{"id":50744,"date":"2025-12-03T05:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/50744\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T05:57:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:57:07","slug":"pittsburghs-people-of-year-2025-music-danielle-mashuda-and-maddy-lafferty-pittsburgh-city-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/50744\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh\u2019s People of Year 2025 \u2014 Music: Danielle Mashuda and Maddy Lafferty – Pittsburgh City Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2024, Pittsburgh nearly lost Club Cafe, a longtime music venue that helped define the South Side\u2019s busy entertainment district and offered a smaller, more intimate alternative to the city\u2019s large arenas and concert halls. Just as local fans and musicians prepared to mourn the beloved space, however, two women stepped in to save it.<\/p>\n

Danielle Mashuda and Maddy Lafferty officially reopened Club Cafe<\/a> in the fall, unveiling a refreshed interior, more food and drinks, and various upgrades, all made possible with help from fellow local industry professionals. The duo boasts a long history with the venue, with Lafferty\u2019s dating back to her middle school days. She and Mashuda rattle off the many shows they saw and relationships they made during their concert-going days at Club Cafe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goals since reopening have been to protect the history of the building while, at the same time, redefin[ing] what a small venue can offer in terms of hospitality and sound,\u201d Lafferty tells Pittsburgh City Paper. \u201cIt\u2019s also extremely important to us to provide programming that reflects the diversity of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The changes aim to make Club Cafe both a prime music venue and a gathering place where visitors can grab a coffee during the day, enjoy a seasonal cocktail, or pop in for a more casual karaoke or open mic night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Danielle Mashuda and Maddy Lafferty of Club Cafe Credit: Mars Johnson<\/p>\n

While Mashuda and Lafferty agree that reopening Club Cafe was a big, even terrifying risk, they believe it was worth preserving one of the city\u2019s most active small independent music venues. Using their combined years of experience, including through their all-inclusive arts management group, Keystone Artist Connect, Mashuda and Lafferty have worked to ensure that Club Cafe endures as a platform for local, regional, and national talent.<\/p>\n

So far, they have received a warm reception from the music scene and the surrounding neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been absolutely incredible,\u201d says Mashuda. \u201cThe South Side has been so welcoming, and we just love what we\u2019re building.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the coming year, they foresee continuing to grow Club Cafe, teasing a possible brunch program, as well as a \u201cwider range of genres, more local showcases and community building events, partnerships, and new emerging touring acts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to continue to build relationships with venues and artists throughout the city and create a safe and welcoming place for everyone to congregate and enjoy themselves,\u201d says Mashuda. \u201cWhen things get hard, we rely on friends and community, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re trying to build with a Club Cafe.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article appears in The Big Winter Issue: Winter Guide\/People of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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