MANSFIELD — A week or so ago I saw local sound merchants The Village Druids play a rumbling double set at Martini’s on Main, in honor of the Vernal Equinox and The Departure of Jamos.
No chickens were harmed (or to my knowledge, even present).
This wasn’t my first visit to the establishment. I have a distinct memory of drinking here many years ago, long before I moved to Mansfield. It was busy that night, and late in the evening a man wearing dark glasses and a woman’s fur coat strode into the bar throwing dollar bills into the crowd.
As I recall it provoked very little comment.
Martini’s has been in business since 2008 (before that it was The Manhattan Room). Like many of the older buildings downtown that have been preserved, it retains a lot of attractive period features.
Most striking is the smart-looking art-deco bar itself, a beautiful 1939 original manufactured in Galion. General manager Cory Dawson believes the look of the bar is crucial to the success of Martini’s, giving the room just the right atmosphere.
A good range of signature mixed drinks is on offer, and now includes barrel-aged cocktails: small batches aged for 60 to 90 days in American white oak barrels, charred on the inside for added flavor.
The beer list features about 20 to 25 varieties in constant rotation. In the early days not many places in town stocked craft beer, and without a dedicated local route the delivery trucks would arrive as early as 6 a.m. Cory remembers closing up after the night shift and sleeping in the basement to make sure he was around when they showed up.
Some of the delivery guys describe how 15 or 20 years back, with much of downtown empty, the trucks had to be locked up each time they went inside to avoid crates being stolen right off the back. These days it’s not much of a concern, which should be an encouraging sign of how things have changed downtown.
One reason for the change is the increase in foot traffic, and Cory credits nearby coffee shop “Relax, It’s Just Coffee” for driving much of this, especially during the day.
“A lot of the younger crowd are learning to ‘shop local’ through Relax and will come back to these businesses as they get older,” he said. “If Relax didn’t exist, many of them would probably just start off at Starbucks and never come downtown.”
As well as pizza from the wood-fired oven and a mid-week charcuterie (look it up!), the bar features frequent live music. The bar policy is to book bands that have a least 80 percent original material, a great way to showcase local songwriting talent.
In the summer the music is out on the patio, but during the colder months the bands set up in the bar. This is where I found the Village Druids playing their distinctive brand of dark electronica, piled in the back with two mixers and a PA system.
Vocalist Papa Voodoo stationed himself at the rear with his keyboards while the rest of the band took the focus. This set-up meant that for the first song or two I was uncertain where the vocals were coming from. This was all to the good as it added to the general air of mystery.
Up front were James Amos on guitar, Aurelio Diaz rocking the auto-harp and “Lady Kate” Westfall keeping the beat on a Roland drum pad – a smaller alternative to the full “percussive altar” she presides behind at larger venues.
It was a great time with a fun crowd, and after the show Mr. Voodoo was good enough to sit down and talk with me over a beer before packing up the kit.
I was curious about how he got started. After teaching himself at the family piano and dabbling in songwriting from an early age, he progressed from singing in the church choir to playing in early-eighties punk bands.
His vocal style has been refined over the years, and he recalls that back then “People would say, it would be so pretty if you didn’t scream.”
What changed?
“Well, I mastered control over my voice. I wanted people to hear the lyrics. Also I was getting hoarse at the end of the night.”
The show was a send-off for band member James Amos who is relocating, and Martini’s was a fitting venue for the farewell party – Papa Voodoo explained that this is where it all first came together.
“Kate was running an ‘Open Mic’ here at Martini’s. The first night I came everyone was so gracious and accepting, and asked me to come back. I met James at the second show.”
I asked about the local music scene and he explained that as no one makes much money, the fact that it exists at all is “really a testament to their need to do this and share.”
And the supportive crowds are a part of it all, coming out not just in the summer but in 22-degree temperatures for the Druids’ Winter Solstice show.
Papa Voodoo is full of enthusiasm for what’s happening at Martini’s and the many other venues around town that provide an outlet for local music, saying “I can only say I hope every town flourishes like Mansfield has.”
Martini’s On Main, 108 N. Main St. is open Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturday 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Check out the band at www.facebook.com/villagedruids.
