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.

Rock Savants win at Winery Music Awards

Central Coast favorites Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants seized first place Saturday at the Winery Music Awards.
The San Luis Obispo rock band edged out Arizona singer-songwriter Amber Norgaard as the top-place winner. The quartet advances to the final competition on Oct. 7, where they’ll compete for cash, studio time and other prizes.
Tom Cartwright, president of RNB Entertainment Group of Los Angeles, praised the band.
"Dominic has great stage presence and the whole band has professional poise," said Cartwright, one of eight judges at Saturday's concert.
Hosted by former "Bachelor" star Andrew Firestone, the five-hour event at Paso Robles’ Stacked Stone Cellars also featured Templeton’s Machine and Los Angeles acts Delaney Gibson and Hard Rain.
Producer Kathy Kelly created the Winery Music Awards in 2005 to highlight independent musicians and the North County wine country.
Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers. Top prizes include a record contract with RNB Entertainment.
Arroyo Grande acoustic rock trio Threes and Nines won the grand prize in 2005. They plan to release their debut album later this year.

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The Winery Music Awards continue with an Aug. 11 concert at Silver Horse Winery in San Miguel.
For more information, check out The Tribune’s special Winery Music Awards site.

-- Sarah L.

Feeling the (musical) heat in Paso Robles

Head for the North County hills this weekend for wine, music and fun.
The Winery Music Awards returns on Saturday, July 14, for a five-hour concert hosted by “Bachelor” heartthrob Andrew Firestone.
Two Central Coast bands — Templeton’s Machine and San Luis Obispo indie rockers Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants — will compete against artists from California and Arizona.
Also competing in July’s elimination round are: Amber Norgaard of Tuscon, Ariz.; Delaney Gibson of Los Angeles; and Andy Hill, Renee Safier and Hard Rain from Los Angeles.
The Winery Music Awards officially kicked off June 9. Sacramento pianist Shannon Curtis beat out an all-female line-up from as far away as Portland.
As the contest continues, musicians will compete in August and September to earn a slot at the final showdown on Oct. 7. Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers.
Top acts will take home prizes including cash, studio time and a record contract with RNB Entertainment Group of Los Angeles.
Arroyo Grande acoustic rock trio Threes and Nines won the grand prize in 2005.
The group, which plans to release its debut album later this year, performs this Sunday at Downtown Brewing Co. in San Luis Obispo.

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Producer Kathy Kelly created the Winery Music Awards, which highlights independent, unsigned bands and musicians, in 2005.
Saturday’s concert starts at 4 p.m. at Stacked Stone Cellars, 1525 Peachy Canyon Rd. in Paso Robles. Tickets are $40.
For more information, visit the Winery Music Awards Web site.

-- Sarah L.

Women, wine and song

Five West Coast women are heading to Paso Robles for a concert series showcasing wine, music and San Luis Obispo County.
The Winery Music Awards kick off Saturday, June 9, with a five-hour concert highlighting unsigned, independent musicians and the Paso Robles wine country.
Today, producer Kathy Kelly announced the artists set to perform at Maloy O’Neill Vineyards.
They are Kerri Dopart of San Diego, Rocky Gaines of Los Angeles, Debra Arlyn of Portland, Shannon Curtis of Sacramento and Kimberly Jean of Los Angeles.
According to Kelly, the all-female lineup features pop, rock, country and folk acts.
The women will compete to earn a slot at the final showdown on Oct. 7 — when they’ll join competitors selected at three other concerts in July, August and September. Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers.
Top acts will take home prizes including cash, studio time and a record contract with RNB Entertainment Group of Los Angeles.
Last year’s grand prize winner, Arroyo Grande acoustic rock trio Threes and Nines, plans to release its debut album, “A Different Light,” this summer.

Drink in the sounds and tastes of the Winery Music Awards on June 9 at Maloy O’Neill Vineyards, 5725 Union Rd. in Paso Robles. Tickets are $40.

Music, wine and memories

As The Tribune’s features staff begins a brand-new week, we reach into our grab bag of arts-and-entertainment tidbits:

Pulling out the stops

Tickets are now available to the public for the first pipe organ concerts at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.
Oliver Latry, organist at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, will perform June 11 and 13 on Harmon Hall’s new pipe organ.
Built by legendary organ maker C.B. Fisk of Glouchester, Mass., the organ is three stories tall and features more than 2,700 pipes ranging from a pencil’s length to 32 feet.
It’s a gift to the PAC from Burt and Candee Forbes, founders of the local computer development firm Ziatech Corp.
Tickets to Latry’s free recital on June 11 are available by contacting the PAC ticket office at 756-2787 or visiting
www.pacslo.org.
You can also purchase tickets for the June 13 concert featuring Latry, the San Luis Obispo Symphony and a community choir.

Wine, women and song

TV's "Bachelor" will host this year’s Winery Music Awards.
Andrew Firestone, son of vintner Brooks Firestone and former contestant on ABC’s "The Bachelor," will serve as the host of the summer-long music competition held at wineries throughout Paso Robles.
According to producer Kathy Kelly, bands will compete one Saturday every month from June to October. Participating wineries include Maloy-O’Neill Winery and Silver Horse Winery.
Winners receive cash, prizes and industry recognition.
Arroyo Grande rock band Threes and Nines, recipient of 2005’s grand prize, won a recording contract with RNB Entertainment Group of Los Angeles. They’re set to release their first album this year.
RNB also plans to release a compilation disc this summer featuring many of 2005’s artists, Kelly said.
For more information, visit the Winery Music Awards Web site

Tell me a story

Out past the cow pastures on west Foothill Boulevard, there’s a rustic restaurant with a varied past.
The 1917 building has been known alternately as the Callaway House, This Old House, This Ole House, A.J. Spurs and Pinky Carmine’s.
Now it’s got a new name: The Clubhouse At This Old House.
According to publicist Cheryl Westfall, owner Andrew Adams plans to turn the space into a restaurant, music venue and local sports clubhouse. It opens April 19.
To celebrate, The Clubhouse is seeking stories from its 90-year history. Winning stories will be published in the menu, Westfall said.
The Clubhouse is also offering prizes for the three best stories ranging from $100 to $300 gift certificates.
It’d be hard to beat this: According to Dan Callaway, his father Harold watched oil tycoon J. Paul Getty pass out drunk on the front porch.
Send your memories to clubhouseslo@gmail.com, fax them to 805-548-8506 or mail them to 740 W. Foothill Blvd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405.
The deadline is this Friday, April 6.

- Sarah L.