Building a Better Robot: 10 Years of the Mr. Roboto Project

by Andy Mulkerin (Author/Editor), Missy Wright (Editor), Mike Q. Roth (Editor)

In 1999, a handful of members of Pittsburgh's punk scene — band members, show-goers, promoters — created the Mr. Roboto Project, an all-ages, do-it-yourself venue just outside city limits. No one knew at the time how long it would last. Ten years later, the venue closed its doors; the cooperative that ran it regrouped to re-open at another location. In between, Roboto hosted hundreds of shows, opened and quickly closed a second space, helped to incubate non-profit organizations, served as a space for bands to practice and record, and shaped the formative years of a generation of local punks and indie rockers.

Upon the closing of the original Mr. Roboto Project space in 2010, we set out to create a document of the DIY punk venue's ten years there. With help from a Seed Award given us by the Sprout Fund, we began collecting the facts, stories and images that make up Roboto's history. Building a Better Robot tells the story of the venue's beginnings, struggles and successes, and features images by Shawn Brackbill, Tanner Douglass, Dan Gamble, Charissa Hamilton-Gribenas, John Herrington, Deanna Hitchcock, Chris Boarts Larson, Mike Q. Roth, Christopher Schwarzott, Brad Quartuccio and Missy Wright. The book was compiled by a small group of Pittsburghers with ties to Roboto: promoters, board members, bookers, show-goers. It includes a foreword by Doug Mosurock and essays by Roboto members and musicians.

Genres: Music

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2011

About the author

Andy Mulkerin is a seven-year veteran of print journalism, serving as music editor at Pittsburgh City Paper. He is author of Building a Better Robot: 10 Years of the Mr. Roboto Project, along with Missy Wright and Mike Q Roth. His poetry and artist books have been featured by The New Yinzer and Projet Mobilivre/Bookmobile Project.