The Bluebird Cafe Goes to Napa
Last week, I had the privilege of representing the Bluebird Cafe to perform a show at Gargiulo Vineyards in the beautiful Napa Valley alongside my co-writers Phil Barton and Emily Shackelton. And what a setting it was! Our stage was perched on the side of a hill overlooking a vineyard full of grapes, under a huge live oak tree that towered over us like the grand dame of the party.
We performed for an enthusiastic crowd of supporters who opened their pockets graciously to contribute to the fundraiser’s cause: a charity called Notes for Education, which makes musical instruments and musical education accessible for students in public schools. The sun went down over the hills behind us, and the stars came out overhead, and of course the wine flowed liberally too!
We had several special guests in the crowd: Emily’s parents came to see the show, as well as the mother of Emily’s late co-writer busbee. We lost busbee to cancer 4 years ago, and in fact our concert was on the 4th anniversary of his death, so it was especially meaningful and emotional to hear him speak to us through the songs Emily performed that they had written together.
The next day, our hosts treated us to a wine tour. We had the chance to visit 3 vineyards and taste a large variety of wines, some straight out of the barrel! I’m a newbie to wine-tasting, so it was really fascinating to learn more about all the carefully curated subtleties that contribute to the different wines from the region. I had to pace myself though…wow…that was a LOT of wine. 😊
Thank you Bluebird Café, Notes for Education, and Gargiulo Vineyards for bringing us out to taste a little slice of paradise in Napa.
Interested in joining my ko-fi club to hear unreleased songs and behind-the-scenes stories? Check it out here!
