The Magic of Music in Peacetown!

Sebastian St. James and Jane Fossgreen playing a kickass set in the Abbey!

On April 6, 2025 from 12-7, The Friends of Peacetown provided another full day crammed with music on two stages at the HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol! The day was organized and ran like a well oiled machine with Bill DeCarli at the helm. The Uncle Bill Stratton outdoor stage along with the stage inside the Abbey had alternating bands delivering an array of music with musicians that would make any venue proud. When one band finished in the Abbey, the next band would be starting their set on the outdoor stage. With only a few steps to navigate between stages, the exertion level was next to nothing. So if one is up in age, or may be struggling with mobility in any way, going between the stages was easy. As many music festivals are difficult for some and unless you are young, sometimes the stages are so far apart that they become unmanageable for many people. Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park is one of those festivals. Whereas BottleRock and Mill Valley Music Festivals are far easier to navigate. But this day at the HopMonk was as easy as it gets!

With about 500+ tickets sold, this day at the HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol was a huge success. The music was fantastic! Most of the bands played for about 30 minutes each and all were on fire for the 'compact' sets they performed. Many welcomed special guests and the day seemed to be enjoyed by all. The bands that played that day were as follows: Sonoma Shakers, The Familiar Strangers, Weekend at Bernies, Burrows and Dilbeck, The Sorentinos, Spike Sikes and his Awesome Hotcakes, Sebastian St. James, The Thugz, Onye and the Messengers, The Pulsators, Volker Strifler band, The Soul Section, Freestone Peaches, Marshall House Project and many special guests.

Bubba Formato controlling the sound on the Uncle Bill stage! (And Ken Braziel controlling sound in The Abbey).

A big thank you to Bill DeCarli, Jim Corbett, all the participating musicians, and the HopMonk for bathing this lovely area with plenty of fantastic music, and love!

The super talented, Mingo Lewis Jr. (or as I call him, "The Octopus") in charge of the percussion!

As always, remember..."Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh often, be kind to each other, and never regret anything that made you smile". And of course...see live music, as often as possible, (especially in these difficult times)!

With peace, love, art and music,

Cheryl ☮ ❤️🎵

Here are a few videos from the day. If you like these, check out my You Tube channel, and Please SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/@TheMusicSoupVideo?sub_confirmation=1

Check out The Pulsators blowing the roof off on the Uncle Bill Stratton stage: https://youtu.be/QPQNSVcPUHo?si=alyzbaWjmAbtAewJ

Sebastian St. James and special guests:

Onye and the Messengers:

A few photos from the day...