
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 ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
12/08/2026
Traditional live sports production has focused on creating the best possible pro...
12/08/2026
FOR-A will showcase a range of broadcast and production products at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B53, Amsterdam RAI, September 11-14), including software-based switching, A...
12/08/2026
The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and EBU will host live demonstrations of NMOS BCP-008 Minimum Status Reporting at IBC2026 (September 11-14) on th...
12/08/2026
Dalet has announced Dalet Solution Suites, a portfolio of cloud-native solutions...
12/08/2026
Net Insight has announced that DMC Production Norway has selected its Open Live ...
12/08/2026
Zixi has appointed Alyson Stewart as Senior Director of Sales. Stewart will be responsible for direct sales and partnerships, with a focus on broadcasters, medi...
12/08/2026
LiveU's LU900Q intelligent production unit was deployed as part of the host broadcast operation for the Games in Glasgow (July 23-August 2, 2026). Host broa...
12/08/2026
Disney , ESPN, and Formula E have announced a multi-year deal bringing all Formula E races to Disney and ESPN in the U.S. and to Disney in most international...
12/08/2026
PSSI has launched X-LIVE, a managed service offering dedicated engineering resources and Appear encoding infrastructure for live event signal processing and tra...
12/08/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League Summer Season reached 18.3 million unique live viewers across three stops on ABC and ESPN, a 78.5% increase compared to the...
12/08/2026
BBright will showcase an expanded IP-Gateway at IBC2026, adding support for all RIST profiles to its existing support for MPEG Transport Stream over IP with SMP...
12/08/2026
BBright will demonstrate EBU OGraf animated graphics support in its software-bas...
12/08/2026
Interra Systems will demonstrate its ORION, BATON, BATON Captions, and VEGA solutions at SET Expo 2026 (August 17-20, Distrito Anhembi, S o Paulo) at partner Li...
12/08/2026
DPA Microphones has appointed Raul Contreras as West Coast Regional Sales Manager. In the role, Contreras will oversee sales and customer relationships througho...
12/08/2026
Live spectacles ranging from the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup to the Oscars and...
12/08/2026
Writer-Director Andrius Bla evi ius and crew attend the premiere of How to Divorce During the War at The Ray Theatre on January 26, 2026, in Park City, UT. (P...
12/08/2026
Enhanced DAW & plug-in control for the UC1, UF8 and UF1
The software that powers SSL's range of control surfaces has just received a major update that d...
12/08/2026
In-line preamp features one-knob EQ
In addition to their range of in-line preamps, Triton Audio recently managed to squeeze a compressor into an enclosure t...
12/08/2026
Captures system audio with or without a DAW
Depending on your setup, capturing system audio in a DAW can be a tedious process, so much so that Arvital Audio...
12/08/2026
2026 NATIONAL NAIDOC AWARDS TO BROADCAST ON NITV LIVE AND DIRECT FROM MPARNTWE
12 August, 2026
Media releases
First Nations excellence will be celebrated l...
12/08/2026
More than six million sports fans stay with SBS for Tour de France and Tour de F...
12/08/2026
Nielsen is cementing Digital Ad Intel as the new go-to currency for digital ad intelligence in Brazil-now with streaming monitoring in the mix.
S o Paulo, Augu...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
As Matrox Video celebrates 50 years of trusted innovation, the company will showcase its portfolio of interoperable IP technologies and software-defined innovat...
12/08/2026
SMPTE, the home of media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced a program of expert-led sessions, professional workshops and networking eve...
12/08/2026
Berklee Announces Full Details for Inaugural Block Party, a Music Festival Next ...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/08/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment introduces T-Go Mounting Solutions extreme camera rigging systems, engineered for the most demanding environments in motion picture pr...
12/08/2026
Anton/Bauer, a Videndum brand and the industry leader in mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic production, announces that the EDEN Mobile Power Sta...
12/08/2026
TAG Video Systems, the global leader in software-based IP monitoring and multiviewer solutions, today announced a memory usage optimization that lowers the tota...
12/08/2026
Unified Streaming announces Trusted Media, a new solution that enables broadcasters, streaming platforms, and premium content owners to attach verifiable authen...
12/08/2026
Combining intelligent automation, composable business services and user-centric experiences
The media industry is entering a new phase where AI intelligence is...
12/08/2026
DPA Microphones welcomes Raul Contreras as its new West Coast Regional Sales Manager. In this role, Contreras will oversee sales and customer relationships thro...
12/08/2026
Marshall Electronics' first all-weather, all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, makes its European debut at IBC 2026 (Stand 10.C11). Built for the elements, th...
12/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scientists at Scripps Research have discovered that two seemingly unrelated cellular enzymes become locked together during times of stress, simulta...
12/08/2026
NEW BOOKSHOP OPENING IN LONDON THAT OFFERS NEW IDENTITIES, NOT BOOKS, WITH FREE ...
12/08/2026
Brand-new trailer unveiled as Sky announces SNL UK ticket ballot will open on 14...
12/08/2026
Wednesday 12 August 2026
Sky Sports agrees deal to show Laver Cup from London's O2
Sky Sports has agreed a deal with Trident8 to show all three days of th...
12/08/2026
Wednesday 12 August 2026
Pre-order the new Google Pixel 11 range from today and...
12/08/2026
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang is ranked No. 1 on Glassdoor's Best CEOs list for 2026.
In the just-released ranking, recognition is earned directly fr...
11/08/2026
Weekly immersive broadcasts will feature 8K 3D video, a 180-degree field of view...
11/08/2026
By Briana Brady, Social Media Manager, Production Hub
Sports content is having ...
11/08/2026
She addresses why media organizations need more than asset storage, how sports t...