Bob Stane, pictured in 2018. [Michael Garcia]
Altadena music venue Coffee Gallery Backstage was closed permanently after over 20 years of hosting a wide variety of musical acts and being home to local music artists.
The closure came after owner Bob Stane was hospitalized.
Stane has been a tireless music and talent promoter and venue operator in the Pasadena area since he founded the original version of the Ice House in 1961.
Over the years Stane has been instrumental in helping to launch and support artists and entertainers like Steve Martin, John Stewart, John McEuen, The Dillards, The Association, Mason Williams, and the Smothers Brothers.
He opened the Coffee Gallery Backstage in 1998 and over the years, it featured top-level entertainment, ranging from folk to jazz, seven nights a week.
Lance Frantzich, bass player, lead singer and manager of Los Angeles-based progressive bluegrass band The Storytellers, one of the bands that performed at the Coffee Gallery Backstage spoke about how Stane had helped his band and local artists over the years.
“He’s had a large impact on the Pasadena music scene,” said Frantzich.
He also added that Stane’s Coffee Gallery Backstage has created a tight-knit community.
“Once the lights go out and with Bob narrating the beginnings of the shows, it’s like everyone’s transported into this special world where the audience get to be up close and personal with musicians, and the energy that is created is really unlike any other place because everyone is there to experience the music and to be together,” he said. “Through that it has created a very tight-knit community.”
The venue, he said, is crucial to keeping the music scene alive in Pasadena.
For Terry Roland, giving a place of creative-artistic freedom for young talented artists to grow in their craft and nurturing this through encouragement, is one of the most notable accomplishments of Stane.
“Since the era of Coffee Gallery Backstage Bob’s contribution to local music has been immeasurable,” said Roland.
“He has allowed new talent to come in and grow. In much the same way as the Ice House years, he has created a place where talented artists can perform and grow in their talents. His main impact over the last 20 years is to run a venue that brings in an eclectic blend of local and national talent from diverse genres,” Roland added.
Personally, Frantzich experienced being mentored by Stane. His band even wrote a song about the latter’s life.
“Bob has been the most instrumental influence and mentor on our band,” he said.
“[He is an] extremely generous and caring mentor, which means of course he is extremely honest. You know that the feedback that he gives you is going to be accurate.”
According to Frantzich, Stane lived a successful life. He was born on a farm in San Bernardino. In his early age, he worked at the Borax mine in the city.
In his 20s, Stane experienced a life changing event.
“He was over on Sunset Boulevard and he happened to come upon a listening room where people were listening to music and they were also drinking coffee, and he walked into the place.”
“As soon as he walked in and saw it, he explained it struck him like a bolt of light that he saw his future bright and clear on what he wanted to do that inspired him with a vision, and that place on Sunset was called ‘The Unicorn’.”
After having a vision, with $500 on loan, Stane opened Upper Cellar, which featured folk music and comedy shows.
After that, he came to Pasadena and opened Ice House in 1961 helping to launch careers of many famous artists, including Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and The Eagles. Ice House closed in 1978.
After a failed attempt at retirement, Stane returned to show business in 1998 as owner and impresario of The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, establishing it as one of the area’s premier performance venues.
“He’s just so well loved for his accomplishments that he was given a big fork in the road.”
To date, The Storytellers, which has been around for over five years now, is playing at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas and at large music festivals including bluegrass festivals.
It also has a record deal on the table and they attribute their success to Stane.
“His mentoring transformed us from a band that could just play at bars and turned us from that into an act,” Frantzich said. “He taught us how to connect with the audience so that we bring them along on the musical ride with us, because that’s what it’s all about.”
