At last, Thunderbird Cafe is ready to rock
Prepare to be amazed.
The Thunderbird Cafe on Butler Street in Lawrenceville closed for renovation and expansion three summers ago, and now we see why it took so long.
Owner John Pergal and his team, who worked wonders with the Roxian theater in McKees Rocks, have pulled off some similar magic with the Thunderbird, which will open on Thursday with West Virginia folk- rock band Fletcher’s Grove and continue Friday with the Randy Baumann Ramble.
Pergal, a Shaler native who sings with the band The Pawnbrokers, purchased the Thunderbird in 2000 and started doing shows there in 2006, using the small, upstairs loft stage. After a shaky start, he turned it into a haven for the city’s blues/ roots- rock/ Americana scene.
But, as patrons well know, it was usually too packed for comfort.
The initial expansion proposal was to go 1,000- capacity, but that was scaled back after Lawrenceville residents objected, citing traffic congestion on Butler Street.
Instead, they went with a more intimate 382 capacity with the new Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall by displacing five apartments and a Wine and Spirits store.
The biggest surprise for people, once they walk past the new, rustic bar area and make a right into the Music Hall, will be the three- story height of the venue. Rather than building up, they built down, placing the stage in the basement, below a two- tiered balcony, where listeners will feel like they’re right on top of the stage.
Whereas the Roxian is a modern take on Art Deco, the Thunderbird, also designed by Pittsburgh architect Chris Lasky, has the feel of a
wine cellar with red brick, stone block and steampunk elements courtesy of John Walter from Iron Eden in the back bar.
The red brick is offset on the other side by a street scene mural by Dan Kitchener, similar to his on the New Amsterdam down the street, in bright reds, blues and yellows. The space has five bars with taps for an extensive menu of craft beers, and the frontroom cafe, which will be open seven days a week, has a small acoustic stage that will also squeeze in a full band.
The shows, booked by the in- house promotion company Roxian Live, will focus on roots, indie rock, blues, bluegrass, jam, jazz, funk and soul. The bands will find parking in the back alley for two tour buses and a large green room, which will require a little stroll through the crowd to get to the stage, somewhat like Graffiti back in the day.
“It’s a great incubator room,” Pergal said, “to develop new bands in the market — and all the indie/ roots stuff that I love to book, this is perfect for it.”
The Thunderbird originally was set to open in February but was pushed back for a required water tap- in, along with the wait time for building inspections.
“The city doesn’t have the capacity to handle the amount of development going on,” Pergal said.
Expect The Thunderbird to be packed Friday night for Randy’s Thunderbird Ramble featuring DVE Morning Show host and keyboardist Randy Baumann with an all- star cast of local musicians.