B2 THE SONOMA INDEX-TRIBUNE • FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019

Entertainment
‘Simmer Down,’ Sonoma summer is heating up
Muscardini Cellars brings back its
Saturday music series lineup
By TIM CURLEY season is the John Burdick
INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Band. Burdick has been a resi-

A
round 29 percent of all dent of the Valley of the Moon
Americans work on the for some 20 years. He has played
weekends, according to a the guitar for twice that length.
2014 article in the Washington He considers himself a singer/
Post. Just imagine how different songwriter but chooses to back
things would be if we couldn’t his songs with a full band.
buy a widget on a Saturday or a Thomas Bottari holds down
whatsit on a Sunday. the backbeat, Stuart Spearing
The good folks at Muscardini provides the bottom end on bass
Cellars work the weekends. So and Michael Miller tickles the
do the musicians ivories. Burdick
who will be perform- himself plays guitar
ing at Muscardini’s and sings.
“Simmer Down Sat- A delicious glass Burdick, during
urday” live music se- of local wine and a phone conversa-
ries that returns this tion, told the story
weekend. For those a couple hours of of his first guitar.
of us who don’t work tasty local music When Burdick was
what the Post article a fifth grader living
called “strange and you have with his family in
hours,” the idea of perfection. the New York area,
simmering down on his dad had a most
a warm wine coun- wonderful idea. He
try Saturday evening loaded them all into
John Burdick Band take the long and winding road – aka Highway 12 – to Muscardini Cellars this weekend.
hits the spot. Couple the family car on
that with a delicious glass of the evening of Aug. 15, 1965 and
local wine and a couple hours of drove to Shea Stadium, home of APRIL 27 – JOHN BURDICK BAND amplifier were soon plugged in
tasty local music and you have the New York Mets. to his bedroom wall. Songs were
perfection. While it might have been fun May 4 – Atomic Cocktail June 22 – Jami Jamison Band learned, strings were broken,
The “Simmer Down” evenings to watch Casey Stengel manage May 11 – Acoustic Soul June 29 – John Burdick Band and – fast forward – this Satur-
run this weekend until Nov. 2, the lowly Mets play that year May 18 – Jami Jamison Band July 6 – Kerry Daly Band day Burdick and his band play at
and the first half of the band (win-loss record 50-112), the Muscardini.
May 25 – T Luke and the Tight July 13 – Loosely Covered
schedule has been confirmed. team was actually on the road, Burkick will have his band
Suits July 20 – Jami Jamison Band
The venue is at 9380 Highway playing the Astros that night back him on his original songs
12 in Kenwood, with impres- in the just completed Houston June 1 – Rhett Hamer Blues July 27 – Sonoma Sound Syndi- and perhaps a few covers as
sive views of the hills above Astrodome. Burdick’s dad had Band cate well. Whether they play a
Kenwood and Kunde wineries. something besides baseball in June 8 – Road Eleven Beatles song is yet to be deter-
Music lovers can choose a seat mind. He had his family join June 15 – T Luke and the Tight mined. It is certain though, the
on the winery’s spacious deck. 55,600 others at Shea Stadium to 9380 Sonoma Highway, Ken- influence of that band from
Suits wood, muscardinicellars.com
If you want to work on slimming see a different kind of perfor- Liverpool, and the time he saw
down too, dancing usually takes mance. No less than Ed Sullivan them play at Shea Stadium, will
over the patio once the music made the introduction: “Now, watching his older sister cry at Burdick pulled himself forward be apparent.
starts. Muscardini Winery offers ladies and gentlemen, honored the sight of the Mop Tops, and from his spot on the backseat The bands scheduled for the
its full selection of wines at the by their country, decorated by seeing ladies undergarments and said to his mother, “Mom, first half of the “Simmer Down”
events, which run from 5:30 to their Queen, and loved here in being tossed toward the band, an will you buy me a guitar?” series are at left. Music starts at
8 p.m. America, here are the Beatles!” important impression was made. A long lost Harmony Rocket 6 p.m., and food is usually avail-
The first band playing this While a young John was On the way home that night, electric guitar and a Kalamazoo able from local food trucks.

THE SET LIST The Reel Fish Shop, thereelfishshop.

