Steve Norwick Memorial Bike Ride

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Steve Norwick set out for his regular Friday morning bike ride from his home near the SSU campus to Penngrove, where he’d enjoy coffee and breakfast with friends. On Friday June 8, that regular ride turn tragic, when Norwick was fatally injured in a hit-and-run crash on Petaluma Hills Road. The driver didn’t stop (or even slow down, according to reports), even as Norwick was tossed into a ditch, where he lost consciousness permanently, dying twelve days after being hit. The man convicted of hitting Norwick, 68-year-old Robert Cowart, could now face charges of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. The case has sent shockwaves through the cycling community, as well as SSU where Norwick taught for nearly four decades in the Environmental Studies and Planning Department. For those of us who ride our bikes everyday, whether for fun or commuting, the case is a reminder that some drivers just shouldn’t be on the road (Cowart had suffered a stroke—most likely before the crash—and had to be wheeled out of the courtroom in a wheelchair) and that we must be careful and diligent at all times. But Professor Norwick’s loved ones have said that the last thing that the beloved father, friend and professor would have wanted is for people to stop riding their bikes. In that spirit, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Jill B. Nimble Bike Club, and other partners will honor Steve Norwick by holding a memorial bicycle ride on Sunday, July 8th.

Details:

·     The ride will begin and end in the parking lot at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park

·     Gather at 9:30 a.m. for 10:00 a.m. departure

·     There will be four routes to accommodate a range of rider ability/interest:

38 mile route led by Tom Helm.  [ http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1393221 ]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1393221

14 mile silent route led by Dawn Silveira: [ http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1389668 ]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1389668

10 mile route led by Vin Hoagland: [ http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1388934 ]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1388934

SCBC ED Gary Helfrich will lead a ride (details to come) following a route Steve Norwick often followed when leading students on geology excursions

For more information, contact Sandra Lupien, Outreach Director, 707-694-8702, [ mailto:[email protected] ][email protected]

The Lagunitas Beer Circus Does It Again

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Once you got beyond the saxophone playing clown on stilts, the 4th annual Lagunitas Beer Circus provided some fairly epic entertainment for the this year’s crowds. From Extra Action Marching Band’s stage antics ripped straight out of the Sodom and Gomorrah handbook to generous and delicious beer tastings from from some of the Bay Area’s finest breweries, the event delivered on its promise of mind-bending circus acts and hours of bawdy, sunshine kissed fun. Best of all, in typical Lagunitas fashion, proceeds from the event benefited the Petaluma Music Festival, set for August 4, 2012, with the mission of “keeping music in schools.”

John Courage and the Great Plains New Album + Release Party

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John Courage and the Great Plains

  • John Courage and the Great Plains

With the death this week of Levon Helm, the world lost one of country-rock’s finest ambassadors. As drummer and singer for The Band, Helm was at the forefront of a musical movement, along with The Birds, Bob Dylan, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, and even Led Zeppelin at times, that combined, to fine effect, the rough-and-tumble feel of rock with the rangy, winsome tones of country music.

Fortunately, Sonoma County has produced its own country-rock ambassador in John Courage. On Saturday, April 21 at the Last Day Saloon, he celebrates the release of Don’t Fail Me Now, his first album to feature the bona fide, full-blown band known as John Courage and the Great Plains. A springtime release date is perfect for this smooth-toned, solidly produced album. Just like the black velvet drawing on the back by local artist Mica Jennings, the album is a prime soundtrack for poolside hangout sessions with a cold drinks and friends, or maybe long stints on the road driving to deserts and mountains.

While some of the lyrics are in the vein of “yearning for a pretty, long-haired lady in a short skirt who understands that behind my stoic, highway-burned face is a man who just needs real love,” the songs have an expansiveness that probably comes partially from the time Courage (nee Palmer) spent in living in New Mexico’s high desert a few years back. In one of the album’s best moments, on the song “Heartbreak Man,” the unapologetic narrator says goodbye without looking back, in the morning, or “under cover in the middle of the night,” and the lady and town about to be left behind are gifted with this caustic observation, “I miss my life back on the West Coast/I forgot my true identity/No one here knows my god-given name/They’re just in love with the fantasy.”

