The idiom “lightning in a bottle” best describes Shadow Lounge. The creative Pittsburgh oasis was like walking into your friend’s house and posting up on their much loved couch. Incense burning, warm lighting, work by local artists adorning the walls, and vinyl records within arms reach. It was the place to go if you didn’t have plans for the evening. “Hey, let’s just see what’s happening at the Lounge,” you would say to your group. It was a place to go, and that particularly mattered to members of the Black community.
Author Damon Young describes Shadow Lounge, which shut down in 2013, as “a gathering place, a conduit, a launching pad [that] served so many purposes you didn’t recognize until it was gone.” It was co-owner Justin Strong’s “piece of art and a community” that “really left its mark on everybody who was involved,” he tells Pittsburgh City Paper.
The name evokes a flood of memories and emotions for those who were part of this vibrant cultural scene in Pittsburgh. What made this iconic East Liberty venue, which included the Blue Room and AVA Lounge, more than just a party place for live music? What transformed it into a sanctuary for artistic expression and community connection?
This year marks Shadow Lounge’s 25th anniversary, and its legacy lives on despite being closed for over 10 years.
In Pittsburgh’s arts and culture scene, few places have captured the essence of community and creativity like Shadow Lounge. From 2000 to 2013, owners Justin Strong and Tim “DJ SMI” Guthrie crafted a judgment-free space, treating everyone like family as long as they respected the vibes and house rules. “We weren’t chasing money. We both believed in the art,” Guthrie tells City Paper. “We both had lived life with all types of people, friend groups … We could move in between rock and hip hop easily and that kind of stuff, and jazz and all that.”
The Black-owned venue quickly became a hub for live performances, poetry readings, and art exhibitions, offering a platform for local talent to shine. It fostered a sense of belonging and acceptance, where individuals could express themselves freely and connect with others who shared their passions. This inclusive atmosphere was long overdue in a nightlife landscape that often felt exclusionary.
While still a student at The University of Pittsburgh, Strong threw parties and fashion shows in his North Oakland home and decided to move them from his living room to a proper venue. After searching for almost three years, he found a space on Highland Ave. and Baum Blvd. that would soon become Shadow Lounge.
“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” Strong admitted as he told his story during the Moth Mainstage in Pittsburgh in 2013. On June 25, 2000, Strong was handed the keys to 5972 Baum Blvd. “There wasn’t what I wanted out there at the time. So I’ll just create it, you know, if other people dig it, come on down,” Strong said.
For those first few years, Strong didn’t have a liquor license, which allowed the venue to operate as BYOB. This also opened the door for late-night after-hours events. Guthrie became one of the organizers of these events, known as Crash.
In 2001, Guthrie moved back to the Pittsburgh area from Washington, D.C. and, by way of DJ Nate Da Barber, found his way to Shadow Lounge. “Naturally, I found the Lounge as just a spot to hang out,” Guthrie said. “And then, of course, from the artist side, started to partake in whatever open mics I was around. So I’d say I became a regular pretty fast.”
Shadow Lounge quickly became a second home to Guthrie, as he transformed from a regular to an integral part of its leadership. “We wanted dope events, dope art, dope people,” Guthrie says, adding that he appreciated the “very intimate experiences” shared with other artists. “You shared this super real stuff on the stage with me, you know what I mean? And then we talked about it for an hour after.”
As the years went by, the vision for Shadow Lounge expanded into the Blue Room — a smaller, more intimate room just off the main Lounge area — in 2005. This marked a significant milestone, transforming the venue into a multi-faceted space catering to diverse musical tastes and artistic expressions.
“I’m not an interior designer by, you know, any school, but I think I am. And so, that was a really fun thing for me to do,” Guthrie says. “Let’s make this a really cool space. We wanted to be sexier and cooler. We were getting older.”
Shadow Lounge became known for hosting diverse events that resonated with the community’s interests. From intimate poetry nights to lively, sweaty dance parties, these events, were not just about entertainment, but about creating opportunities for people to connect on a deeper level.
Young has fond memories of seeing who would be his wife for the first time at Shadow Lounge. “It was 2008, Reggae night, I met my wife,” Young recalls. His wife, he says, doesn’t remember it that way. “She just remembers a dude asking for her number when it was dancing time.”
These interactions contributed to a sense of belonging, which fostered long-lasting relationships for many. “The sense of community was always there, no matter what,” Guthrie says. “It was a family.”
In 2006, the adjoining AVA Lounge was opened, creating an entertainment trifecta that invited patrons to move easily through the rooms depending on the mood and vibes they sought. The expansion was fueled by a shared vision that prioritized art over profit and embraced the eclectic mix of music and culture.
Local, international, and legendary acts made their way through Shadow Lounge. During their humble beginnings, both Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa were among the many musical acts to rock Shadow Lounge’s small stage.
Everyone felt welcome at Shadow Lounge, regardless of how they dressed or who they were, but the space was especially important to Pittsburgh’s Black community. “This spot for misfits and mismatched folks that didn’t have a place to be. They just didn’t work out in the Top 40 mainstream crowds, just kind of eventually found [their] way to this room,” Strong says.
On March 30, 2013, the home to so many Pittsburgh “misfits” closed its doors for good. On that day, everyone who had spent significant time surrounded by those yellow walls and on that worn couch came out to say a formal goodbye.
Emmai Alaquiva, a former Shadow Lounge employee who would go on to become a four-time Emmy award-winning director, paid tribute to his one-time workplace by snapping a photo of everyone there. He titled the picture “A Great Day in Pittsburgh.” The moment and title were undoubtedly inspired by Art Kane’s “A Great Day in Harlem” photograph, taken in 1958, featuring 57 legendary jazz musicians, including Art Blakey, Count Basie, and Mary Lou Williams.
So many Shadow Lounge “kids” grew into their power as integral leaders and artists of our community and beyond. Many life partners were made in that space who now have families of their own. My now husband and I first exchanged “I love you”s in the Blue Room, so maybe I’m a tad romantic about the place.
Is this what it was like for those at the end of the Harlem Renaissance? Or, more locally, the Crawford Grill? Maybe it was.
“You can’t tell the early 21st-century East Liberty story without Shadow Lounge,” Young says. On that day, we honored the spirit of Shadow Lounge with stories, tears, and laughter. What was most evident was the love — the love we had for each other, the space, and the memories. As Strong said, “Once you put art out in the world, it’s not yours anymore.”
We are all thankful to experience that lightning in a bottle.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2025.
