
Marty and Elayne Roberts at the Dresden. | Photo: Gijs van der Most.
Los Angeles is a city where cultural treasures arent just places or things, theyre people too. Inside a martini-stained, mid-century bar in Los Feliz, indefatigable couple Marty and Elayne Roberts have been performing jazz and endearingly kitschy takes on modern hits for 35 years. They are truly iconic Angelenos, living landmarks that are a constant in our ever-evolving town. On any given night, Marty perches behind his drum kit, clad in a sequined jumpsuit that matches his wife, who helms the keys. When Elayne isn't singing lead, she sometimes picks up a flute, or hums the melodies of instruments that are missing, la-la-ing a trombone part, or be-boping a trumpet line. Marty occasionally saunters up to the mic, serving up swaggering one-liners and a casual Sinatra tune or two.
For 28 years, they performed two-hour sets, six nights a week. Only recently have they scaled back to five nights. They ceaselessly deliver classic jazz hits to a loyal audience of original polyester-clad lounge-lizards and present scenesters, who often sport similar polyester, salvaged from vintage stores. They are stalwarts of local television broadcasts, reality shows, and movies too. For some, the couple was first revealed to the world in the early 1990s indie film, Swingers, which cast a new light on Los Angeles nightlife, away from the 1980s hyperbolic hair, postured punk, and angular power suits, instead embracing the return to the cool aesthetic of the end of the millennium, where new wave film, mod angst, and 1960s style resurfaced.
Today, Marty and Elayne show no signs of stopping and on April 1, they perform their 35th anniversary show at the Dresden.
Artbound recently caught up with the jazzsters to talk about how they ended up at the Dresden, Elayne's psychic powers, and the time Keifer Sutherland recorded one of their albums.
--
--
How did you end up at the Dresden?
M: We were working by the Derby before it was the Derby. It was called Michaels restaurant.
E: It was in the same place as the Derby. It was so beautiful. The boss used to come in every night and check us out and he finally said one night, When you leave this place you can come work for me. I own the Dresden down the street. Give me a call, when you are leaving here. So we did.
What was this neighborhood like back then?
E: It was quiet. There were opera singers down the street. There was Sarno's and they also had opera singers and that was about it. Other than that there was offices and older people.
M: So we tried to change the situation because it was completely different from the other job we were on.
E: Well, at the Derby they were older and they all followed us and it was really nice. The first night they all came in and there was no room for them and I asked the boss if he could get more tables because all of our friends are there. He said, They can sit down, but if there is not enough room let them leave. I don't want anyone around here who isn't seated and I want a dress code. Everyone has to dress. When the kids started coming in, we did a Tom Petty video in 1990 and all the kids started coming in with jeans, with holes in the knees and they said, that is the style. He said, Well, I have to relent if that is the style. If that is what they want to do, let them do it.
M: He was fine with it because he was making more money.
E: He heard the cash register and said, OK. He kept his word -- he had a lot of integrity.
Who were some of the other musicians you worked with at the time?
E: In 1987, we got on jazz radio and all the little rock bands wanted to jam with us so we had Frank Zappa's bass player and one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers come jam with us. We had a lot of young rock musicians come and play jazz and it was beautiful. From 87-'90 it was the best because it was a respectful crowd that listened to jazz radio and they were wonderful. When we did the Tom Petty video the trendies came in and it got mobbed in here. It was difficult to hear what we were doing and we were shocked for a while. We still have to get used to it. If there is a wrap party and they just did a movie they are going to be excited and they are going to be screaming and you have to just learn to sing above it. I have to figure out whether they want us to be louder than they are or quieter than they are. I am pretty good at feeling the crowd because I am psychic. I am psychic.
I told my sister and she asked, Why are you calling this guy Marty. I said, If I don't call him I will marry Ray and ruin my life so I have to call him. She said, You don't know him what are you talking about. I said, I don't know, it is the way I feel. I was right on the money. I know a lot of things before they happen.
M: You should have called Ray. No, I am kidding.
E: He calls me a witch.
What is the secret to keeping your relationship going after all these years?
E: It is either ESP or soulmates. We were saying the exact same things at the same time and finishing each others sentences. When we meet people I would start telling them, Oh, Marty just told me that. I think we think alike.
M: I have one of those [hidden microphones] attached to her, she doesn't know it yet. It picks up everything.
Marty Roberts at the Dresden. | Photo: Drew Tewksbury.
When did you realize that the Dresden would be your homebase?
E: We have always felt comfortable here because it is like a party every night. It is a relaxed party atmosphere. We did the Shrine, once. We opened for Sarah Mclachlan and Jewel. There was 6,000 people, it was so dark in there that you couldn't see the crowd and Marty was so cool, he acted like he was home in bed. I prefer an atmosphere where you can see the faces and you can tell what they are thinking a
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...