“Old Faithful Pulse” explores the three M’s: mortality, mystery, and misery. It sets the tone for the ensuing set of songs, well-crafted melodies that build up to crackling, sing-a-long choruses, of the type to be sung in hot, southern bars, where the only requirement is a beer in hand and a lost love lingering in the shadows near the jukebox.

The song “Middle Man” is a bluesy juke joint tale of lies and cheating, “If it all ends tonight,” Courage sings, “How it all went down.” Money trees, devil tea, and bad men on the horizon, it’s all in there, sung with an convincingly burning sarcasm. It tells a story, and reminds us that often times the best music is told from the distant third, not necessarily the close first.

On many songs, Courage’s voice carries the languid, passionate, caramel tones similar to Chan Power from Cat Power, and though, at times, the songs are as world-weary—filled with hustlers and heartbreakers— as the famously world sick front woman’s, the album’s 21st century wild west territories are subtly optimistic, bathed in golden California sunlight. The title track has a surprisingly poppy bridge, where the up tones are kicked up a notch with dulcet bell tones that might have come straight off Smashing Pumpkin’s Siamese Dreams. “You take the mountain, I’ll take the crown,” sings Courage, simultaneously giving in and remaining hopeful.

On the last track, Courage wails, “I sold my soul, for rock-and-roll” in a somber, nearly cracking voice that belies his age, singing softly, sadly—-seeming over it before he’s even started. “It ain’t paying up,” he bemoans in the chorus. Yet, in actuality, with this new album, music’s melodic riches have truly bestowed themselves on this particular lanky, red-headed West Coast son.

The North Bay Hootenanny presents the album release show for John Courage and the Great Plains on Saturday, April 21 at the Last Day Saloon. 120 5th Street, Santa Rosa. 8pm. $10/$12. 707.545.5876. CDs will be available for $5.00.

Here’s a video for Courage’s home demo “Game of Charades.” It’s not on the album, but it’s a nice, pensive tune.

Feb. 10-12: Wild Steelhead Festival in Healdsburg

Any other time in the year, it might seem socially unacceptable to go out in public and profess one’s love of wild salmon. Luckily, this coming week is the perfect opportunity to spend an entire weekend with other fish-loving enthusiasts at the fifth annual Wild Steelhead Festival in Healdsburg, a three-day event of fascinating fish festivities for the whole family. There’s a Friday-night dinner at Villa Chanticleer with guest speaker Jim Norton, director of PBS’ Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, followed by Saturday’s main event on the plaza, including fly casting and winetasting. On Sunday, a family fun day brings plenty of relaxation at Lake Sonoma. Come join this delicious and informative local event Friday—Sunday, Feb. 10—12. Plaza and Lake Sonoma events start at 10am and are free; dinner at Villa Chanticleer is at 6pm, tickets $40—$45. 707.484.6438.

Jumping Off

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09.14.11

Stephen Ashton is sitting at Cafe Citti in Kenwood, talking about the films at the Santa Rosa International Film Festival. “The indomitable spirit of art is a subtext of our whole festival,” he says between a passionate rundown of the festival’s slate. “It shows up in so many different films.”

There’s festival opener My Afternoons with Margueritte, starring G&–rard Depardieu; Reconciliation, a documentary on Nelson Mandela; Currency, which looks at life and death through the migration of an ancient coin; The Furious Force of Rhymes, “the world’s greatest hip-hop film”; Heaven’s Mirror, a documentary on Portugal’s fado music; Silent Sonata, from Slovenia, a film with no dialogue about a circus troupe surviving in a war zone . . . The list goes on and on.

Ashton is adept at talking about films. He knows their nuances, their messages, the many reasons for meeting his selection process. Memorizing them all is no small feat; there are 102 films playing at this week’s festival, an incredible number that was announced with the full schedule only three days before opening night.

Ashton himself has lived a life in film, bouncing from coast to coast as editor, producer and cameraman (he once lived with Kenneth Anger in San Francisco, and worked the camera for Anger’s Invocation of My Demon Brother and scenes from Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi).

