 from Shadyside or Squirrel Hill, bike!
Interwebs: Website, Twitter, 412.361.2262

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Mr. Small’s (18+)

Okay, this is one of the biggest venues we’re mentioning here and it definitely requires a car ride, but if you can make it out there for a show, it’s well worth it. This place used to be a church and the interior has been converted so that the altar is now the stage, and the balcony with the organ pipes is now a VIP seating area. Fucking cool, if you ask us. With the larger interior, Mr. Small’s books some of the more popular indie acts that travel through Pittsburgh, but sometimes the tickets are a little more expensive than other places, so it’s a bit of a tradeoff for a broke college student, you know? What’s nice, though, is that the venue is divided into an under 21 (front) and over 21 (back) section, so no worries about having an ID. Just don’t try to sneak beer to your underage buddy from the back of the room. I saw two dudes kicked out recently for doing just that.

Address/Google map: 400 Lincoln Avenue, Millvale, PA 15209-2670
How to get there: 1 or 2 from Downtown, car!
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tickets, 412.821.4447

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Brillobox

This is one of our favorite trendy local bars. Yeah, it’s kinda hipstery, we’ll grant you that, but the food is fucking delicious, the beer selection is outstanding, they book the hottest indie acts, and the sound is solid. The shows here are booked through local promoter Opus One Productions and they have a great knack for what kinds of bands folks want to see here. The concerts themselves are upstairs, and it can get pretty crowded in there for a popular act, so if you really want to see someone and know ahead of time you’ll be there, buy a ticket online to make sure you’ll get in. (We’ve seen lineups of 3 local bands sell this place out, so yeah it can get crazy!) If you have earplugs, bring ‘em, because the sound is well-mixed but can be pretty loud. This is a fun place for just hanging out, too, so enjoy a drink and/or a meal downstairs before a show sometime, maybe even have a concert date (just a suggestion, we accept no liability there, fellas/ladies). Slightly unrelated note: check out pub quiz on Wednesday nights, too, for obscure trivia and prizes. The Brillobox is right between Bloomfield and Lawrenceville and is quite easy to get to by a couple of bus routes (and Liberty Ave. has some lovely, wide bicycle lanes!) so no excuse for spending 4 years in Pittsburgh without going here at least once.

Address/Google map: 4104 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224-1306
How to get there: 54 or 93 from Oakland, 64 from Shadyside or Squirrel Hill, bike!
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tickets, 412.621.4900

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Club Café

Another Opus One venue, the Club Café tends to book more of the mellower, acoustic-ish folk acts that pass through town. That’s not entirely true, though, since I saw Wye Oak there this past summer and they rocked our faces off, but anyway, you’re in for a slightly different experience at Club Café vis-à-vis other bar venues around town. The room isn’t as large as other places, and it’s partially seated, with small round tables and cushy booths filling up half of the floor space. The stage itself is smaller, too, with a pretty starry night backdrop, and it makes the whole thing feel incredibly intimate. I’ll make the same recommendation about buying tickets ahead of time here, because of the size of the venue, and you should try to get there on time if you want to snag a seat. They’re only open during show hours, too, so don’t expect to hang out for a drink after an early show, say. There are plenty of ways to get down to the South Side (including a lovely bike trail to the Hot Metal Bridge), and plenty of exciting sights and places in the area, too, so if you’re going to a Saturday night show here, make a day of it and wander around the Carson St. shops and restaurants for the afternoon.

Address/Google map: 56 South 12th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
How to get there: 54 or 75 from Oakland or Shadyside
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tickets, 412.431.4950

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Gooski’s

This is what folks might describe as a “yinzer” bar, a local joint, whatever you want to call it. Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure, but if you feel comfortable there, it’s great: the best jukebox in town, cheap and delicious bar food, great tap list, pool tables, and a back room that has some awesome rock shows (mostly punk and garage rock bands). This is also a smoker’s joint, so keep that in mind. Their shows aren’t that well advertised, though, so you may have to hunt for flyers, and getting to and from Polish Hill ain’t too easy. Worth heading here at least once, though, just to see if it’s your scene. Also, Mind Cure records is just down the street and is one of the best shops in the city for buying vinyl records, highly recommended.

