LODI, CA – On Sunday afternoon, July 26, 2015, Mettler Family Vineyards and Lozano Presents combined to present Blues in the Vineyard and to host a stellar cast of blues artists on the shaded grassy grounds of Mettler’s headquarters just east of Lodi, California. The combination of the immaculately groomed grounds and a cast of blues nobility made for an incredible day of music for those attending.

Headliners for the show were two long-time Bay Area guitar wizards, Ron Thompson and Chris Cain, and former Bay Area tenor sax man and vocalist, Terry Hanck. Their backing band was another group of experienced pros who blended flawlessly with whoever was up front – Jimmy Pugh (recently retired after many years with the Robert Cray Band) on keyboards, Steve Evans (with too many band and recording credits to list) on bass, and Mick Mestek (formerly of Tower of Power) on drums.

Each headliner took a set to present his styles and variations on blues, and then the whole bunch combined on stage at the end of the day to show what kind of blues six incredibly talented musicians can conger as a group. Throughout the day, the audience was dancing, clapping, shouting, and shaking to the musical smorgasbord flooding their ears – everything from vintage Delta slide guitar to raunchy, grinding James Brown funk.

Promoter Ronnie Lozano and his crew should be congratulated for presenting one of the best blues shows of the year. Sound was fantastic all day and was provided by Mark Oesau of Modesto Sound. When complimented, Mark said, “These guys make it easy.” There was excellent food available for purchase, a crew of attentive waitresses floated quietly about to keep blues fans supplied with refreshment, and Mettler Family Vineyards provided one of the nicest venues these blues fans have ever seen.

… Cheryl & Tom Yearnshaw