After moving to Glen Ellen in the early ’70s, he says, “I essentially really kind of missed the cultural scene that I had grown up with. At that time, there were no art cinema screens. Every now and then, the old Rio Theater in Monte Rio would show something like El Topo, but by the ’80s, there was really nobody around that was showing any independent film.”

So for the past 25 years, Ashton and his wife, Justine, have produced the Wine Country Film Festival, which Ashton describes as “really a festival on the road.” Over the years, they’ve hosted stars like Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Kirk Douglas, Lynn Redgrave and Richard Dreyfuss in cities such as Sonoma, Guerneville, Calistoga, Petaluma, Tiburon and Napa, among other locales.

One of their first events ever was in Santa Rosa. In 1985, the Ashtons hosted a screening of Hoosiers at Coddingtown Cinemas in Santa Rosa, with Dennis Hopper as a guest. (“It was black-tie optional,” recalls Ashton, “and everybody optioned to not wear a black tie—except Dennis Hopper.”)

This year, the Ashtons bring their festival back to a welcoming Santa Rosa, where a downtown arts district makes an evident fit and where the Santa Rosa Entertainment Group—which will screen the festival’s fare at the Roxy Stadium 14, Third Street Cinemas and Summerfield Cinemas—is no doubt eager to show the community that they can host a festival of independent film after their takeover of the Rialto Cinemas site last year.

Nobody can ignore the fact that since the Ashtons’ first festival 25 years ago, dozens of other film festivals in the North Bay have been founded, some in their former host cities, like Sonoma, Napa and Tiburon. Does Ashton ever feel that other festivals have stolen his thunder? “I’m trying to look at it from a standpoint that we’ve come up with a lot of great stuff,” he says.

“To be honest with you,” he adds, “I really think that there is an appreciation among the population, particularly the kind of population that we have in Sonoma County, that really, really craves that information. I mean, they dig it, they love it. You know, even the most obscure film, like, on plankton. Goddamn! We fill the house! For a film on plankton! Wow, man, that’s amazing.”

The Santa Rosa International Film Festival runs Sept. 14&–20 at various venues in Santa Rosa and Kenwood. For full schedule, see www.sriff.org.


Feb. 14: Mick LaSalle and Carla Meyer at Silo’s

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The Oscar nominations have come again, stirring up the usual surprise and indignation. If you’re jonesing to listen to someone other than your cubiclemate’s opinions on the Oscars, forgo the candlelight dinner on Valentine’s Day and head to Napa, where San Francisco Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle and the Sacramento Bee’s Carla Meyer will hold court on their predictions for the big night on Feb. 27. They’ll also be answering pertinent questions from the audience, such as “Was Tron: Legacy really nominated for an Academy Award?” on Monday, Feb. 14, at Silo’s Jazz Club. 530 Main St., Napa.7pm. $20. 707.251.5833.—Shelby Pope

Street-Eatz Food Truck to Serve at Wells Fargo Center

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Good News for Street Food: Beginning Nov. 22, the Wells Fargo Center will join the rising trend of mobile food purveyors by hosting the Street-Eatz food truck outside the venue at concerts and events.“I’m delighted with the opportunity,” Street-Eatz owner Jilly Dorman says.

The partnership aims to alleviate stress for event-goers by providing food on the grounds. “A lot of people come straight from work or other places and haven’t had an opportunity to grab food,” explains WFC’s Kristi Buffo. “People need something before the show other than cookies and juice, and they want something healthy. In general, the idea is to provide something convenient that is healthy as well.”

As one of the most popular mobile food trucks in the area, Street-Eatz operates on a rotating-location basis on weekdays and sets up in Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa on weekend nights after 9pm.

While Street-Eatz will offer their trademark dishes before shows–pulled pork sandwiches, coconut curry vegetables, chicken flautas, vegetarian fried tofu and more— it won’t serve beverages. “We have a strong beverage service here,” Buffo explains. It’s undetermined whether or not Street-Eatz will serve food during intermissions.