■EL VERANO INN, 705 Laurel Ave.
935-0611
Sunday, April 28: Sunday Night Blues
Jam. 8 p.m.
■FRIDAY FARMERS MARKET,
Depot Park, 270 First St W.
Friday, April 26: Stewart Degner. 9:30
a.m.
■HOPMONK TAVERN, hopmonk.
com 691 Broadway, 935-9100
Friday, April 26: Frankie Bourne. 5
p.m., Decker. 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 27: Chris Diller. 1
p.m., Tony and Dawn. 8 p.m.
Wednesday, May 1: Open Mic. 7:30
p.m.
■MURPHY’S IRISH PUB, sonoma-
pub.com 464 First St. E, 935-0660.
Friday, April 26: Peace of G. 8p.m.
Saturday, April 27: Kevin Russell. 8
p.m.
Monday, April 29: Mondays With
Murr, aka “Jammin’ with The King.”
7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 1: Trivia Night.
7:30 p.m.
■MUSCARDINI CELLARS,
muscardinicellars.com 9380 Sonoma
Highway, Kenwood 933-9305
Saturday, April 27: “Simmer Down
Saturday” with the John Burdick
Band. 5:30 p.m.
■OLDE SONOMA PUBLIC
HOUSE, oldesonoma.com 18615
Sonoma Hwy. 938-7587
Thursday, May 2: Karaoke. 8:30 p.m.
■PALOOZA BREWERY AND GAS-
TROPUB, paloozafresh.com 8910
Sonoma Highway, Kenwood
833-4000
Thursday, May 2: T Luke. 7 p.m.
■SONOMA COMMUNITY CEN-
TER, sonomacommunitycenter.org
Decker makes a name for himself Friday at Hopmonk.
276 E. Napa St. 938-4256
Friday, April 26: “Born Yesterday,”
7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27: Valley of the
Moon Chamber Ensemble, “The Art
of Song,” 5 p.m.; “Born Yesterday,”
7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 28: “Born Yesterday,”
2 p.m.
Wednesday, May 1: Gospel Choir.
7:30 p.m.
■ST. ANDREWS PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH, 16290 Arnold Drive 938-
4626
Sunday, April 28: Valley of the Moon
Chamber Ensemble. 2 p.m.
■STARLING BAR, starlingbar.com
19380 Sonoma Hwy. 938-7442
Sunday, April 28: Sunday Afternoon
Live, RB&Z (Zydeco). 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 2: Open Mic, with
Randy Burrows. 8 p.m.
com 401 Grove St. 343-0044
Grand Re-Opening Weekend
Friday, April 26: Loverman. 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 27: Nate Lopez.
Noon. Special surprise guests. 9 p.m.
Sunday, April 28. Gruber Family
Polka Band. 2:30 p.m.
■TIP’S ROADSIDE, tipsroadside.
com. 8445 Sonoma Highway, Ken-
wood 509-0078
Sunday, April 28: Brunch and Blues,
Lane Tietgen. Noon
■VINTAGE HOUSE, vintagehouse.
org. 264 First St. E. 996-0311
Wednesday, May 1. Vintage House
Singers (ongoing class). 10 a.m.
If you want your
gigs listed, email Tim
Curley at eltimcur-
ley@gmail.com.
Tim
Curley

Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble in concert Global Guitar Summit gets
Two benefit perfor-
mances in Sonoma picking at Sonoma library
INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Matthew
The Valley of the Moon
Monfort
Chamber Ensemble’s an-
plays
nual spring benefit concert
guitar, sitar,
is scheduled for Sunday,
charango,
April 28. The ensemble will
gamelan
also be performing a special
and more.
evening concert on Satur-
day, April 27.
As in past years, all
proceeds from the concerts
will benefit the Sonoma
Community Center’s arts
The chamber ensemble will perform works old and new.

and cultural education Community Center on

programs.
FRI APR 26 Composer and conduc-
5:00 PM
FRANKIE BOURNE
tor Bradley Ellingboe is
joining the Valley of the
8:00 PM
DECKER
Moon Chamber Ensemble
for a celebration of spring,
performing works from the
SAT APR 27 Renaissance to the Roman-
1:00 PM tic to the contemporary.
CHRIS DILLER Valley of the Moon
8:00 PM Chamber Ensemble is a
DAWN + TONY
grassroots consortium of
local voices
SUN APR 28 co-directed by Brian
1:00 PM Sebastian and Beth Carter,
BLUE CACTUS CHOIR featuring a range of tradi-
691 Broadway · Sonoma tional and contemporary
choral music.
HOPMONK.COM/SONOMA The evening concert
707.935.9100 takes place at the Sonoma
Saturday,
April 27 at 5 p.m.
A reception with guest
composer Bradley Elling-
boe and members of the en-
semble follows the evening
concert along with wine
and hors d’oeuvres.
The Sunday matinee con-
cert will be held at St An-
drew Presbyterian Church
at 2 p.m. on April 28.
Tickets and more infor-
mation about the Valley
of the Moon Chamber
Ensemble and the Sono-
ma Community Center is
available online at sonoma-
communitycenter.org, by
calling 938-4626.
Multi-instrumentalist Matthew Montfort in
world-music concert on April 27
INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
The Global Guitar Summit with Mat-
thew Montfort and friends will perform
a free concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday,
April 27 at the Sonoma Valley Library.
The Global Guitar Summit includes
international acoustic guitar virtuosos
performing solo and ensemble pieces.
The instrumentalists are known for
rhythmic live shows that simultane-
ously feature the subtle, intricate and
melodic aspects of world music.
Matthew Montfort is a pioneer of the
scalloped fretboard guitar, an instru-
ment combining qualities of the South
Indian vina and the steel string guitar.
He spent three months in intensive
study where he learned the South Indi-
an gamaka (note-bending) techniques
to the guitar. Montfort is also known
for his work on glissentar, an 11-string
fretless guitar, flamenco guitar, electric
guitar, sitar, charango, mandolin and
gamelan.
The library is located at 755 W. Napa
St.