Vacaville Represents at Sac IBC
The Torch Club, downtown Sac
“The Torch Club, where every premiere blues band comes to play”. With those words Mick Martin, front man for the Blues Rocker’s, started a great set on his birthday show this last summer at my favorite blues hangout. I found the Torch club this past year after having moved to Vacaville and was looking for some where close by to hear great blues music on a steady basis. I found exactly what I was after when I found this place, for sure.
As I learned, the Torch Club was one of the first bars in Sacramento, established in 1934, right after prohibition ended. It is now located downtown at 914 15th Street. In the past it was known as a watering hole for politicians which would make sense due to the close proximity to the State Capital. It has now become is the most popular Blues Club in the Sacramento Area, bar none. This is the place to be if you’re looking for quality blues music in the Sacramento area.
My friend Willie Brown of the Sacramento Blues Society and I have been in a little turmoil as to whether we really wanted to write this review… you know, like maybe we should try not to let everyone know about this great place and kind of keep it for ourselves and those already in the family. However, a place this fantastic with such a strong blues scene should to be bragged about a bit, I think.
Club owner, Marina Texiera, has proven to have quite the knack for supplying an ongoing supply of top notch blues acts. At the Torch, as Mick’s message implied, you will see every top blues act passing through northern California. The list of great blues acts the blues girl and I have seen at the Torch this past year is amazing. We have seen Mick Martin, as I mentioned as well as Daniel Castro, Steve Foster, Big Mo, John Nemeth, Andy Santana, Cole Fonseca, Mr. December, Ron Thompson, Johnnie Knox and Dave Croal, The Delta Wires, Pork Chop Tom, Mighty Mike Schermer, Stacie Eakes and many more. We have also seen several national blues acts such as Terry Hanck, Lil’ Dave Thompson, John Lee Hooker Jr., Mark Hummel, Shane Dwight, Volker Strifler, Chris Cain, Harper and others. The list just goes on and on. It’s actually incredible how many fabulous blues acts you can see just at this club alone.
In addition to the headliners, the house blues bands are equally exciting. On a weekly basis you can hear the likes of Jimmy Pailer and the Prophets, The Lew Fratis Trio, The Aaron King Trio and the Friday afternoon special with Jimmy Pailer and Lew Fratis doing their acoustical blues show. There are also weekly blues jams and open mike’s for the aspiring musician in all of us.
Aside from the great blues music, the absolute best thing about the Torch is the friendly and fun atmosphere. The more you go, the more you realize that it’s almost a family thing. You will usually see a host of regulars on your particular favorite afternoon or night and after awhile you’ve met new friends and you’re sharing the music and the scene together, laughing and dancing and having a ball. We have met so many fun people and have found ourselves with a new set of wonderful Sacramento friends that we can share our appreciation of the blues with.
Marina, along with head bartender Donnie have daily operations dialed in and always see that everyone is smiling and taken care of. I can’t write this without mentioning the Friday afternoon crew, Rhonda and Craig, who keep us happy and work the room like the professionals they are. Now, I must say that when you walk up for the first time you may look inside the dark room with old boxer pictures and clown paintings and think, “OMG, what a dive” … but fear not my friend, you have just found a little bit of blues heaven. C’mon in! As the promotional site says, we’re “known from Maine to Spain for booze and blues”. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
“Keep your eyes and ears open, the Blues are alive in Northern California!”
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Mr. December at Constable Jack's - 5/9/08
Cole Fonseca at the Torch Club - 3/28/08
Blues Blowout at Cache Creek - 2/1/08
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