City Winery owner Michael Dorf has no qualms about diving into a tight, competitive Napa entertainment market and competing head-to-head with the Uptown Theatre for similar acts.
"I believe we built a better mousetrap," he says. "The question is really for the artist: Where would they prefer to play?"
The difference is in the details: City Winery, which opens April 10 with Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn in the $2.5-million renovated Napa Valley Opera House, holds 300 seats. The Uptown has 850 seats.
The audiences for both venues skew toward the baby boomer end of the age range, with fans flocking to see roots, Americana, blues and classic rock artists more often than not.
But the biggest difference lies in the experience. At the Uptown, you can have a beer or glass of wine to go with the show. At City Winery, you'll be tapping into barrels from all over Napa Valley and choosing from a locally sourced menu crafted by chef Joseph Panarello, who arrives fresh from Izzy's Place in the East Bay.
"We're shooting for that higher-end experience," Dorf says. "But I don't think it's ostentatious."
Much like Yoshi's jazz clubs in San Francisco and Oakland, cabaret table seating runs up to the stage. Fans can eat dinner while watching the concert or arrive just for the show and order drinks at their table. There's also a separate restaurant dining area and back patio if you're not into the music, a private dining room and a bar with 35 wine barrels on tap.
A week before Thursday's grand opening, Dorf admits he still has the usual jitters. "You start worrying about, did I remember to invite this person or that person? And will anybody come?"
But he's been through this before. When the first City Winery opened in New York in 2007, it was designed as more of an East Coast crush pad for rich bankers who wanted to make their own wine. When the economy tanked, they were left with thousands of gallons of wine and no one to drink it. So they tapped into the barrels, literally, like a brewer taps a keg, and booked live music to go with the wine.
The musical quotient wasn't much of a leap when you consider Dorf had turned the Knitting Factory into one of the top live music venues in Manhattan in the 1990s. It has since grown into a much larger company whose operations include tours, artist management, events and music production as well as other venues. Now his business is evolving with his own tastes.
"The Knitting Factory worked really well for me where my head was at when I was 23 and came to New York and I wanted an alternative, cool place to hang," he says. "But that's not where my head's at anymore. I'm 51 and I'll admit I enjoy listening to some classic rock and I like to sit on my ass and I want to drink good wine and I want to know where my food comes from."
In Napa, he's banking on fans who will be looking for the exact same experience. Here's a look at the Top 6 shows at City Winery in the next few months:
Thursday, April 10 - Bruce Cockburn, the Canadian singer-songwriter with the heart of a humanitarian and the foresight of an environmentalist - now four decades and 31 albums into his career - finds common ground in folk, blues and rock. 8 p.m. $35-$45.
Friday, April 11 - Patterson Hood, co-founder of the alternative Southern favorites Drive-By Truckers, drops in for a solo evening and tracks off his latest album, "Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance." 8 p.m. $15-$25.
April 29-30 - Graham Nash, twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash, spreads his wings for a solo evening of song and story. 8 p.m. $75-$95.
May 14-15 - Richard Thompson, acclaimed British guitarist and songwriter, plays two all-request shows (Hint: Bring lots of suggestions and dig deep into the catalog, because other people will have the same ones). 8 p.m. $35-$45.
May 16 - Allen Toussaint, storied blues and jazz pianist and veteran producer, brings a dose of New Orleans to Napa after decades of collaborating with the finest in the business, from Paul McCartney to Elvis Costello. 8 p.m. $20-$35.
May 20-21 - Picture two good friends with guitars, swapping tall tales on a front porch, when grisled Americana singer-songwriter Steve Earle teams up with "Sunny Came Home" singer Shawn Colvin for a night of "Songs and Stories, Together on Stage." 8 p.m. $65-$75.
John Beck, director of "The Monks of Vina," writes about entertainment for The Press Democrat. You can reach him at 280-8014 or john@beckmediaproductions.com.
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