San Diego is fortunate to have lots of great music venues, but one of the most unique is the Grassroots Oasis, an event and meeting space located at 3130 Moore St. Available for everything from birthday parties to receptions, the location has also held significant music concerts by the likes of Peter Case and Cindy Lee Berryhill, as well as fundraisers for numerous worthy events. Hosted by Martha Sullivan, the location opened in April 2015, with seating for 100 inside and tables with a view of the stage outside on the patio.
According to Sullivan, who arrived in San Diego from the Bay Area in 2001, the inspiration for the venue is twofold. “I had previously done Grassroots House Concerts at my business in Sorrento Valley, where I had my fine art and collectibles. My landlord decided that she wanted to do something else with the building so I had to leave that in the spring of 2012.” The second inspiration is more personal. “Since about 2003 I’ve been doing grass roots political organizing,” she explained. “It’s always tough to find spaces for events and places that you can do training or have gatherings. So, I was really trying to work my two passions together, hosting live music and also doing community based political organizing.”
She spent three years before finding the Grassroots Oasis location. “I wanted to live on sit as it’s easier to manage that way,” she commented. “And I wanted place that was pretty easy to get to and centrally located.” Though the building’s use for meetings is a big part of the happenings at Grassroots Oasis, Sullivan considers music the key to activities. “Beyond the concerts, a lot of the political events that I either host myself or that I provide the venue for, feature music. I really see music as a great way to connect people and bring people together, helping bind our common ground.”
Having hosted dozens of live performances at the venue, Sullivan is reluctant to name a favorite. “I’ve done so many. I don’t want to offend anybody by suggesting their shows weren’t great,” she said with a good natured laugh. “But if I had to pick one it would be our grand opening night with Steve Poltz. It was a completely packed house and also the second time Steve had opened a venue for me.” Upcoming performances include Nashville based Americana performer Matt Haeck on Oct. 14.
According to Mike Mullenberg, who performed at the venue recently with his band League of Liars, the Grassroots Oasis is a gem. “The place is pretty unassuming when you first arrive, but it’s a great space,” he said. “It sounds really good in there and in my experience, draws people that want to listen to your songs, that listen to the lyrics. As a musician how can that not be a good thing?” Hosting a venue is a difficult proposition, but Sullivan considers the hard work well worth it. “I love giving people a place to come together,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see people at community events, connecting. We recently had a poetry event and it was great just to give people the opportunity to experience something like that.” She notes a small difference between music concerts and the fundraisers and meetings that have music as part of their programming. “With concerts, I try to give performers a space that’s special. I really try to make it a listening room as much as possible. It’s not always as successful with other events, because there is so much going on,” she said. “But I really enjoy giving performers that listening room environment, with the focus on the music, good sound and a nice setting, where they can really spread out and give a full performance,” she said. “And the audience can really appreciate them.”
www.Grassroots Oasis.com