The Street-Eatz truck will be found near the fountain structure on the west side of the building, adjacent to the lobby. “We’ll put out chairs and tables and make it enjoyable for guests,” Buffo says.

Street-Eatz makes its debut at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, Nov. 22, at the Daniel Tosh comedy show. (And speaking of comedy, they’ve also got Kathy Griffin coming back on Jan. 29.)—Haley Sansom

Remembering Rene

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By Cheryl Laube

What a tremendous loss of our dearly beloved Rene di Rosa recently, what a vanguard he was. I knew him for 30 years, and he will be sorely missed, and if you ever met him or knew him and his amazing ways, you already know that.

This photograph of Rene  was taken by local fine art photographer, Bruce Temuchin Brown. Rene loved Bruce’s photographic work on copper and was the first to buy from him in early 2006 after I introduced the two at a gallery where Bruce’s work was showing.

Enamored with Bruce’s style and process, I asked Rene if he would pose for Bruce, to which he said “yes,” as long as he didn’t have to “completely disrobe.” Bruce’s work is figurative and has to do with the human condition in all of its glorious forms, thus Rene’s query about being full-on nude when posing.  I was present the day the photos were taken at the Preserve, and Rene was a dream to work with, seemingly titillated to be a part of something he admired.  When he saw the finished traditional photographic treatment of his image on copper, he fell in love with it and wanted to buy it for his home at the Meadows, where it is still hanging there, no doubt.

I share this  because not only is it a stellar capture of one amazing art-loving human being, but also due to the sheer beauty in how Rene is depicted in art, as he was art, which is riddled with irony.  This same image, though a bit different in treatment on the copper, was also collected by the Crocker Art Museum for its permanent collection.  The Crocker Museum also loves the painterly quality that the piece have, and they, too, collected another of Bruce’s images, which ironically is the same one that Rene purchased as a first sale for Bruce.  Great minds?

Rene supported a lot of Bay Area artists and contributed to their success due to his visions and forward thinking.  I loved going along with Rene when he went “shopping” or looking for art because of his keen eye and sense of folly, as he somehow knew to trust that there was a brilliance he was sure no one else might see. He did pride himself on being a first buyer of an emerging artist and for paying small amounts that would later pay off in what has proven to be bucket loads of success for many artists.

Knowing Rene as well as I did and for so long, and in the spirit of wishing to promote a local extremely talented emerging artist that Rene admired, it feels prudent to pass this along to share what I see as brilliance times two.California art collector Rene di Rosa died on Sunday, Oct. 3, at age 91. To learn more about his art of collecting, go to www.disrosaart.org.

Speak against Ft. Ross Vineyard’s tasting room Sept. 21

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Where This Is

A coastal travelogue wonders

whither the wine tasting

By Susan Kennedy

Go north on Highway One through the little town of Jenner. At the end of town, pull over in to one of the turnouts to take in the awesome sight of the Russian River’s entrance into the ocean, Goat Rock to the south, seals, gulls, pelicans, surfers at the river mouth. Continue north as the road follows the coast, looping down through two small gulches, then rising up again onto a straightaway. To your right are the newly protected Jenner Headlands.

Just after the entrance to Muniz Ranch, you will see a steep ridge rising ahead. This is our destination, the first ridge in from the coast, rising rapidly to 1,600 feet, marking the end of the mountain building more than a 100 million years ago when the spreading ocean floor was subducted under the continental edge. Here the San Andreas Fault comes ashore again, paralleling Highway One. As the road snakes up the ridge with hairpin turns, blind curves, steep drop-offs, and few guardrails, take in the breath-taking and sometimes terrifying views of ocean and cliffs, coastal grasslands and brush rising into oak, redwood, fir, bay laurel, buckeye, madrone and maple. Keep your eye out for the wildlife that live here: hawks, vultures, owls, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, deer, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions.

About 4.4 miles north of Jenner, the Meyers Grade turnoff is on the right. Notice the advisory against trucks and trailers. You are now at 600 feet. While the road winding and rising before you may seem mild compared to the dramatic stretch of seacoast you have just navigated, beware. In the 2.6 miles to our destination, the land rises on an 18 percent grade. Engines overheat on the way up, brakes on the way down. It is an unforgiving road, with many blind curves, no shoulders, and often blanketed in a dense, zero visibility fog.

