2017 BottleRock Napa Valley music festival lineup announced

Although the year just started, music lovers will have plenty to look forward to this summer when it comes to music festivals. However, if you live in the Bay Area, you will have to spend a lot of travel time just to go to them. There is Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but they require plane tickets to Nashville and Chicago-- or wheelbarrows of gas money for the super brave. Coachella is in California, but it is a nine-hour drive. How about something a little closer?

   Thankfully, for those who live in Solano County, there is a big-name music festival that is only about 30 minutes away. It is called the BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

   Now in its fifth year, BottleRock continues to present a 3-day weekend of gourmet food, wine and craft brew in the heart of the Napa Valley. Oh yeah, and there's music too. These aren't just small acts either. Some of the biggest names in music right now and of all time will be gracing the multiple stages.

   To give off some perspective, last year's festival was headlined by Florence + the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stevie Wonder. This year's show will continue to blend established acts with up-and-comers. The headliners this year happen to be three groups who have been packing stadiums and arenas for more than 40, 20 and 10 years respectively: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters and Maroon 5. They will all be rounded out by some other big names in indie rock, hip-hop, electronica, soul and even '90s alternative rock. This explosive lineup also includes Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Modest Mouse, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, The Roots, Silversun Pickups, Band of Horses, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Dirty Heads, Live, The Naked and Famous, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Gavin DeGraw, House of Pain, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Saint Motel, The Strumbellas, AlunaGeorge, Mavis Staples, Ani DiFranco, Bishop Briggs, Warren G, Gnash, Judah & the Lion, The Barr Brothers and MANY more. (Did you know there is an act called Hibbity Dibbity? You do now.) For lovers of local orchestral music, the award-winning Napa Youth Symphony will also be on stage.

   Dates and set times have not been announced for any of the bands.

   However, BottleRock is not just about the music, man. Returning this year will be the Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage which will feature entertaining cooking demonstrations by not only renowned chefs but also musicians, actors, athletes and more. Details for this stage are still being worked out.

   “We are very proud of this lineup. In addition to our amazing headliners, the lineup has something for everyone,” Dave Graham, CEO of BottleRock Napa Valley and Latitude 38 Entertainment, said in a statement. “It's exciting to see BottleRock develop, from the performers, to our wine and culinary programming, our layout…we make great strides each year to elevate the overall event. BottleRockers expect an amazing experience and we believe they will be very happy with all the upgrades we are planning for this year’s festival.”

   The 2017 BottleRock Napa Valley festival will be held Friday, May 26 to Sunday, May 28 at the Napa Valley Expo, located at 575 3rd St. in Napa. Tickets start at $309 for three-day general admission, and three-day VIP passes start at $659. For more information, visit bottlerocknapavalley.com. 

Assemblyman Bill Dodd's golf tournament benefits Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity

(Originally published in the 11/19/15 edition)

   For 16 years, Assemblyman Bill Dodd (D-Napa) has hosted a golf tournament and dinner with all proceeds going to a charitable organization of his choosing. This year, Dodd has chosen the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity as the organization to raise money toward.

   The Fairfield-based organization, an independent affiliate of the international Habitat for Humanity, was founded in 1991 and has since built 13 new homes and repaired many more in the Solano-Napa area. 

   Development Director Kathleen de Vries approached Dodd with the prospect of highlighting Habitat for Humanity that year.

   “It is my mission to put the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity affiliate on the map in Napa,” she said. “I’ve lived in Napa for 20 years and wrote to Bill to ask if he had found a beneficiary for this event and if he would consider us.”

   Dodd accepted her offer.

   “I am pleased to designate the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity affiliate as the recipient of this year’s event,” Dodd said in a press release. “Habitat for Humanity’s work is well-known on an international level, and the affiliate here in the Napa Valley is doing important work with families here in our own community.”

   Dodd’s annual event has raised more than $700,000 for charity organizations, including Community Resources for Children in 2013. Public Relations Consultant Natasha Biasell said that Dodd was present for the dedication of two homes on the corner of Missouri and Taylor streets in Fairfield. 

   “He attended that dedication and spoke as our assemblyman,” she said. 

   In December, Dodd will be using his event to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. All of the proceeds will go toward the organization, which it will use to continue funding its projects, including its first new home build in Napa County.

   “We’re working with the city of Napa to purchase land for the new home build,” Biasell said. 

   The organization will also be working on restoration projects for the homes that were damaged by the earthquake that hit Napa last year. 

   The tournament will be held at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, and it will feature an auction and dinner.

   “I’ve heard that in years prior, the golf tournament has been rained out,” Biasell said. “We’re hoping for great weather this year so that the tournament can take place.”

   The Habitat for Humanity staff has expressed gratitude that Dodd selected their organization for his event.

   “There are an excess of 600 nonprofits in Napa County, and we’re so delighted we are able to be one of them for his event this year,” de Vries said. 

   Dodd’s 16th Annual Holiday Party and Golf Tournament will be held Monday, Dec. 14 at the Silverado Resort in Napa, located at 1600 Atlas Peak Rd. Tickets are $75 for dinner and $175 for golf and dinner and can be purchased at SolanoNapaHabitat.org. For more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities, contact Renee Lawson at (707) 515-0608.