By Michael J. Kelley
What’s good for your soul, and your spirit,
and your ability to build community,
well, there’s only Live Music:
T’ain’t Nothin’ Else Like It!
Even though this year’s Vintage Festival concluded its many merriments by Sunday night ...alright, truth be known ...there are known revelers who passed into Monday and October with their sustained enthusiasm for the 110th celebration of The Harvest and all that’s good about Sonoma; at least that’s how I tend to see it, and I should know: I was there for the whole thing!! Here it is, just two [short] days later, when I have regained my footing at home and equilibrium afoot, I will savor the activities of this weekend last for the whole of the interim year until we get to do it again [111th here we come!]!
Such splendid examples of celebration, fond remembrances, savory ...indeed, thoroughly tasty ...delicacies to delight the every sense could only be presented in such fine ...dare I say ...Sonoma fashion with the participation and support of hundreds, nigh, thousands, for each had a place and a part to play. Partyologists of this brand include organizers, artists, entrepreneurs, historians, hams, accountants, manufacturers, middlemen, ministers and minstrels, culinary magicians, vintners, volunteers [!], farmers, farmworkers and folks; and what a wide selection of folks there were too! From Boy Scouts to Boob Awareness, from Educators trying to augment their programs by selling snacks [...sigh ...I’ll have another cotton candy [burp!]], to Firemen ...and Firewomen ...tapping the brew for a few bucks to run their ever-challenging emergency protection services, and service organizations, and non-profits, and kids, old folks, big folks and small, even folks who weren’t folks at all: Horses, and animals and tractors and pageantry aidst sirens and music, music, music! The Sonoma High School Marching Band [Go Dragons!], the [dreaded ...alright ...always happy to see them [go]] Bagpipers Marching Band, the acapella flight of favorite son Diego Garcia with blessings for the grape in song and community in advance of the second-longest running parade in California [next to only the Rose Parade in Pasadena]. Grape Stomping contests, Wine Serving Obstacle Courses, rock walls to climb, potatoes to toss, art and poetry and thought, and information ...and sharing ...beautiful food [some dangerous food too ...alright ...who doesn’t like a corn dog every now and then!], bountiful blessings and every expression of gratitude and glee could be seen on the thousands of faces there in the home of the [now, 161 year old] Independent Republic of California. Some were relieved that the [grape] crush was on, or nearly over; while others were all too happy to be recipients of the very finest offerings of this here Green Earth!
The wine [!], and the song! Oh my God [in both cases; multiple cases of each [quite actually!]]!
Winemakers and their wineries, crooners and their bands; glasses, guitars, titillating tastes of vino and vocalists paired so well with the potpourri of musical pleasures that rang out from the two stages. I can’t say first-hand about the front stage, but I can only imagine the captivating sounds of local hero Rich Little ...among many others [including Latin favorites Bautista, David Correa and Cascada, Los Califas, and the Peones del Norte, Wayward Sway [I got a thing for the violin player [!], and the fabulous David Thom Band; see The Sonoma Valley Music Scene in the weekly Sun for details] ...self-accompanied with only his voice and the caress of his ethereal Chapman Stick blending perfectly with the day’s meanderings amidst the
warm glow of a sun turning to autumn.
On the back stage however, I can speak with unabashed authority for there wasn’t a moment of it that did not pass through my sensory awareness [the joy of being on the Stage Crew [especially when pouring Mr. Little’s very own ...and tasty! ...“Band Blend Red”!]; as Emcee [I love that spelling!], beyond joy was my opportunity to meet, and to get to know, and work with, band after world-class band, headliners [Tommy Castro [the Hardest-Workin’ Band in show business holds the record for playing 500- something consecutive gigs, in a row [that’s almost two years straight!], showed us all what really dynamic blues is all about, Roy Rogers [all I can say is Holy Cow [the Maestro of the modern slide guitar can be found with The Delta Rhythm Kings at roy-rogers.com]!], local heroes [The Hellhounds [truly and deeply in their element!], the favorite sons known as The Whiskey Theives [those boys DO know how to rock!], The P.O.T. [only Hall-of-Famer Tommy Thomson could pull together such an awesome Power Organ Trio [and have a follow-up gig that night over at Little Switzerland! [way to go Tom!]]!], The Smokin’ Jaze [with Front-men Joe Herrschaft and Danny T’Bone rattlin’ us to our roots!] even Jamie Clark and The Players stopped whining long enough to belt out a really cool set], virtuosos every one; some were just flat out rockers! Stunning singers, out of this universe guitar and harmonica riffs, unbelievably motivating drummers and rhythm sections, there was simply no way to be within earshot of the occasion without wanting to tap your toe: Dancing ran
rampant, thanks in very large toasts ...I believe he prefers Pinot ...to the VintageFest Boardsman, Music Coordinator, Stage Manager [x 2!], IT Hero, DJ, Columnist, Force Majeure and Rock-Star unto himself [last seen playing a charitable fund-raising party of course!], Mr. James Marshall Berry [aka Capt. Ide of
“The Bear Flag Revolt Re-enactment” and The Anchorman for the ...Bear Flag ...”Revolt” rock ‘n roll band!]. Dashing only begins to describe Mr. Berry’s presence throughout the whole of the weekend’s events, with the fruits of his many preparations simply drenching the audience who came and went, and came back and sat and sipped, then stood, had to dance, and otherwise found the stage behind Sonoma City Hall just the perfect scale for the scope and impact of the music performed there. Loaded with stars both known and not, two days and seven acts took us on a roller-coaster of a ride that appropriately wafted towards the Pioneer Cemetery northward from The Plaza; I believe our ancestors would approve! [Did I mention that all of this music was Free [and I’d have many kind feelings for the splendid Richard Olsen Orches-tra, save my inability to attend the Patron’s Nite Gala]?]
When JM and I assured ourselves that all was finito that Sunday night, astride my homeward-bound motor-cycle, I found BR Cohn standing in the street in front of The Swiss Hotel; I got to chide him for scheduling his big music bash over the same weekend, because of course, one can’t do both, and, up until now, Bruce has
braved the peril of the weather pretty well [though they got some wet butts out there last year, so we know why he upped the calendar]. Besides, there were a couple of thousand people at The Plaza anyway, all dancin’ and drinkin’ and eatin’ and paradin’, and havin’ a fine-old time! Maybe that’s enough; maybe that’s just perfect,
though ...somehow ...part of me would like to see everybody from every part of this valley show up at the same event, and if any event can do it, this one’s got the appeal, diversity, history, and growth potential to provide a fun, egalitarian forum found nowhere else: This year’s Festival certainly had something for everybody, as it
remembered a little more of itself, and where it’s come from; it tried some new things quite deliciously, and ultimately forwarded an inclusive, creative tone that now resonates outward from the Center of the Universe as the model for the 111th.
Michael Kelley can be contacted at: bydsine@vom.com
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