Historic Oxford Saloon Gets Snohomish Rocking

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The Oxford Saloon & Eatery, 913 First St., Snohomish. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Live music seven nights a week, from 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 5 p.m. Sunday. Tonight: Sweet Talkin' Jones with The Muscle Tones. Saturday and Sunday: The King-A-Lings. Monday through Wednesday: Mr. C and The Blues Crew. Thursday: Kathy McDonald. Cover varies. 568-3845. ------------------------------------------------------------------

The Oxford Saloon & Eatery is a comfortable, cavernous barn of a building in Snohomish's "Old Town" section. Originally built in 1910, it's believed to be the oldest restored saloon in the state of Washington.

The exterior has an All-American red, white and blue look, while the interior is high ceilinged, resplendent in dark wood and burgundy-colored wallpaper. The walls are filled with great old photographs showing scenes from the community's bygone days: First Street through the decades, logging panoramas and portraits, school kids, butcher shops, churches, bridges, and saloons.

There are a few obligatory deer and moose heads keeping silent watch over an old fashioned (free!) juke box that's been converted to play CDs.

There's also a pub downstairs that opens at 3 p.m. and has an 1880s pool table, also free; darts and in a nod to the present, a big screen television. And if you think that restoring The Oxford was a simple matter of a coat of paint and a can of Pledge, there's a photo album documenting the very extensive process.

But arguably the most special thing about the Oxford is live music, seven nights a week. There was a time when Snohomish was best known for the General Store, a hard rocking roadhouse in the center of town that always seemed packed to the rafters with thirsty dancers. The Store is long gone, and Snohomish has been much quieter, but this new/old spot could perk things up a bit.

Just this month The Oxford has already featured the likes of Rich Dangels, once of The Wailers. Revered Northwest bluesman Tom McFarland has also played, as has another blues guitar ace, Nick Vigarino, with The Seattle Mean Town Blues.

Tonight it's Sweet Talkin' Jones, one of the areas best R&B acts, coupled with The Muscle Tones, making for plenty of horns and guitars.

Manager Roy Chambers, a big bearded man who seems right at home in the saloon surroundings, says the Oxford is still going through a shake-down period, having only been open four weeks.

"We'd like the weeknights to be busier, but our weekends are already doing pretty good. We'll probably be trying some different things during the week," he said.

Chambers is considering a big band swing night once a week, and perhaps a country music night. "What I'd really like," he added, "is a blues jam night with a host band. The kind they used to have in the old Owl Tavern in Ballard. I used to go to that all the time."

As Chambers sees it, the only music scene comparable to what the Oxford is doing is Pioneer Square in Seattle.

"I think for Northenders, this is a lot more reasonable place to go to than downtown Seattle. We're bringing in really good bands and besides, some people are just afraid of going to Pioneer Square.

"You don't have to be afraid to go to Snohomish."