This tiny Bay Area town is an unlikely hotbed of live music

This vibrant music scene is not San Francisco, Nashville, New Orleans or Memphis, but one of California’s oldest towns, Martinez. Originally an Italian fishing village, today, it’s primarily known for its oil refineries. Many Bay Area residents are surprised to learn the city offers tours of John Muir’s home, Joe DiMaggio was born here, it’s home to the largest bocce ball league in the nation, and according to legend, an enterprising Gold Rush bartender in Martinez created the martini. More recently, this East Bay city of 38,000 has transformed their desolate downtown into a destination spot for music fans. 

At top, Isabelle Fontaine, left, and Jeff Magidson of the band Duo Gadjo perform at Roxx on Main; Daryel Gheni Dillon of Gheni Band, lower right, plays outdoors on Main Street in Martinez; the Firehouse Brew & Grill, lower right. Lance Yamamoto/Special to SFGATE
At top, Isabelle Fontaine, left, and Jeff Magidson of the band Duo Gadjo perform at Roxx on Main; Daryel Gheni Dillon of Gheni Band, lower right, plays outdoors on Main Street in Martinez; the Firehouse Brew & Grill, lower right. Lance Yamamoto/Special to SFGATE

Arguably no other Bay Area city this size offers so many venues for bands playing just blocks from each other, among them: Roxx on Main, Slow Hand BBQ, Bar Cava, the Firehouse Brew and Grill, Del Cielo Brewing Co., Nu-Rays Bar, the Campbell Theater and soon the new Five Suns Brewing.

“It’s not unusual to see at least three bands in one night,” says Jill Scheidel, a so-called “super-fan,” who enjoys promoting musicians when she’s not watching their concerts. Molly Blaisdell, who’s from San Francisco but recently moved to Martinez, says she was pleasantly surprised by the amount of music and the quality of the bands. “You can find live music in SF, but it’s scattered across the city, not concentrated in one area like it is in downtown Martinez.”

It all began with one man’s dream of showcasing local performers. “I was not looking to make money. … There were good bands out there with no decent places to play,” says Martinez local Roy Jeans. “SF lost a lot of artists when the dot-commers came in and prices went up. Artists moved east, and musicians fell in love with this refinery town. It had variety, unlike some nearby towns where everyone looks like a USC cheerleader.” He’s not a musician himself, but Jeans “fools around with ukulele,” and he says his father took him to jazz clubs in San Francisco, “so I was exposed to good music at an early age.”

In 2003, Jeans discovered that a vacant storefront below his Martinez apartment had great acoustics. “There were no windows, which makes for a better sound,” says Jeans. Taking a note from the famous line in the movie “Field of Dreams” (“if you build it, they will come”), he constructed a stage and started what he calls an “underground” music scene. “It was all about music,” says Jeans, “not food or hooking up or cocktails,” although he did serve beer and wine. One day, Jeans says the chief of police saw him at a coffee shop and commented, “I like what you’re doing, but you need to get a liquor license.” Jeans obliged and chuckles, “While I was waiting for the license to process, the police avoided my block.”

Armando’s, named after Jeans’ grandfather, who owned a Martinez restaurant before World War II, was an instant hit. “People were crossing the bridge and going through the tunnel to hear live music in a small venue, with parking only a block away,” says Jeans. One local talent, Melody Walker, was featured in Rolling Stone magazine after she took off for Nashville to write songs and perform with the band Front Country. Another musician, Will Bernard, a stalwart of the Martinez scene, was later nominated for a Grammy.

Soon, Jeans needed help booking bands, so he hired a friend “who really knows her music,” Eloise Cotton. A local glassblower and jewelry designer, she met Jeans at California State University Chico art classes 50 years ago, and he convinced her to move to Martinez.

Cotton brought in heavyweights, including Maria Muldaur, Pete Escovedo, Jeff Tamelier from Tower of Power and Starship, Mighty Mike Schermer and Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. “Dan played here four times,” says Jeans. “He loved the place. He refused lots of money from record labels because the contracts required performing in big arenas.” 

