Keynote Cafe in Jeannette is like hanging out at funky home

The Keynote Cafe in Jeannette is more than a business for owner Jill Sorrels. It's an extension of her living room, an arts incubator and a symbol of the city's will to survive. The performance space was first located on Clay Avenue, closed for a time, and reopened almost three years ago at 227 Fourth St. Sorrels, a third-generation Jeannette resident, is mom to Mia, an artist in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Samuel, a musician in Los Angeles.

Question: How did you get into the music business?

Answer: It's kind of sad, but I got divorced. My former husband played guitar and sang beautifully. On Saturday night, all our friends were at our house and everyone sat around and played and sang. It was heavenly. About a year-and-a-half (after the divorce), I just missed the music so much that I thought, “What if I opened a little place with four or five booths and a guy in the corner playing guitar, would any of my old friends come back and play?

“(When the Clay Avenue location opened), I thought, ‘I'll give this six months and, when it doesn't work, I'll tuck my tail between my legs and skulk away and nobody will even remember that I was there.' I had no idea what would come, and it was like a rocket ship taking off.

Q: What happened?

A: Ten years ago, there wasn't a lot of live music in Westmoreland County. So when I opened up, musicians came and made it their home and amateurs turned into professionals. Guys who were playing in their living rooms came down and started playing and hooking up with other musicians. Before you knew it, they were coming down and playing every weekend, and people started hearing about what we were doing.

Q: How would you describe what you do?

A: We're just a little local place that likes to make music and be surrounded by artwork. People pay a cover at the door, and then we order pizza and make a big salad. We have cookies and soft drinks. Everybody helps themselves. So for $10 you can come in, see a show, eat as much pizza as you want and buy some artwork if you so desire. My accountant says, ‘People pay you to come into your living room.' And that's pretty much what it is.

Q: What's the schedule like?

A: Thursday night is always open-mic night. Then we pull from those open-mic nights to create Friday and Saturday shows. We'll do a jazz show or a blues show, a classic-rock show or an under-21 show. Last weekend, we had metal music and tonight (Sept. 2) is Christian rock. Every weekend is something different. Because we're not a bar — we're a performance venue — kids of all ages can come. Kids are coming in at 13 and 14 with their own bands.

Q: You mentioned that you have artwork.

A: We do art openings every three to four months. About 50 local artists bring their work down. I don't charge to hang and don't take a commission when it sells.

Q: Are you a musician yourself?

A: Almost everybody in my family is either an artist or a musician, but I got the business side of things. My father owned Urbani's Healthland in Jeannette for almost 35 years. My father's parents came over from Italy, and they had multiple businesses at the turn of the century when things were really going well here. I've owned a maid service for 25 years, and that's how I really make my living. This is what I do for fun.

Q: I notice that you say “we” when you talk about the cafe?

A: The biggest thing you could say about the Keynote is that it isn't about me, it's truly about a whole community of people that built this place and make it what it is.

When we moved onto this little block of Fourth Street, there were only four businesses and a little church. There's 14 businesses on this block now. There isn't an empty storefront or an empty apartment. When the mills and the glass houses went down, my dad told me, it will take an entire generation for this town to come back. He was right — it's taken an entire generation and then some, but little by little, block by block, the town is coming back.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5750 or smcmarlin@tribweb.com.