Address/Google map: 3117 Brereton Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-6748
How to get there: 54 or 83 from Oakland, 54 or 77 or P1 from Shadyside,
Interwebs: not that kinda place, 412.681.1658

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Howlers Coyote Cafe

Running through the heart of Bloomfield, Pittbsurgh’s Little Italy, you’ll find Liberty Avenue, a street full of shops and restaurants and bars. There’s some delicious food to be found, plus Paul’s CDs (one of the best independently-owned music stores in the city), and down by the Bloomfield Bridge, there’s Howlers Coyote Cafe (or just Howlers, for short). The entrance takes you into the bar half, with several tables and stools and a couple of TVs (that sometimes play live feed of the stage area, interestingly enough). A door towards the back takes you to the stage half, with more tall tables and chairs and a high ceiling completely covered in band logo t-shirts. Yup. For a smallish place and a plain, boxy room, they have great acoustics, and the sound guy maintains a blog of streamable audio tracks from just about every band that graces their stage. They book a wide variety of local acts—punk, folk, pop, etc.—and have some regular events—DJ Stripey’s psychedelic night, Weird Paul’s 99¢ variety show, live punk band karaoke, and more —so check out their online calendar for upcoming shows you might wanna see.

Address/Google map: 4509 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224-1830
How to get there: 54 or 93 from Oakland, 64 from Shadyside or Squirrel Hill, bike!
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, 412.682.0320

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Stage AE

This place is relatively new (it opened December 2010) and filled a real niche in the Pittsburgh market. Most of the larger-scale venues in the area are in the suburbs, necessitating drives, but Stage AE (named for American Eagle, whose headquarters are also in the city) is right on the North Shore, between Heinz Field and PNC Park. In their short history, they’ve brought a lot of well-known acts (Death Cab For Cutie, Bright Eyes, Explosions in the Sky, Arctic Monkeys, and more) to town and we’re looking forward to some popular national bands putting Pittsburgh proper back on their tour schedules. With a larger venue like this, you might have to put up with some hassles (ticket prices, parking, crowds) but it’s all worth it, plus most shows are all-ages, with wristbands for the 21+ crowd. They have outdoor shows in the summer, so if you’re in town then, check some out.

Address/Google map: 400 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
How to get there: Take any of the 60s/70s bus lines downtown and walk across the Roberto Clemente bridge, or drive!
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tickets, 412.229.5483

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Thunderbird Café

This place is out in the heart of Lawrenceville, on Butler Street. It’s one of the nicer-looking and cleanest bar venues in town (even despite the allowance of indoor smoking, so be mindful of that) and the show schedule is full of a wide array of acts, from well-known touring bands to popular locals. Their website always has nice and thorough descriptions of the bands coming up, so check out their schedule in advance to scope out your next evening out. Get there early to grab a table in the seated section on the second floor, or hang out after and play some pool.

Address/Google map: 4023 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201-3224
How to get there: 93 from Oakland, 64 from Shadyside or Squirrel Hill
Interwebs: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tickets, 412.682.0177

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There are plenty of other places around town to catch live music, so don’t think these are your only options! These are just the ones we know and love and frequent, err … frequently. Check out a list below for other local spots. There are coffee shops with acoustic shows and open mic nights, small bars with local rock acts, DIY venues, art galleries, museums, and much more. Our city is rich in musical culture, so get out there and experience it! Let us know if there are more venues that need added, and stay tuned tomorrow for our guide to local music-related media and shopping.

31st Street Pub / local bar, punk and garage rock shows, Strip District
Altar Bar / music venue, rock shows, 18+ section, Strip District
Beehive / coffee shop, performance space, South Side
Belvedere’s / local bar, rock shows, Lawrenceville
Bloomfield Bridge Tavern / local bar, rock shows, Bloomfield
Commonplace Coffee / coffee shop, singer songwriter shows, Squirrel Hill
Club Zoo / dance club/bar, Strip District
Consol Energy Center / hockey arena , big time shows, Downtown
Diesel / dance club/bar, rock/indie/punk shows, South Side
First Niagra Pavilion / outdoor amphitheater, big name shows, Burgettstown
Hartwood Acres / outside amphitheater, summer festival shows, North Hills
Lava Lounge / local bar, folk/rock shows, South Side
Lili / coffee shop, coffee shop shows, Polish Hill
Modern Formations / art gallery, performance space, Garfield
Most Wanted Fine Art / art gallery, performance space, Garfield
Rex Theater / large performance space, South Side
Roboto Project / DIY venue, rock shows, Garfield
Smiling Moose / local bar, rock shows, South Side
The Shop / DIY venue, 18+, anything goes shows, Bloomfield
Trib Total Media Amphitheater / outside amphitheater, bigger pop/rock/indie shows, Station Square
Warhol Museum / art gallery, performance theatre, North Shore

Just a quick, broad, all-encompassing disclaimer: None of the photos above are ours and we’re not associated with any of the venues around twon. If you’d like credit for a photograph, just email us, or if that’s not enough, just let us know and we’ll take whatever down. It’s all good.

Filed under: College Primer, Homegrown Goodness, Lists, Mind Blowing