Local Music Festivals

One thing I really missed during the strictest COVID lockdowns was getting to see live music with big crowds. I love going to local music festivals around here – obviously for the music itself, but also for the art, food, drink, and friendship that comes with it!

I’ve included a few photos from my past trips to BottleRock Music Festival in Napa below, but wanted to also share 7×7‘s Best Music Festivals list from a recent story they wrote. Here’s what they have:

Mill Valley Music Festival (Headliners: Fleet Foxes, Greensky Bluegrass) – May 11-12 in Mill Valley

Cosmico (Susto, Sam Grisman, Nicki Bluhm) – May 17-19 in Guerneville

BottleRock Napa Valley (Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion, Peral Jam, Ed Sheeran) – May 24-26 in Napa Valley

Festival La Onda (Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernandez, Junior H.) – June 1-2 in Napa Valley

California Roots (Ziggy Marley, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, E-40, Too Short, Ice Cube, Rebelution, Lupe Fiasco) – May 24-26 in Monterey

Stern Grove Music Festival (lineup coming late April – FREE!) – mid-June to August in San Francisco

Mosswood Meltdown (B-52’s, Pure Hell, Big Freedia, Redd Kross, Hunx and his Punx) – July 6-7 in Oakland

Fillmore Jazz Festival (headliners not available yet) – July 6-7 in San Francisco

Festival Napa Valley (Lionel Richie, Pretty Yende, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Ray Chen) – July 6-21 in Napa Valley

Outside Lands (lineup coming soon) – Aug. 9-11 in San Francisco

Unfortunately, I will not be at BottleRock this year as my son is graduating from Kellogg/Northwestern from his MBA program, and I am heading to Chicago for his graduation. I did hear there is another festival coming from the organizers of BottleRock a week after Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park – excited to see the lineup. Are you going to any? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll see you there!

Visit AXR Winery In St. Helena

It doesn’t get much better than AXR Winery in St. Helena. The winery is known for its Cabernets and for being smack dab in the middle of a stunningly beautiful setting. It is a truly excellent experience, whether you are a winery expert or someone visiting for the first time.

A couple of years ago, the big fire in that area came within about 90 feet of their tasting room. Thankfully, the tasting room was spared. The winery is located in a historic estate in the heart of St. Helena. They describe the tasting experience as “down-home” and private, which I have to agree with.

Though the tastings are more on the expensive side, it’s worth it to fully immerse yourself in this lovely winery. The cost makes sense when you realize their bottle of reds range between $190 run you $540; it is a lot, but it is high-quality wine in the most famous wine region of the country. Luckily, I was there with my friend Doug who is a member and our tasting was free!

When I visited, I truly enjoyed every moment of my wine-tasting experience. I highly recommend giving AXR a try next time you visit the Napa Valley area.

I love the description they give for their vision….

If only these vines could talk, they would tell you stories of the old Napa Valley. The history of our estate is compounded in layers; rooted in historic tales of fierce Native American hunting grounds, wild west pioneers and the first woman vintner of California in 1886. It has changed hands over the course of 134 years to become a brewery, restaurant, inn, winery and saloon. Tales of love, lust, heartbreak, murders and great fortune create an imaginative backdrop to our present-day vision of AXR. Today, we are a winery that pays homage to its history and blazes the trail of excitement and innovation in napa valley as the pioneers before us did.

We want to be reminded every day to live fully and to leave a lasting impression on our layer of history. Named after the axr rootstock (aramond x rupestris) that was so prominent in building the modern California wine industry, axr#1 eventually succumbed to phylloxera and most of California wine country was left as a blank canvas. Vintners now had a chance to replant and to rethink the entire structure of the vineyards; attention was paid to the terroir and unique varietals were researched. This was truly a turning point in the wine industry as we know it. AXR invites you to go on a journey through the past, present and future of Napa Valley.

How to send help to the fire victims

Last week, a record-setting wildfire decimated the picturesque Napa, Sonoma and Santa Rosa areas. There are 40 people dead, at least 16 wineries destroyed, thousands homeless and hundreds still missing.

It is one of the most gruesome, saddening natural disasters in California history. If you’re like me, and want to help out the victims of these fires and do whatever you can to restore those areas to their former selves, there are plenty of ways to donate.

One way is to send a box of fresh fruit and vegetables from Farm Fresh to Redwood Empire Food Bank. So far, they’ve donated more than 200 boxes to evacuation centers throughout Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.

For every box donated to Redwood Empire Food Bank, Farm Fresh to You – who we wrote about last week – will match that donation. Just click here if you’d like to help. I did and when I don’t want a box delivered to my house, I will click to donate.

There have also been numerous drives and charities springing up on social media in the wake of the destruction. One specifically mentioned on the TV briefings was Napa Valley Community Foundation. Or if your heart is with helping all the animals, Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch is an Amazon Smiles recipient.

These give assurances that your donation is going where it will be most useful. If you don’t want to get involved with those, many who have friends and family that have lost everything are taking up carloads of specific donations.

My friend’s parents and sister both lost their houses and she specifically asked for certain sized clothes and non-perishables. I rummaged through my home for clothes and supplies, plus gave a gift card to Trader Joe’s.

In the news briefing, they specifically requested to temper our donations, meaning they will still be needed two months from now, so maybe one day in the near future when you are feeling grateful for all that you have, you might think, “I would like to click on one of these links and donate $25.”