You have seen no commercial establishments since Jenner—just the coast, parkland and ranchland. The road is fenced for grazing cattle and horses but sometimes fences break. Watch out for leaping deer. As the climb gets steeper, passengers can look back at the sweeping view behind them. On a clear day you can see Bodega Head and beyond that, Point Reyes. Not so long ago, this road was a trail. For thousands of years, this was the land of the Kashaya who called themselves “The Keepers of the Land.”At 2.6 miles from Highway One you will see on the right the gate to 15001 Meyers Grade, the site of Fort Ross Vineyards’ planned retail tasting room and events facility. The 6,000 square-foot tasting room would be open year round without an appointment. The owners have also asked for 18 special events with 200 people. Despite strong community opposition, the Board of Zoning Adjustments approved the permit, reducing events to 10 with 100 people. The owner can apply in one year to have this restriction lifted.An ad hoc group of residents is appealing that decision before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 2:10pm. This ridge-top is a non-commercial, rural, residential, water scarce area, designated a scenic resource. It is a high risk fire zone, with dangerous, barely maintained roads and already stretched thin emergency services. The costs to the local community and environment must be weighed against the supposed benefits of increased tax revenues and one-and-a-half tasting room jobs. Is this an appropriate place for the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages, sometimes to large groups of visitors?

More than two and a half million visitors a year come to the Sonoma Coast to directly experience the power and beauty of nature, hiking, camping, fishing, surfing and cycling in this magnificent, unique and fragile ecosystem. Wine tasting open to the public and large events emphasizing alcohol consumption, where they are not now permitted, would be an unprecedented and dangerous intrusion and belong in established commercial areas on major, well maintained, roads, such as Highway One and Highway 116.Written comments can be submitted to: Permit and Resource Management Department , 2550 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95403. Contact Cynthia Demidovich at 707.565.1754 or via email to [email protected].

Susan Kennedy is a poet who has lived in West Sonoma County since 1982.

Live Review: Nikki Yanofsky at Festival del Sole, Castello di Amorosa

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I’ve always wanted to be Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap. Ever since I’ve moved to the wine country, I’ve searched for that quintessential moment, the one where she’s driving to her dad’s estate in Napa for the first time. Pulling up to the Castello di Amorosa for the Festival del Sole brought back so many memories of that scene: a valley of grapes rolling before the father-daughter pair as a playful wind dances through Dennis Quaid’s Range Rover, a nanny with laugh lines coming to greet them when they park in the driveway.

Okay, so there wasn’t a well-tanned nanny in an easy-breezy denim tunic waiting for me and my fellow Bohemian writer Caroline Osborn as we pulled up to Dario Sattui’s neo-Medieval castle, but the winding, vineyard-lined road that led to Sattui’s architectural wonder brought me back to those fantasy-laden days when I thought I could be the next big child actress.

The castle sprawled over a large hill, reveling in the fading rays of the afternoon sun. After traversing the surrounding moat via drawbridge, my mind took another sojourn back in time to children’s books I had read of 15th-century Medieval lore, where dark, twisting turret staircases and wrought-iron doors were the order of the day. I may be over-dramatic, but believe me, this castle exudes intrigue. Which makes it a fantastic host venue for Festival del Sole, a 10-day musical pastiche of well-established artists from around the world.

The location certainly wasn’t lost on Nikki Yanofsky, the 16-year-old jazz sensation from Canada. Last night, performing in the castle’s courtyard, the singing phenom virtually bounced onto the stage in a jean jacket and simple white dress, which was—strangely enough—not unlike the garb of Lohan’s Hallie. She said she’d never been in a castle before, and that she “felt like a princess”—a comment that produced coos from the mostly gray-haired audience.

