Silicon Valley has been through many changes since the 1970s, but one constant has been the live music club on Apollo Way and Lawrence Expressway, on the border of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
For the last 30 years, the Quarter Note has been owned by Robert and Vicky Reese, who have continued the club’s commitment to live music, local performers, and its dedicated followers. The Reeses’ expansive vision of their business as a part of a diverse local community — not just a bar or music venue — has enabled it to thrive in a business filled with challenges
Before the Reeses bought the club it was known as The Hard Disk — it was decorated with (now obsolete) computer hard disks.
“We didn’t want to keep that name,” said Vicky Reese, a former software engineering manager at HP and Dell. “The locals would tell me how they used to come here years ago for the music. So it’s always been a live music venue, and we wanted that in the name.”
In addition to live music, the club holds several community events during the year, like benefits for Santa Clara County Search and Rescue, honoring Robert’s service as a dog handler in Vietnam.
The club’s former name attests to its tight connection to high tech, which continues strong today. Quarter Note hosts many corporate events, including parties from HP and Apple, and bands from Silicon Valley’s diverse communities. One Saturday night, you might hear an Indian rock band; on the next, a Chinese jazz band.
“We’ve got several bands that come in and do songs from their countries,” said Reese.
“It’s international, and our regulars love it.”
The Quarter Note hosts live music four nights a week, with jam sessions on Sunday and Thursday nights, and bands on Friday and Saturday. Monday through Wednesday are karaoke and open mic nights.
The music runs the gamut from jazz to light rock to R&B to heavy metal, to performers like Sunnyvale native Melinda Kausek and her band Melinda and the Meanders, whose music doesn’t fit into any one box.
Kausek, who plays several instruments including the banjolele (what it sounds like), performs around the Bay Area and played the Quarter Note for the first time back in April.
“It’s a nice place to play,” Kausek said, “This is a place that cares about itself. The people are nice. The stage is good, it’s got a good sound and it’s a good place to hang out and hear music. I’m sold — I’m coming back.”
The Quarter Note also draws performers with national reputations as well, like renaissance woman Paula Boggs,— a Seattle-based singer whose CV includes the U.S. Army, and stints as a U.S. Attorney, Starbucks general counsel and founder of her own media company.
Her band, the Paula Boggs Band, describes its style as “soul-grass” and performs all over the Northwest. Boggs has performed several times at the Quarter Note. “We love the Bay Area,” she said, and the Quarter Note is a regular stop when she comes to California.
One regular who’s right down Lawrence Expressway from the club is Santa Clara resident Vicki Shepard and her band The Magic Men. Performing a diverse repertoire that includes jazz, blues and rock, Shephard performs widely around the Bay Area. But she sings at the Quarter Note around once a month.
“It’s one of the few clubs left that has a real stage,” Shepard said. “I’m grateful to be working with such wonderful club owners who really understand what performers need. I always have a lot of fun when I’m there. I hope to be there again later this summer.”
Carolyn Schuk can be reached at carolyn@santaclaraweekly.com
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