Over the past 20 years or so the blues, like everything else in life, has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The one constant is the dedicated presence of Art Martel. In 1994, the blues here in Southern California, as it was elsewhere, was riding a wave of success unprecedented in its history. Into this milieu stepped Art Martel. He has been getting after it ever since. Yet an entirely new chapter in the life of Art Martel has presented itself to the recent Grandpa. I thought it was high time the two of us sat down for an interview to discuss his career in the blues business, the current state of the blues and his latest endeavor.

David Mac (DM): Hey Art, I don’t know if after all these years that we have known each other I have asked you where and when this music bug bit you.  

Art Martel (AM): From the time I was little child my folks knew that music was important to me somehow. I used to dance to old Elvis Presley and James Brown records around the house. I wanted to be like James Brown.

DM: Where did this dancing take place?

AM: I grew up in Pico Rivera. It is just 10 miles east or so of downtown Los Angeles. My dad was in the sheet metal industry. I am a second generation sheet metal worker. As you know Dave, I retired as a foreman a few years ago, to pursue my career in the music business. I wouldn’t have been able to retire if it wasn’t for the fact that I was member of a strong union.

DM: Isn’t your son A.J. in the sheet metal business as well?

AM: That’s right he is a third generation sheet metal worker. All the males in my family were in the sheet metal industry... still are.

DM: Who was the artist that gave you that “light bulb” moment, that made you think that there was no going back and I need to hear more of this music?

AM: That’s easy. I remember like it was yesterday. My wife Patty and I saw Mitch Kashmar in Santa Barbara in 1985. As you know Dave, it is a very emotional experience when you hear this music for the first time by an artist of Kashmar’s talent. He was playing with his band the Pontiax. They put out an album which I purchased called 100 Miles to Go. It originally came out back in 1986 and was re-issued by Delta Groove Music in 2010.

DM: When and how did you make the leap from being a long time passionate fan of the music to becoming one of the blues biggest and most consistent purveyors?

AM: To be honest fate lent a hand. In the summer of 1994 a fortuitous meeting at the Big Time Blues Festival in Long Beach took place. It was at this annual event where I met the late great radio personality Left Coast Carl. Carl immediately recognized my knowledge and love for this music and thought I could be an asset to his radio show called Breakfast with the Blues on KSPC FM 88.7. I was signed on as the show’s co-host. KSPC is the voice of the prestigious Claremont Colleges and was already a well established and recognized leader in the non commercial radio field having been on the air since 1956. I was humbled and honored to be part of that tradition.

DM: When did you get your own show?

AM: A year later I got my own show and I have been on the air ever since.

DM: Damn, that’s a long time.

AM: Twenty two years...if you are keeping score.

DM: One of the many things about radio that has changed is what a vital link you and your colleagues on the air were to informing blues fans like me, where to find live music back in the day. This pre-dates social media where we now turn to get show information.

AM: That’s an excellent point. As a community volunteer at the station I immediately recognized my responsibility to tie my broadcasts and my listeners to the local blues scene. Through promotion of local shows and with national touring blues acts I became an important resource by connecting musicians from all over the world to the fans of this music right here in Southern California.

DM: Do you remember some of the National touring acts that you worked with back in the day?

AM: They used to beat a path to the station when they came into town. My very first on air interview was with Kim Wilson. Other interviews included Duke Robillard, Anson Funderburgh and his vocalist, Laurel, Mississippi’s own Sam Myers. There are just so many.

DM: These relationships you were developing made the transition to your booking live shows a natural. How and when did this come about?   

AM: It wasn’t long until promoters recognized that I could be an asset as a booking agent. In 1998, boxing promoters Upper Cut Productions put on a one time festival in Long Beach’s Rainbow Lagoon. I brought in National acts such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anson and the Rockets featuring Sam Myers, The Lynwood Slim Band featuring Rusty Zinn as well as Muddy Waters Band alums Bob Margolin and Pinetop Perkins. I also booked the Covina Blues-a-Pallooza event and others before I started Straight Up Blues Productions.

DM: You have been putting on quality shows for years under the Straight Up Blues banner here in Southern California, but in recent years the world has come knocking on your door as well.

