The late-December line-up for Club Café doesn’t look much different than any other year’s, with local indie rock band School of Athens’ annual Ugly Sweater Show, singer-songwriter Bill Deasy’s annual Boxing Day Show and a concert by brass-plus-electronics act Beauty Slap, among others.
But this December is unique for the long-running South Side venue, which for a quarter-century has been a destination for indie music acts both local and nationally touring. In September, owner Mike Sanders, of Opus One Productions, announced this month would be Club Café’s last.
The final concert will be a Dec. 30 show with New Invisible Joy, a Pittsburgh rock band with a long history of gigs at the club. That event is sold out, as is Deasy’s show.
Sanders, who has owned Club Café since 2011, said he was proud of the venue’s track record, which belies its modest capacity of 150.
“Bands that either are young bands that maybe you’re just discovering, or they release their first album and they play Club Café, and over the years you follow them and they work their way through clubs or theaters and into arenas — I think those are the special shows to a lot of people,” he said.
Acts that played Club Café before getting famous included Tori Amos, Norah Jones, Brandi Carlile and Billy Strings. Established artists, such as Frank Black of the Pixies, would play Club Café as acoustic acts or other side projects.
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Sanders said the club had hosted some 3,000 shows since 2011.
He noted the venue’s long association with WESA’s sister music station, WYEP. He said he’s often been approached by agents seeking dates at Club Café because their artists were getting WYEP airplay.
“Why did Club Café have a nice 25-year run? That’s one of the reasons,” he said.
Sanders said Opus One closed Club Café to focus on other projects, including producing concerts at venues including Stage AE and Mr. Smalls Theater; its East Liberty café Margaux; and entertainment software company Opus One Interactive.
While Club Café’s calendar is blank after Dec. 30, Sanders added that the opportunity remains for someone to buy the business.
“We are certainly open to talking to interested parties that may want to carry on Club Café,” he said.
