Mike DeWald
Blue skies and warm temperatures greeted concert goers to BR Cohn’s inaugural Sonoma Harvest Music Festival, a collaboration with BottleRock Presents. A bevy of talent took the stage throughout the afternoon at the first day of the sold out weekend festival, headlined by the Avett Brothers. The concert marked the first major live music festival at the site following the cancellation of the prior Classic Rock-heavy “Fall Music Festival”. Along with the Avett Brothers, the bill included a diverse line-up that included Lake Street Drive, Shovels & Rope, The Suffers, and local Royal Jelly Jive.
The picturesque vineyard setting made for an impressive festival scene, as fans looked beyond the stage to see a backdrop of grapes stretching as far as the eye could see. Some 3,000 festivalgoers packed the ampitheatre green, stretching out blankets to comfortably watch and listen to the music throughout the afternoon. Organizers aimed to make the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival a more intimate and family-friendly experience from that of the massive BottleRock festival in May and the comfortable touches were immediately noticeable.
Food and wine were still staples of the event, which put.the spotlight on a number of Sonoma County stapes including Sebastapol’s zazu and Sonoma’s the girl and the fig, among a handful of others while BR Cohn wines were featured throughout the event. Day 2 kicks off Sunday featuring another afternoon of music featuring Con Brio, Rayland Baxter, ZZ Ward, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and headlined by The Head and the Heart.
[Updated 9/23 – Photos from Sunday’s performances now included]
