Sonoma County has officially moved into the orange tier and is now offering fifty percent or 200 person capacity, whichever is lower as indoor dining capacity. Now, after many months, live bands have started to plan their musical performances for their indoor dining partners.

There is a lot coming up this month including regular live band performances at Sonoma County’s largest beer garden, Brewster’s located in Petaluma. Last weekend they offered “Bourbon Blues featuring the Jay Monet Band”, “The Marshall House Project, as well as two different bands on Sunday, the O’Neil & the Finch Bands, along with The BugBee Project.” 

Other local businesses, such as Horse & Plow Winery in Sebastopol, CA also offered live music last weekend from the duo Dos Bandoleros, described on their website, “Dos Bandeleros it’s the exciting project of Raul Vargas from Makru and Alberto Gutierrez from La Mandanga, two of the most creative minds in the Bay Area. Both native from Madrid (Spain) and two regulars in the Latin Music Bay’s scene.” 

It is important to note that many of these are family owned operations. According to their website, “Horse & Plow is a small family run winery based in Sebastopol, Calif., in the heart of the Russian River Valley.”  These local businesses making the commitment to offer live music on a rotating basis as both of these examples have shown are solid examples of maintaining a certain environment and quality control despite circumstances. These events can be easily located on Facebook and other social media channels. Most businesses post their intended musical performance calendar in advance for those interested in attending. 

These events provide locals with opportunities to discover new favorites when it comes to dining and beverages, but also potentially by adding these bands to their radar. Many are eager to enjoy live music again after time away. The state that Sonoma County is in right now is the second to lowest tier rating and more people are becoming vaccinated each day. 

With this ongoing pandemic, surviving businesses have adapted to a new normal but now have the chance to make certain aspects of their former settings feel familiar. A peer who wished to remain anonymous said, “I feel fine going out with people who are vaccinated in a socially distanced environment. I would be comfortable attending a live music event if protocols were being followed by all people attending, which has not always been likely in a public setting.”

If people are able to safely enjoy and support local artists then possibly other performers can return to their perspective stages as well. The entertainment industry has tackled different obstacles throughout the pandemic and has continued to break barriers alongside other industries in order to provide safe service to the public through this time.

Ultimately, live music is a breath of fresh air in any dining setting. There are many reasons why restaurant owners may value live music but this year artists are especially eager to return to their craft and connect with audiences again in a live setting. Allowing patrons to enjoy a restaurant’s ambience and providing an artist with a space is invaluable. As restrictions and rules in the area change, artists can and will adapt to that change in order to maintain the safety and integrity of their craft.