AM: Musicians from three continents have sought me out to be the tour coordinator for shows in the Southland. In the spring of 2013, the world class blues band B.B. and the Blues Shacks from Hildesheim, Germany, flew to Southern California for a four stop mini tour of the Southland. I have done the same with Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s JW-Jones as well as Sao Paulo, Brazil’s The Igor Prado Band in the fall of 2013. In the fall of 2014, it was you Dave who put me in touch with The Headcutters from Itajai’, Brazil. I served as their tour coordinator and booked some of the California shows that were part of their U.S. tour. B.B. and the Blues Shacks came back and I did a larger California tour with them. We did dates from San Diego all the way up to the bay area this time. It was a blast traveling with them. They must have enjoyed it as well as they invited me in the spring of 2016 to fly to Germany and manage the band’s tour in their homeland.  

DM: I think one of the big misconceptions about guys like us Art, who are unapologetic fans of blues music is that people get the impression that it is all we listen to or care about musically. You have, under your Straight up Blues, banner booked acts outside the genre.

AM: That’s right. I have worked with Big Sandy (western swing), Lee Rocker of The Stray Cats fame (rockabilly) and guitarist Pete Anderson of Dwight Yoakam renown, to name a few, but I always come back to the blues.  

DM: You and I have both been around this music Art for a very long time now. What are some of the changes you see happening in the blues scene here in Southern California?

AM: These days a blues show is more of a social event than an actual performance because many people don’t go to listen to the music anymore. It is a giant bar scene and the music is a secondary consideration. It has become part of the background. Everyone is running around taking pictures of themselves and the bands and posting those photos on social media during the performance. The modern patron doesn’t seem to be enjoying the music the way we did back in the day. The patrons to these shows seem to not care about who is performing as they go from one club to another without any discrimination whatsoever. How can you compare some of the bands we see, you know who I’m discussing,  to somebody like Rusty Zinn for instance. You can’t. There isn’t any comparison, but to these people who aren’t listening to the music, it is all the same. It cheapens the shows and degrades the performances.

DM: Is it fair to say this is just an example of the standards being lowered?  

AM: You could say that or you can say we have abandoned standards altogether. Some of this also has to do with the lack of mentorship and camaraderie amongst the people in the business. When I was cutting my teeth on the radio I had some real mentors who had my back. John “Juke” Logan was a big help to me. I just can’t say enough about Juke Logan. I leaned on him and he helped teach me how to listen to this music. I will always be grateful to him.

DM: Let’s talk about the record business these days...such as it is.  

AM: Well the big difference is that back in the day you had a whole bunch of labels putting out quality blues music. They just put out great music by the truck load and people purchased the music. This pre-dates all the streaming services and file sharing, YouTube and all the things that have all but destroyed the record business.

Now all these publicists in a desperate attempt to survive will promote anybody that has a buck and most of the musicians who have enough money to pay a publicist are pretty bad. They get records made and they send them off to D.J.s who will play anything because 1) they don’t what the hell they're doing and 2) just want to be part of the game, take the bribe if you will and play the damn record no matter how bad it is. The result is the airwaves are full of these crappy recordings. This causes great damage to the music and skews people’s perception to what is and isn’t blues.

DM: What are your thoughts as it relates to blues-rock or blues-light as I call it?

AM: It’s not blues. It just isn’t. That doesn’t mean somebody out there can’t enjoy whatever it is that floats their boat. It’s just not blues and it’s not for me.

DM: What is it about this music that attracts you to it?

AM: It’s historical. It’s American. Another thing I love about it is that the music is multi-geographical. The music developed its own regional flavors if you will.

DM: This music represents an important part of African- American culture. There are those who would say that white folks shouldn’t be playing this music.

AM: I don’t agree with that. If you are willing to learn the language, study it and respect it, then it doesn’t matter if you are white, Brazilian, Mexican or whatever, you can make blues music. If you don’t take it seriously it doesn’t matter what color you are then you are going to be a lousy blues musician.

DM: I happen to agree with your assertion by the way. Nobody in 2016 is automatically imbibed with blues music coursing through their veins. Take Grady Champion, he is an African-American and can’t play blues music to save his life, even though he is marketed in this arena.

AM: Maybe he should be a soul singer. He can’t play harmonica, that’s for sure.  

DM: I’ve asked this question to a number of people and have got almost as many answers, so I’ll ask you; how is it that is so much really great blues is coming from outside its country of origin?  

AM: The international musicians don’t dilute this music. They study it. They respect it. They play the music the way it was meant to be played.

DM: I agree. I have never met an international blues musician who would dare disrespect the music and its progenitors by twisting the music into something it is not to suit their own lack of talent. That seems to be a very American thing.

