Acoustic Music at Sonoma Wine Garden, Santa Monica

“Acoustic Music at Sonoma Wine Garden”

by Heather Jacks, Music Journalist

Having recently moved here from New York City, people often ask me how I like it.  Being of east coast sensibilities, I simply respond; “I don’t,” and turn back to my Bloody Mary. Inevitably, my attention will once again be drawn, like a snake to a flute, back to the person who first posed the question, their face awash in shock and disbelief.

“What? Why? How can that be?  It’s just not possible…”

Eventually they end up at the one place, the granddaddy of all justifications,  that every single LA lover, ends up.  The weather.  Usually this statement is combined with a hand sweeping across the perfect, 80 degree sky, as if this is explanation enough.

“I miss Broadway,” I say.

“But the weather.”

“I miss the jazz clubs, public transit, New York attitude,  the food, people, cabs, Brooklyn, diversity, that everyone wears black, that the city stays up past nine o’clock,  (insert your own noun here).  I miss New York.”

And as if trying to reason with a dull child, they give me a look, that I can only assume is compassion, because injections have replaced expressions, and gently remind me; “but, the weather”, at which point, I feign agreement and ask for a double.

Hence my discovery of Sonoma Wine Garden, has provided me a wonderful reprieve, from such conversations. SWG  is an intimate, friendly indoor/outdoor restaurant located on the roof of Santa Monica Place, which is a mall, located at the end of the Third Street Promenade, which is another mall.

We have become regulars here, eating our way through a simple, yet very fine menu, which includes pizza, burgers, fish, salads, pasta, and truffle fries to die for followed by rich, decadent desserts.  An expansive bar menu, abundant cocktail list and a massive amount of fine wine always on hand; or you can load up a wine tasting card and sample ounce pours from the Enomatic dispenser, trying grape juice from all the wine regions without even needing a passport.  Friendly, outgoing service, majestic views of the Pacific Ocean, three hours  of free valet parking–(mentioned only as a courtesy to the California car culture), fire place, a gem in the midst of a shopping mall sandwich.

And this is where really good, gets  really great.  Tuesday night live music, presented by Sonoma Wine Garden.   Each week, the program becomes stronger, more varied and–hopefully increasingly well attended. This past Tuesday was spectacular.

The evening opened with North Carolina based, Jason Adamo, as part of his west coast tour. This soul/rock oriented singer-songwriter, sharpened his chops in the New York subway system, as a street performer, developing a powerhouse sound, that can only be bred on train platforms underground. He has toured all over the U.S., sharing the stage with such artists, as Ben Harper, Martin Sexton, Jack Johnson, Corey Smith, Hootie and the Blowfish, and many more.  Tonight, he played through most of his current album, Transistor, which is recorded with his full band, but was performed acoustically.  Beginning with Far Away From Here, he demonstrates his vocal range, hitting the high-falsetto notes Sexton style before swinging back down  to tear the floors up with bold grit and heart–think Joe Cocker.  Patricia, which is a tribute to his aunt, was a crowd favorite.  Lyrically strong, poignant, and raw, the standing room only crowd, was captured in engaged silence.  Soon he launched into Midnight Swings, a floor stomping, rollicking, good times tune, that forces you to get up and dance. Raleigh Nights, closed out his set, showcasing his alt-country leanings.  With his distinctive voice and personal performance, Jason Adamo proved not only his ability to provide a solid body of acoustic work, but couple that with  the force of his personality and you are left with the knowledge that you can’t ignore him or his music.

LA based Singer/Songwriter, Brett Young took the stage next.  This 6’7″ tall drink of water, hails from Orange County, possesses a soulful sound and emotional magnitude that is unmatched. Let’s face it, there are a lot of folks out there doing the Singer/Songwriter thing and there’s really not much that separates one from another. One might play a little bit faster or hit the notes with more consistency. The reality is,  there are probably a million hot young guys playing gig after gig in bars for beer and money or falling prey to the bane of all music lovers, the pay to play scheme–(thank you Whiskey A Go-Go for ruining live music on the Sunset Strip, but that’s a different story).  It takes a certain undefinable extra to turn a talent with guitar and an ability to write music into something that will impact you. Brett Young has that ‘extra’.   There’s an insistence about him that pulls you into his music; a visceral level grab that triggers an instinctual rather than rational reaction. His current 5-song EP, Make Believe, is an intensely focused piece of work, that establishes Brett Young as a musician in evolution, who will stand the test of time.

The tour de force of the evening was when both musicians, shared the stage for a few covers; including renditions of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On–in which Adamo’s soaring vocal abilities carried far into the night sky and John Lennon’s Imagine, in which Brett Young’s depth of emotion seared the evening air.

I would be greatly amiss, if I didn’t mention the incredible Aaron Escarega, who accompanied both musicians on violin.  To play the violin,  is a complex mental and physical activity, and to learn it well demands the ability to focus on many small details as one trains the ear and the hands.  Clearly Escarega, has mastered both.  Aaron’s presence added a harmonic and ethereal magic to the evening that gave balance and unity to two stylistically diverse artists.

Six bottles of Proseco later, our party concluded the evening, and I was re-instilled with a new hope, a new perspective of southern California.  No longer did Ed Hardy attired pooches seem so egregious; the monochrome concrete buildings seem so drab, the lack of a single cab in the midnight hour, seem so out of place…

But, then again, maybe it’s the weather.

Check out Sonoma Wine Garden here:  http://www.sonomawinegarden.com/

For more information or to connect with Jason Adamo: http://www.jasonadamomusic.com/

To check out Brett Young, click here: http://www.brettyoungmusic.com/brettyoungmusic/Welcome.html