2020 Sonoma Harvest Music Festival lineup announced

New York rockers X Ambassadors and Pacific Northwest indie band Modest Mouse will headline the third annual Sonoma Harvest Music Festival, which presents 20 national and international acts for two weekends in September at B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen, it was announced Monday.

Two-day festival passes for each weekend, priced at $249 for general admission and $519 for VIPs, will be available at 10 a.m. Tuesday at sonomaharvestmusicfestival.com.

The festival was introduced in 2018 as a one-weekend event by Napa-based BottleRock Presents and drew 6,000 fans the first year. Last year, the Glen Ellen gathering was expanded to two weekends and attendance doubled to approximately 12,000.

“Last year we grew the festival to two weekends, which was a big success,” said Dave Graham, a partner in BottleRock Presents, which also produces the BottleRock Napa Valley festival in late May every year in downtown Napa. “For 2020, each weekend offers a specially curated lineup in arguably one of the most beautiful music festival settings in the world at B.R. Cohn Winery - it will be difficult to choose just one weekend.”

Along with X Ambassadors, the first weekend of the festival - Sept. 12 and 13 - also will feature Australian electronic music duo Empire of the Sun, California rock band Young The Giant, New Zealand indie electric band The Naked and Famous, Chicago-based indie rock band The Wrecks, English rock band The Struts, Australian singer and songwriter Betty Who and three Los Angeles groups: indie pop band Smallpools, alternative rockers Grouplove and rock duo Best Coast.

In addition to Modest Mouse, the second weekend - Sept. 19 and 20 - features Florida rockers Dashboard Confessional, British singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs, New York rockers Joywave, indie pop musician Yoke Lore, San Diego rock trio Almost Monday, as well as four Los Angeles bands: folk rockers Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, and the indie pop bands Fitz and The Tantrums, Saint Motel and Magic Giant.

The lineups for each day of the festival and the on-sale date for single-day passes will announced later.

“We are thrilled to host the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival at the winery for the third consecutive year,” said Pat Roney, CEO/Founder of Vintage Wine Estates, said in a statement. “B.R. Cohn Winery is such an incredible venue to present wine, food and live music. Our musical heritage lives on.”

The venue has a rich history of hosting music events. The winery was founded in 1984 by Bruce Cohn, longtime manager of the Doobie Brothers band. Cohn launched his classic rock festival there in 1987, drawing as many as 6,000 people over two days annually for 28 years. Santa Rosa-based Vintage Wine Estates bought the winery in 2015.

The Sonoma Harvest Music Festival showcases wine and food by Sonoma County’s culinary stars, including Black Pig Meat Co., The Farmer’s Wife, Mariposa Ice Cream, William Tell House and “Cluck U Chicken” by Oenotri, among others.

In addition, the festival will feature B.R. Cohn and other wines from the Vintage Wine Estates portfolio, spirits from Distillery No. 209 and beers from the region’s craft brewers.