Drink in some talent

This weekend is your last chance to catch some of music's most innovative new voices before they head to the Winery Music Awards finals in October.

On Saturday, five genre-bending groups face off at Silver Horse Winery in San Miguel. Performing at Saturday’s five-hour concert are:

- Fair Trade: This group won Sacramento’s "Battle of the Bands" in 2004, later opening for Melissa Etheridge, Live and Train. They describe their sound as a blend of rock, pop, blues and jazz.

- Vanessa Van Spall: A singer-songwriter based in San Francisco, Vanessa captures “multiple moods and styles” with everything from acoustic songs to synthesized ‘80s-influenced numbers.

- Paper Tiger: The San Francisco band draws musical inspiration from rock’s Built to Spill, Minus the Bear and Smashing Pumpkins.

- Jane Bolduc: Hailing from Los Angeles, Jane is a singer-songwriter in the tradition of Shawn Colvin, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow. Her songs span the generes of pop, rock, folk and country.

- Holiday and The Adventure Pop Collective: Two crazed front men from Encinitas churn out country, rock, pop, R&B, experimental jazz and jam music on a variety of instruments.

This month’s winner will compete Oct. 7 against five other musicians – three finalists and two “wild card” winners – for a record deal, cash, a custom guitar and other prizes.

Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to wine drinkers – specifically, men and women age 21 to 54.

Justin Hopkins, leader of the Los Angeles-based band The Guilt, won the third preliminary round in August. Judges praised the rocker's "refreshingly honest and soulful vocals and guitar playing."

Winners in June and July were Shannon Curtis, a singer-songwriter from L.A., and San Luis Obispo’s own Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants.

The concert starts at 5 p.m. Saturday at Silver Horse Winery, 2995 Pleasant Rd. in San Miguel. Tickets are $40.

For more information, call 467-WINE (9463) or visit www.winerymusicawards.com.

Rocking the Winery Music Awards

A soulful rocker from Los Angeles is heading to the Winery Music Awards finals after winning the music competition’s third preliminary round this weekend.
Justin Hopkins, leader of the band The Guilt, sang and played guitar as a solo artist Saturday at Silver Horse Winery in San Miguel.
Judges from the music and entertainment industries praised his talent, awarding him an average score of 78.30 out of a possible 100 points.
“Justin has refreshingly honest and soulful vocals and guitar playing,” said judge Roy Braverman, who owns a multimedia firm in Los Angeles. Judge Diane Steinberg-Lewis, an actress, singer and composer, described his music as “clearly commercial and still poetic.”
Also performing at Saturday’s four-hour concert were: Los Osos musician Matthias, Assaf Spector of Brooklyn, and The Laurie Morvan Band and Sarah Hethcoat, both from the Los Angeles area.
Hopkins advances to the final competition in October, where he’ll vie with five other musicians for a record deal, cash, a custom guitar and other prizes.
Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers — specifically, men and women age 21 to 54.
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Shannon Curtis won the June competition. July’s winner was a San Luis Obispo band, Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants.

The Winery Music Awards continue Sept. 15 at Silver Horse Winery, 2995 Pleasant Rd. in San Miguel. Tickets are $40.
For more information, call 467-WINE (9463) or visit www.winerymusicawards.com.

-- Sarah L.