Mark Willson thinks Pittsburgh's best days are ahead, but he's not talking about Luke Ravenstahl relentlessly promoting the city as a medical and high-tech giant. Willson prefers we be known for men and women who sing their hearts out onstage with an acoustic guitar.

The founder of AcoustiCafe, a Monday night open-stage series that has run for almost two years at Club Cafe in the South Side, Willson describes himself as a "washed-up '80s has-been" who tasted success with an MCA-signed dance band called Cooper & Ross (whose namesakes were in the Skyliners).

"I toured from the time I was 17 until I was 24, playing huge clubs," he recalls. "But I got burned out and the music drove me crazy. Musicians didn't get along with each other, and the music industry seemed to feed off that."

Willson found a technology job with an investment firm and moved to New York City. "In the Village, I went to all of those famous singer-songwriter clubs. So when I came back here in '98-99, I was seeking artists comparable to the everyday talent I'd see in New York -- people like Dave Pahanish, Paul Tabachneck and Brad Yoder."

He became friendly with songstress Cherylann Hawk, and the pair ran an open stage at Kofenya coffeehouse in McMurray. From there, the idea of AcoustiCafe expanded into several venues in the suburbs and a monthly showcase at the now-defunct Rosebud in the Strip.

"We were getting big headliners like Bill Deasy, Bob Corbin [of Corbin/Hanner], and members of Rusted Root -- people who achieved something in the music business. The whole structure we tried to build was a network where mentors could assist up-and-comers.

"The singer-songwriter is the chicken-and-egg of music.

"It's the most simplistic approach and one of the most interesting. In a rock band, you have musicians to hide behind, but it takes guts when you're standing up there by yourself, basically naked. Plus, I'll be honest -- the singer-songwriters play nicer together. You don't get the same competition as with rock bands. They have a common interest."

Hawk and Willson took a hiatus in 2004, but the Cafe concept restarted three years later due to a conversation with Club Cafe's owner, Marco Cardamone. They drew more than 100 people on the very first chilly January night.

"In the beginning, Marco told me what I was doing was too altruistic, but he gets it now. He has an interest well beyond how many dollars he can bring into the club."

Dave Romano, who books the calendar for Club Cafe, concurs that the weekly open stage made the singer-songwriter scene stronger. "Instead of being a bunch of random people, they all work with each other. When a solo artist has a CD release here, half of AcoustiCafe is in his backing band for the night."

Turnouts for the night have varied, ranging from a low of 50 people (when the Steelers play on "Monday Night Football") to well over 100. It helps that the open stage is free, but the system of rotating hosts is also a boon.

"We have about eight hosts, and then about every fifth week there's a guest host," Willson explains. "The host's job is to organize everything and keep it going. They do a song here and there throughout the night. I try to get people who have a body of work as a singer-songwriter."

Because AcoustiCafe is like the proverbial box of chocolates, the host's task is to strategically place performers. Some entrants complain that the sign-up sheet (available a half-hour before the 7 p.m. start) is often full.

"Some hosts plug the list with their friends, bringing in people who wouldn't normally play an open stage. We've had hosts like Jenn Wertz [of Rusted Root], Joy Ike and Paul Luc, and Casey Hanner [of Donora] is hosting next month."

Willson has noted overlapping waves of attendance. Older folks show up after dinner time, and the younger generations file in as the night progresses.

"If you walk around, you'll notice that there are 20-somethings sitting with 60-year-olds. And some of the newbies are not so cocky. One girl wrote a comment on Facebook, 'I'm going to this other open stage because Club Cafe is too intimidating.' And it can be. There are some serious musicians who show up to play [since] Pittsburgh is just rich with talent."

And there really are all levels of age and skill, ranging from a veteran such as Pete Hewlett (who toured and recorded with Billy Joel and Elton John), to stalwart Brad Yoder ("he's done a solid series of CDs, and gets a lot of respect for being so prolific"), to youthful musicians who hone their material onstage -- [folk-pop singer] Maddie Georgi just turned 17."

One of the younger bucks is Caleb Lovely, who turned 21 only four months ago and has a spare indie-folk style akin to Sufjan Stevens. "When I was 19, I moved here from Morgantown aspiring to do music full time. At first, I wasn't allowed to play, but when I did, I got a standing ovation from [host] Bob Bannerjee, and was allowed to come back from then on. It's been a great way to network -- Joel Lindsey hooked me up with gigs, and Mark connected me with the Meter Room and the Three Rivers Arts Festival. They believe in me when not many people do."

Lovely is one of 18 artists on the CD, "AcoustiCafe Live @ Club Cafe," which debuts this Friday at a special show with paid admission and runs the gamut of ages and styles for which the showcase is known. "There's Mike Strasser, who's in his 60s and plays an Americana style," says Willson, "there's Ben Hardt, who brings that hipster crowd, and everyone in the middle like Heather Kropf, Joy Ike and Paul Tabachneck. And Gary Musisko, who sounds a bit like Jeff Buckley."

In addition to the Monday nights, AcoustiCafe has become a reliable resource for acoustic-based programming, from the Beatles-themed children's charity benefit held recently at the Hard Rock Cafe, to the Three Rivers Arts Festival acoustic showcase, to the acoustic kids' shows held at venues such as Your Inner Vagabond (now Istanbul) and the Gemini Theater.

Meanwhile, AcoustiCafe regulars continue to perfect their craft, Lindsey, who usually plays guitar in a three-piece band, tries out piano songs he wrote earlier that afternoon. Yoder shows up just to play saxophone. Todd Teacher (the final hidden track on the CD) enters with a Casio keyboard and does Andy Kaufman-esque spoken-word, while soundman Peter Guellard (who capably recorded all the CD tracks) lends him some special lighting treatment.

"And Bob Bannerjee [of Irish band Cornbeef and Curry] is one of the most popular hosts," adds Willson. "He can get up there with a violin and accompany anybody. He'll listen to you for a couple bars, and then he knows your songs like he's always been a member of your band."

Having received more than 200 tracks from contributors, Willson is already champing at the bit to press sequels. "As soon as I break even on this one, which could be as early as Friday night if we get slammed, I'm going to start on Volume 2. We've been wanting to do this [CD] for a long time, and it needs to be done."

However, AcoustiCafe isn't the only singer-songwriter klatch in town with an album. Calliope has released a compilation from their Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle (Tuesday nights at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern) every year since 2005, and also did a CD called "When We Shine" which showcased their folk music school. So isn't AcoustiCafe essentially just another musical clique in Pittsburgh, albeit leaning more toward the pop elements than the traditional ones?

"Yeah, it's a clique, but we're all friends, so it's welcoming. Anyone can walk in here and be a member of this clique on that night."

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.