Spoon’s Britt Daniel screamed “Healdsburg!” into the windy Saturday night darkness. The guitarist-frontman of the Grammy-nominated rock band — some might say the most consistently great rock band in America — shouted it three times, as if to remind us that we were not at that other Wine Country music festival, but at a far more intentional one in a field behind a community center in a Sonoma County town of about 11,000.
As the rainbow stage lights swirled overhead, casting Daniel’s shaggy blond hair into a purple flame, he lifted his guitar overhead and whipped into the first chords of “Everything Hits at Once.” The crowd of a few thousand roared back in appreciation, just one of many moments at the Ramble, a grassroots music, food and wine festival now in its fourth year, that reminded me how I prefer my festivals: small and intimate.
The June 6 event was focused in every way that matters, from its one stage and $100 price tag to the 3,000-person limit. Five acts, including LA indie pop outfit Lucius and Nashville soul singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian, spread out over eight hours. The scheduling made for thoughtful, unrushed sets. A half dozen high-quality eateries from around the region, like Mediterranean bar Valley, New American fave the Burrow, and pizzeria A16, meant good food that was fresh and served warm. And of course the wines: boutique, interesting and hyperlocal.
At first I hesitated writing about the Ramble, but changed my mind for one critical reason: 100% of the festival’s proceeds go toward fighting gun violence. More people need to know about founders Noah and Kelly Dorrance, who lost their 9-year-old niece in a school shooting in 2023 and started the festival four years ago to help make stricter gun laws. They’ve since donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Giffords, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s nonprofit. Previous headliners have included Lord Huron and Ziggy Marley.
We arrived after Salt Lake City’s Plastic Cherries and LA’s psychedelic cumbia punk outfit Tropica Magica wrapped up their sets, making way for Gilfillian’s soul-drenched vocals. The singer-songwriter, who is slated to perform at the Independent in San Francisco this fall, played tracks off both his upcoming album “Time Will Tell” and 2023’s “Love You Anyway” before wowing the crowd with a pitch-perfect cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”…