The first weekend in June is becoming unofficially known as Ramble Weekend, as BloodRoot Wines continues its quixotic effort to make Healdsburg a waystation on the alt-rock circuit. Scheduled just two weeks after “the other BR,” Bottle Rock, the one-day-plus music festival will again take over the extensive lawn at Abel de Luna Community Center on Saturday, June 6.
From the outset in 2023, the Ramble was an effort by Kelly and Noah Dorrance, the proprietors of BloodRoot Wines, to pair Sonoma County wines with popular musical talent. But it has also served as a fundraiser for GIFFORDS, a gun violence prevention nonprofit.
The first Bloodroot was held just months after the Dorrances lost their 9-year-old niece in the March 2023 shooting at Nashville’s The Covenant School. Seven were killed in that single-shooter incident; three of them students, including Evelyn Dieckhaus. The organizers pivoted and turned the event into a fundraiser for GIFFORDS: Courage to Fight Gun Violence.
GIFFORDS focuses on legislation and policy solutions to the prevalence of gun violence. It’s named for Gabby Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot at a rally in Tucson in January 2011. She has partially recovered and serves as both an inspiration and an organizer.
Since 2024 the Ramble has turned over some $250,000 to GIFFORDS, a total they hope to increase this year. “I just love their ethos, and I love Gabby. She’s a literal hero,” said Kelly Dorrance, who met Giffords in March when the congresswoman came to Healdsburg.
Yet it’s safe to say most people come for the music, not the issue. There, the Ramble has it covered. “Spoon is my favorite band,” Dorrance said. “And we have asked Spoon to be involved in the Ramble every single year. This time it works.” The five-piece band, formed in Austin in 1993, has a wide following.
But this year the Ramble stage will be a bit smaller than last year, when Ziggy Marley played with nine band members. “So we get to go back to a normal stage,” Dorrance said.
Next-billed is Lucius, a group from Brooklyn formed by singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig in 2007. They soon turned into a four-piece group, and did a world tour behind their album, Wildewoman, in 2014. (They like to dress alike, like twins, which they are not.)
“Then I’m really excited about Tropa Magica,” Dorrance said. “They do something like East L.A. Backyard Cubana … which is going to be awesome. We haven’t had that vibe before.”
Also playing the Saturday, June 6, festival will be Devon Gilfillian, heard not that long ago at the Little Saint second story venue, and the lesser-known Plastic Cherries. “They’re from Salt Lake City, and one of the girls in the band is a friend of ours, and she just really wanted to do it,” Dorrance said.
BloodRoot Ramble is becoming about more than its cause and its music, according to Dorrance. “We learn a lot every year,” she said. “We’re still kind of honing in on what’s the perfect formula. Last year felt so great and it was so fun, but we definitely did not sell enough tickets.
“We’re really trying to lean more into the food and wine, because of where we live,” she continued. They considered a culinary tent, but could not find a sponsor. They will have two wine tents this year, not only to spread out the vendors—one of them will have 20 wines from other local vintners (aside from the Dorrances’ own BloodRoot and Reeve wines). The other vendors have donated a case each, and their wines will be available by the glass or bottle until they are gone.
The VIPs will be well-treated, as always, with a private gathering the evening before and after Ramble, a special seating area and dedicated VIP food vendor at the concert as well as additional extra attention. But everyone feels well-treated at the Ramble: The food is good; the music is great; the vibe is Healdsburg. The event even has a cannabis sponsor this year, Solful—which has a special-edition five-pack of pre-rolls, in one of which is a surprise “golden pass” to the entire Ramble experience.
“For me, a priority is always ambitious small businesses in our community,” Dorrance said of the weed connection. “Like, I have so much appreciation for them, and anyway we can all support each other, it just feeds it. The high tide raises all ships.”
The Ramble will be held Saturday, June 6, from 2-10pm. Tickets still available at bloodrootramble.com.
