Barbershop comes alive with sound of music
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Joe Carreon (left) and Litt Chance play as other members of their patched-together band cram into Roger Henrick's
barbershop in Martinez.
Photo by Trevor Frey
A barbershop might be their venue, but a quartet of harmonizing vocalists they are not.
Every Wednesday evening inside Roger's Barber Shop at 3817 Washington Road, a band of musicians equipped with guitars, bass guitars, banjos, dobros, harmonicas, fiddles and other instruments come together for a unique jam session.
"We're just a group of guys that like to get together to play some gospel and old country music," said the shop's namesake, Roger Hendreck. "We don't have a name, but I call it just a bunch of good ol' boys bonding. It's good fellowship."
Hendreck, 56, has operated the Martinez barbershop for more than 18 years. He took up the guitar not long ago with the help of one of his regular clients. The weekly jam session snowballed from there.
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"This started off with Joe (Johnson) teaching me how to play guitar," Hendreck said. "Then Tank (Tankersley, owner of The Gold Shop next to Roger's) joined us, and then some others came in. Word just got around that we meet on Wednesday night, and it grew from there."
A closeup of guitarist Litt Chance's hand while he plays his guitar at Roger Hendrick's barberhsop in Martinez.
Photo by Trevor Frey
Hendreck has been playing host to the jam for about a year with instrumentalists and vocalists from across the area ranging in age from 11 to 70. About 30 musicians rotate in and out of the group's lineup, and the number of people wanting to join in continues to grow. In fact, Hendreck is thinking of adding another weekly music night to meet the demand.
Hendreck is surprised by the popularity of the event, but he also understands it.
"It's really relaxing," he said. "I believe this religiously: Any kind of instrument -- guitar, horns or beating on drums -- you want to play with a group of guys, to play them relieves stress. We have fun and cut up. We say things like, 'Too bad you're not singing on the radio, so we could turn you off.' "