Rockin' the vineyards
MARK ARONOFF / The Press Democrat The crowd rocked at the 23rd annual Fall Music Festival at B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen on Sunday asTaj Mahal, Pablo Cruise and Journey took the stage for the charity event.
Whether lounging in the shade of an olive tree or dancing a few feet from the stage where Journey revived their power ballads that topped the charts in the 1980s, thousands of people enjoyed rock and roll music in Wine Country on Sunday.
The annual two-day Fall Music Festival at B.R. Cohn Winery hit all the right notes this year, according to host Bruce Cohn, the Sonoma Valley rock manager turned winemaker.
“I think it is the best show we’ve ever done,” said Cohn, manager of The Doobie Brothers. “It’s also the most money we’ve ever raised.”
Cohn auctioned four guitars, signed by all the bands that played at the two-day festival including The Doobie Brothers, Pablo Cruise, Jackie Greene, Taj Mahal and Journey. The guitars raised $50,000, Cohn said.
A dinner auction on Friday night raised an additional $170,000. The weekend proceeds were still being tallied Sunday night, but Cohn expected the total to be the best to date. In previous years, the benefit festival has brought in about a half-million dollars, and has raised more than $4 million since its inception 23 years ago.
The festival benefited four local organizations — Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital’s Trauma Center; the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley; Bread & Roses, which brings music into hospitals, prisons and nursing facilities; and the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance.
“We’re thrilled,” said Katie Hillenmeyer, a spokeswoman for Memorial Hospital. “It’s going to help our trauma center.”
But the beneficiaries of the weekend weren’t just the local organizations. Music fans also got a rare treat: rock and roll set among vineyards.
“You’re looking at the stage, listening to the music, and the backdrop is vineyards,” said Brad Bludau, a Corte Madera resident.
Bludau made the trip with his wife and two children, ages six and three.
“It’s just an awesome venue,” he said. “And the tunes are just as great.”
Cohn, who has seen his share of music venues around the world, said the outdoor stage at his winery is among the most spectacular.
“People are standing three feet away from the lead singer of Journey,” he said. “It’s one of a kind. Where else can you see the sun set over vineyards?”