Taking note of Armando’s success, nearby restaurants and breweries began building stages. “The way to draw people is to bring in a band,” says Jeans. “The best music is live music, not on TV. It’s like fireworks, you have to see it in person.” Neighboring cities began competing for this audience. Marty Duvall, music curator for Lucca’s Beer Garden in Benicia, said the bridge between Martinez and Benicia used to be a psychological barrier. He did some road testing and came up with the slogan, “Got 12 minutes? Go get some live music!” and “Downtown to downtown, door-to-door in 12 minutes flat.”

The historic storefronts in downtown Martinez are now a mix of restaurants, breweries, wine bars, coffee shops, antique stores, a new food hall called Market & Main and a touch of Hollywood glamour at the California Magic Club. Each evening, host Gerry Griffin dons a tuxedo and opens a red velvet rope for guests who dine on a three-course meal while watching professional magicians, often visiting from the famous Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
 
Right before the COVID-19 shutdown, Armando’s lost its lease, but the bands played on because most restaurants had outdoor patios and the city closed Main Street to traffic, turning the downtown into a giant outdoor cafe with live music. “People came from all over the Bay Area because it was one of the few places with entertainment,” says Paul Cotruvo with the band Big Jangle. “It was like New Orleans,” he laughs. 

Rob Schroder, who has been the Martinez mayor for 20 years, says he moved here from Walnut Creek three decades earlier because he was impressed with the city’s potential. “Great bones, history, the water and all the outdoor spaces. I call it ‘Mayberry with an edge.'”

At left, Martinez mayor Rob Schroder; Roxx on Main, top right, and Del Cielo Brewing Company, bottom right, are two local venues offering live music in downtown Martinez. Photos by Lance Yamamoto/Special to SFGATE
At left, Martinez mayor Rob Schroder; Roxx on Main, top right, and Del Cielo Brewing Company, bottom right, are two local venues offering live music in downtown Martinez. Photos by Lance Yamamoto/Special to SFGATE

In addition to Armando’s, he credits a mandatory earthquake retrofit for developing the downtown. Rather than paying for expensive upgrades, he says many landlords sold their buildings to young people who opened wine bars, coffee house and breweries. “There’s a lot of new energy,” says Schroder. 

“Two decades ago, we predicted the downtown would be the next Sausalito, and now it’s finally happening,” says Lesley Stiles, who owns Roxx on Main. “So many young people are buying homes in Martinez because they can’t afford elsewhere, and they’re revitalizing the city. On weekends, you see young couples strolling from a brewpub to a wine bar to a restaurant, listening to music in every spot.” 

“It’s a similar vibe to Memphis,” says musician Maurice Tani. “I don’t know if being on the river has anything to do with it, but like Memphis, it’s a welcoming place for any type of music: Latin, country and rock. It’s a small scene but extremely well supported by locals and the city.” 

That patronage has not gone unnoticed by musicians who give back to the community through the Martinez Music Mafia. Chris Bryant, or CB, who plays in the GarageLand Rodeo band, says about a dozen years ago, a group of fellow musicians sitting around in an old guitar shop came up with the idea of starting a club like the Frank Sinatra Rat Pack. “Music brings people together” is their motto, and the goal was promoting local performers as well as raising funds for those in need.

“There are little charities in town that struggle every day,” says Bryant, “so the Martinez Music Mafia focuses on helping the local food bank, shelter and homeless coalitions.” Over the past 13 years, the Martinez Music Mafia has contributed approximately $30,000 to the community. 

Despite the influx of visitors, Martinez retains its small-town ambiance. Musician Bruce “Jackknife” Campbell says, “I was in a restaurant the other day and forgot my wallet. They said, ‘No problem, we know you’re good for it.'”

Jeans, who is actively looking for a new music venue, adds, “They don’t make small towns anymore, and we’ve got the real deal.” Mayor Schroder agrees, calling the downtown “a time capsule.” 

“It’s becoming more and more appreciated,” says Jeans, “because technology is taking over everything.” For the city of Martinez, the antidote to that type of cultural shift is an old-fashioned concert.

Ruth Carlson is a freelance travel writer and the author of “Secret California: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.”