Just the One

“We need more music in our lives” — Matty J., September 2024That off-hand line, dropped after an open mic session ended up launching this Bay Area acoustic duo. It followed the discovery that one of Matty’s best friends and former roommates, Scotty, had been quietly working on guitar and vocals. Weekly living room jams suddenly became a thing: two acoustic guitars, a shared love of classic rock, folk, and grunge, and a growing list of “wait, we should totally play this one” songs.One especially perfect afternoon took those sessions to a Sausalito park overlooking the SF Bay. They opened their cases and started playing. People didn’t just stroll by — they stopped and stayed. A few tossed in cash. And an awesome local artist, Lucinda Eubanks, even captured the moment in watercolor, which now lives as part of Just the One’s visual story.

A Philosophy Beyond a NameJust the One is an invitation — a small response to how isolated and over-scheduled our world has become. It’s an open call to find real, in-person connection around live music.Join us for just one drink.
Stay for just one song.
Take just one moment off your phone.No pressure, no expectations — just a room full of great humans, a couple of guitars and songs you forgot you loved.What You’ll HearJust the One leans into harmony-driven takes on classic rock, folk, and ’90s-leaning grunge, plus the occasional original. Think familiar choruses, deep-cut favorites, and the kind of tunes that make people sing along at Sausalito bars, breweries, wineries, and private parties across the Bay.Meet the BandMatty J // Vocals & Guitar
Matty J’s been on the music bus so long he’s forgotten where his stop was supposed to be. Growing up, he’d leap onto his parents’ bed to the sounds of Kool & the Gang and Talking Heads, an experience he parlayed into teaching himself guitar at 13 (and never quite mustering up the courage to go bungee jumping). From there it was a whirlwind of a cappella groups in high school and college, and entertaining audiences spanning the globe from northern San Francisco to slightly less northern San Francisco in the acoustic trio Sidebar. Now, with his first child on the way, he’s looking forward to finally having a roadie — and bringing big-hearted lead vocals and harmonies to Just the One.Scot G // Vocals & Guitar
Scotty picked up drums at 10, grew through jazz and concert bands, then into original alt-rock with his Rutgers college band Hazy Daze, who somehow managed to sell 1,000 CDs in central Jersey and play legendary spots like The Stone Pony. One especially surreal night, he even shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen. Grad school at Michigan brought another band. A move to the Bay Area in 2001 brought another. Then came three kids, and his drums spent more time in cases than on stage. So he reached for a guitar, kept going, and eventually the singer songwriter he’d been dodging raised a hand and said it was time. These days Scot brings groove-driven rhythm guitar alongside lead and supporting vocals.