But as cutesy as Yanofsky may sound, or appear, her voice certainly marked her place on the castle’s stage. She scatted, snapped, and moved her shoulders, bringing her accompaniment and the star-struck audience along with her. The songs she sang spoke of the toils of metropolitan public transportation, unrequited love, and even “The Heart of the Matter,” in a way that sometimes unsettlingly contrasted with her age. Not like she doesn’t have time, anyway. The vivacious vocalist signed CDs after the show like she’d been doing it for ages. And she probably will.—Anna Schuessler

Steve Norwick Memorial Bike Ride

Steve Norwick set out for his regular Friday morning bike ride from his home near the SSU campus to Penngrove, where he'd enjoy coffee and breakfast with friends. On Friday June 8, that regular ride turn tragic, when Norwick was fatally injured in a hit-and-run crash on Petaluma Hills Road. The driver didn't stop (or even slow down, according...

The Lagunitas Beer Circus Does It Again

Once you got beyond the saxophone playing clown on stilts, the 4th annual Lagunitas Beer Circus provided some fairly epic entertainment for the this year's crowds. From Extra Action Marching Band's stage antics ripped straight out of the Sodom and Gomorrah handbook to generous and delicious beer tastings from from some of the Bay Area's finest breweries, the event...

John Courage and the Great Plains New Album + Release Party

John Courage and the Great Plains With the death this week of Levon Helm, the world lost one of country-rock’s finest ambassadors. As drummer and singer for The Band, Helm was at the forefront of a musical movement, along with The Birds, Bob Dylan, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, and even Led Zeppelin at times, that combined, to fine...

Feb. 10-12: Wild Steelhead Festival in Healdsburg

Any other time in the year, it might seem socially unacceptable to go out in public and profess one’s love of wild salmon. Luckily, this coming week is the perfect opportunity to spend an entire weekend with other fish-loving enthusiasts at the fifth annual Wild Steelhead Festival in Healdsburg, a three-day event of fascinating fish festivities for the whole...

Jumping Off

09.14.11 Stephen Ashton is sitting at Cafe Citti in Kenwood, talking about the films at the Santa Rosa International Film Festival. "The indomitable spirit of art is a subtext of our whole festival," he says between a passionate rundown of the festival's slate. "It shows up in so many different films."There's festival opener My Afternoons with Margueritte, starring...

Feb. 14: Mick LaSalle and Carla Meyer at Silo’s

The Oscar nominations have come again, stirring up the usual surprise and indignation. If you’re jonesing to listen to someone other than your cubiclemate’s opinions on the Oscars, forgo the candlelight dinner on Valentine’s Day and head to Napa, where San Francisco Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle and the Sacramento Bee’s Carla Meyer will hold court on their predictions...

Street-Eatz Food Truck to Serve at Wells Fargo Center

Good News for Street Food: Beginning Nov. 22, the Wells Fargo Center will join the rising trend of mobile food purveyors by hosting the Street-Eatz food truck outside the venue at concerts and events.“I’m delighted with the opportunity,” Street-Eatz owner Jilly Dorman says.The partnership aims to alleviate stress for event-goers by providing food on the grounds. “A lot...

Remembering Rene

By Cheryl LaubeWhat a tremendous loss of our dearly beloved Rene di Rosa recently, what a vanguard he was. I knew him for 30 years, and he will be sorely missed, and if you ever met him or knew him and his amazing ways, you already know that.This photograph of Rene  was taken by local fine art photographer, Bruce...

Speak against Ft. Ross Vineyard’s tasting room Sept. 21

Where This IsA coastal travelogue wonderswhither the wine tastingBy Susan KennedyGo north on Highway One through the little town of Jenner. At the end of town, pull over in to one of the turnouts to take in the awesome sight of the Russian River's entrance into the ocean, Goat Rock to the south, seals, gulls, pelicans, surfers at the...

Live Review: Nikki Yanofsky at Festival del Sole, Castello di Amorosa

I’ve always wanted to be Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap. Ever since I’ve moved to the wine country, I’ve searched for that quintessential moment, the one where she’s driving to her dad’s estate in Napa for the first time. Pulling up to the Castello di Amorosa for the Festival del Sole brought back so many memories of that...
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