Let’s talk about your latest career move.

AM: Well as you know Dave, I’ve accepted a position at Delta Groove Music as their radio promotions man. It was funny how that came about. Like my radio gig that lasted 22 years, it was somewhat serendipitous as to how I landed the job.

I went to Jeff (Fleenor) to pitch him the idea of signing B.B. and the Blue Shacks as they have a terrific new live album. That may happen, I don’t know, but Jeff told me that he had an opening. He explained what he was looking for and since I have a background in radio and with the artists, he thought I’d be a perfect fit.

DM: Jeff was right. Now let me ask you the million dollar question. Art, I think I’ve known you long enough to know you don’t get involved in anything you don’t love and feel very strongly about; so what is it you love about Delta Groove Music?  

AM: It goes back to Randy (Chortkoff). He had a vision for this music before Delta Groove Music even existed. He put out a wonderful record on Billy Boy Arnold that resurrected his career. He did the same thing with Finis Tasby and his great album entitled Jump Children. Arnold’s record ended up on Alligator and Finis’ ended up on Evidence. Randy produced them both and they were great records. With those two successes under his belt Randy started Delta Groove Music. He carried that same philosophy that went into those first two albums with him to Delta Groove. Randy brought in the best musicians and he and Jeff made the best straight ahead blues albums anywhere for the past twelve years or so. 

Randy of course left us in the spring of 2015, but Jeff has carried on and continues to put out the best blues albums being produced anywhere. I have always held Delta Groove Music in the highest regard.  You and I have talked about this before but Black Top Records back in the day was the preeminent label. They had a very specific “house” sound which I love. I have always seen lots of parallels between that old label and Delta Groove. So yes, I’m thrilled to be here in this position.

DM: After Randy left our mortal coil, the man who is perfectly suited for the job, stepped into the job. That of course is Jeff Fleenor. As you know I’ve known Jeff for a very long time and he has a deep understanding and appreciation of this music to go along with his background in recording and producing. He has impeccable taste and a feel for the blues like few people I have ever met. 

AM: I think it is also interesting that both Jeff and I came out of radio, Jeff had an absolutely great program on the air for 15 years that is sadly now long gone. I came out of radio and we both had a mutual respect for each other’s broadcasts. I am very sorry to be leaving the station as I wanted to make it to 25 years, but this opportunity with Delta Groove is an important move for me and for the label.

DM: I know that last week you had your last broadcast on KSPC. Why do you have to leave the station?

AM: It’s simple. By taking a position at Delta Groove Music I couldn’t play any of the music that they have put out. I mean how can anyone have a legitimate blues radio show and not play anything from their vast catalogue? It represents a conflict of interest and the folks over here take that stuff seriously.

I was really looking forward to seeing my 25^th year on the air, but this opportunity is important as we have discussed. People aren’t buying CDs like they used to. People are just stealing the music, streaming it for free. I would like to see that change. Are people really that selfish? Are people that short sighted that they can’t see how this behavior more or less eliminates the making of new music?

DM: I don’t like to think of people as being selfish although there is plenty of evidence that this is the case. I just like to think that we are predisposed to seek out a good deal and haven’t thought this entire paradigm through as of yet. Technology does offer us these conundrums that boil down to moral issues. It is simple. If one stops buying music people will stop making music. So the fate of the world rests on your shoulders Art. Either you succeed at Delta Groove or we all die a slow pitiful and painful death.

Before that happens you will be working on a new release that is scheduled to come out in October. Can we talk about that?

AM: Yes we can it will be on Mitch Kashmar.

DM: Wow, it is like you are coming full circle with Mitch. From that 1985 performance to this being his latest release and the first new release that you will be promoting on the label. Have you heard the record?

AM: Yes I have. It is outstanding. I mean, what did you expect from Mitch? He, as you know, had a long association with the label and has delivered one outstanding album after another with Delta Groove. The new album is called West Coast Toast. The band is Mitch of course on vocals and harmonica, Junior Watson on guitar, the pianist is Fred Kaplan, Bill Stuve on bass and Marty Dodson on drums.

DM: Gee, it’s too bad he couldn’t get anybody good to play on the record. (laughs)

AM: We are all real excited about this one and can’t wait for it to get out there.

DM: Congratulations on all your success and again good luck on your new endeavor. Remember the future of our civilization hinges on your success.

AM: Thanks Dave.