Liner Notes for live music in Sonoma Valley

Tommy Time

Anaba Winery begins its 2024 Sunset Series of live music on Friday, June 21, with a special performance by Tommy Thomsen and Friends. The four-time Western Swing Hall of Fame inductee and his all-star band will have the crowd jumping to its feet when they get going at 5:30 p.m.

Tasty food and yummy wines are available to round out the superb live music experience. More info at anabawines.com.

“Help Me”

Rewind 50 years. Joni Mitchell’s only real Top 10 hit, “Help Me,” was peaking at #7 on the charts 50 years ago this week. The song rose to #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary category. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year, but lost to “I Honestly Love You,’ by Olivia Newton John. The album that contains “Help Me,” “Court and Spark”, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Album, but lost to Stevie Wonder’s “Fullfillingness’ First Finale.”

Fabulous Fifties

The Sonoma Community Center is hosting another blast from the past, farther back than “Help Me,” next weekend when the enthusiastic singers of their music department present “A Musical Salute to the Fabulous Fifties.” There are two shows, one at 2:30 p.m. and another at 5:30 p.m., both taking place in Room 110.

The advertisement indicates “put on your dancing shoes, and poodle skirts, and bobby sox.” The show is under the direction of Cynthis Tarr.

Tarr submitted a short list of songs that will be performed that includes “Chantilly Lace,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “Locomotion,” and Rockin’ Robin,” She added, “There’s plenty more where that came from!”

“The Last Year”

Jessica Pratt, composer and singer of the wispy and ethereal song “The Last Year,” performs in the beautiful amphitheater at Gundlach Bundschu Winery on Saturday, June 29, at 7 p.m.

The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has released four albums, each of them being pigeonholed as folkie, but sliding into something called “freak folk.” That term refers to music that looks like traditional folk music, acoustic guitars, etc., but sounds a bit more avant-garde and a skosh more adventurous.

Pratt will bring along a full band for GunBun stop. Performing with her will be Matt McDermott on keys; Nico Leibman on guitar; Riley Fleck percussion and Diego Herrera on saxophone.

Fleck is not related to Bela, but he does play in a band called TOPS. Leibman is a member of a project called Harmony Index. Herrera is part of an act called Suzanne Kraft. The band is a true almalgam of talented friends and Los Angeles based musicians. And interestingly, it is the first time Pratt will have hit the road with a full band.

Touring with Tony Molina, the previous stops for Pratt all sold out well in advance. This could be a chance to see the next big thing in indie rock perform right here in our little town.

Bingo Time

A new part-time live music venue in the Valley of the Tunes is Wine Snob Winery in Glen Ellen. The space, a working winery, converts to a listening space, typically with attendees enjoying acoustic music.

On Saturday, June 22, Wine Snob presents the talented acoustic pop rock singer songwriter John Vicino. He returns to the Snob after a very well received performance some months back. Listeners compare him to the very tall John Mayer and the not so tall Ed Sheeran.

The bingo theme comes into play as listeners try to identify the songs Vicino plays, and hope they have that song on their card. It is unclear what might be won, but it does sound fun.