His Own Shade of Blues

The Guy Martin Group will unveil its brand-new CD, “In This Together,” at a brand-new place, the Season Ticket. And it is all happening Friday night in Simi Valley. For fans of rockin’ Texas blues by way of California, this Ventura Guy is The Man, dude.

And Martin, a self-taught player, learned from the best. He was inspired by a pair of the musically missing--the dearly departed Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Martin music is a far cry from that one-beat, one-song, cry-in-your-beer style of blues.

“To be honest with you, I think the person that played blues guitar similar to what I wanted was Jimi Hendrix,” said Martin during a recent interview. “Then from there, I branched off into Stevie Ray Vaughan, then Buddy Guy, Albert King--all those blues guys. Once you hear one, you gotta hear them all.”

Martin has been playing locally for about a decade, initially in a high school band, and we all know what that’s like. The girls love them. The parents tolerate them. The neighbors hate them. And the boys in blue are always just around the corner.

“At Ventura High School in ’86 or ‘87, we had this band called the Threads, just a typical high school party band. We played at parties, at school functions and the talent show--you know, the usual. I remember at one party, we set up, did a level check, and the cops came before we even played one song.”

In the early ‘90s, Martin actually survived a yearlong gig with Raging Arb & the Redheads when one of their members went on a long vacation. Next, he formed Rude Mood, a band named for a Vaughan song the group never played. For the last three years Martin has fronted his current band, which also features Tony Trigueiro on bass and Jason Dinkler on drums.

“After the Threads, we all went our separate ways and I took a break. Then I started Rude Mood, but I’ve changed a lot since then. Rude Mood was more of a straightforward Stevie Ray Vaughan-influenced band. The Guy Martin Group is Guy Martin’s world with Stevie Ray influences, but with more of my own style.”

Not surprisingly, Martin’s usual set ender is “Voodoo Child.” It’s the Vaughan version of the Hendrix song but with Martin’s own example of guitar pyrotechnics.

“It’s a party when we play,” he said. “The blues is just the blues, but it can reach so many people in so many ways. I love the blues. I play better blues when I’m happy, if that makes any sense.”

Developing your own style makes a lot of sense, but the fundamental problem these days for local bands remains a lack of venues. There are as many bands as ever, and fewer venues than ever. It’s as bad as it’s ever been.

This Ventura band’s CD release party is in Simi Valley. Even Nicholby’s in Ventura has stopped having original rock bands on Saturday nights. Martin is one more musician not particularly enamored by the local scene.

“We’re getting as many out-of-town gigs as we do local gigs,” he says. “Santa Barbara is a little more happening for us. We’re going to try to even get some out-of-state gigs. We want to do some three- to five-day mini-tours and start building a fan base.”

Another problem is more basic. Working a day job (as a carpenter) would, it seems, create havoc with night gigs and practices and the whole rock-star thing in general. Apparently, this is not the case for Martin.

“It isn’t difficult for me because I’m so dedicated to the music,” he said. “Plus I’ve got a couple of really solid guys in the band who feel the same way. Besides, most of our gigs are on the weekends. Once the CD comes out, hopefully we’ll have more weekday gigs, and the more gigs we have, the closer we get to quitting our day jobs.”

So we’re left with the Guy Martin Group featuring Martin, younger, faster and healthier (but with fewer albums) than Stevie Ray and Jimi. Now what?

“Hopefully, things will take off some from here because we’ve only scratched the surface as far as getting this thing out,” he said. “Basically, we’re going to get out and play, and hopefully play the nation. I’m not really sure what’s on the agenda. We just want to establish a wide fan base and get recognized, then see what happens.”

BE THERE

Guy Martin Group at the Season Ticket, 5835 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, Friday, 9 p.m. Free. Call: (805) 520-1166.

Also--Guy Martin Group at Matty’s Lounge, 26 W. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, Saturday night, 9:30 p.m. $5. Call: (805) 963-6788.