Staging Live Music With Passion
Jessie’s Grove owner and winemaker Greg Burns remembers instantly the performance that convinced him live music at the winery was the right thing to do. This was nearly 25 years ago when the winery was in the early stages of mixing wine tasting and tunes.
“It was underneath the big tree out there, with a beautiful sunset happening, and three musicians were playing Creedence Clearwater’s Stuck in Lodi,” said Greg. “I thought to myself, for people from the outside who don’t know Lodi, this is stuck ON Lodi. This gets in your blood, and it becomes part of you.”
Staging live music isn’t a casual endeavor for the staff of Jessie’s Grove. It’s a passion, with performances happening all year, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday — rain or shine. The property’s pasture can hold up to 1,500 music lovers. A more intimate space is just outside the tasting room, where a hundred or two gather for local musicians.
Jessie’s Grove isn’t the only San Joaquin County winery to offer live music to customers. Dozens of wineries do the same. You can find information on Visitlodi.com and visitstockton.org
One local band to take advantage of the winery opportunities is the Valley Groove Band, which performed one recent afternoon at Jessie’s Grove. Afternoon gigs are a major plus for the group.
“It’s the best,” said band leader Randy Coss. “As our guitar player says, I can play, pack, go home and watch the rest of the Giant’s game. That’s the beauty, start at 4 o’clock and we’re done at 7.”
Lead singer Rachel Starr (who studied opera as a music student at UOP) loves the added opportunities to perform. “I’ve lived in Lodi for 35 years, and it’s just been within the last few years where I’ve started to see more bands at wineries and breweries.”
At that recent afternoon gig, Rachel put all those singing lessons to good use, belting out a very impressive version of Aretha Franklin’s Rock Steady. She rejected the suggestion hard-driving, soulful songs might not work well for a wine-sipping afternoon audience. “I think they are an R&B, Motown crowd, especially with wine-sipping,” said Rachel. “That’s the whole vibe now in this area. It’s hanging out with friends, listening to good music, getting a show while drinking local wines? I think it’s amazing.”
Even with the wine industry experiencing a recent downturn, Randy said it hasn’t impacted bands like his. Plenty of booking possibilities remain. “If I wanted to book the band in Napa, I know I could. if I wanted to book the band in Reno, I probably could do that. In Livermore, with all the wineries over there, I could probably do that, too. But we have plenty right here, in the beautiful Lodi and Acampo area.”
Jessie’s Grove was first a ranch, then a farm growing wheat and watermelons. Wine grapes came later, and the winery started up in 1998. And the family feel has never been lost — Greg Burns is the great grandson of Jessie (Spenker), who took over management of the business in 1929. The idea of being a gathering spot for locals has also survived all those generations.
“We’ve been on this property since 1868. And we’ve always been involved with the community and events. Going back, we have a record of events happening here and in the late 1800s,” said Greg. “We have this beautiful property. We want to go back to our roots and make it accessible for people to enjoy. What better way?”
John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) has a Friday night gig in late June scheduled in the Sacramento area. Imagine if he and some friends ended up at one of the many local wineries that weekend for a bit of relaxation, sun, and music. He’d probably learn it’s not so bad being stuck in Lodi after all.
Save the Date
Performances happening all year, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine!
I am always looking for new and exciting gigs to showcase musicians in our community who deserve recognition. Stay tuned!
Feel free to reach out: tim@dalyvideoservices.com.
