Seventh of many sips....
'Mid-Night-Ser-vice'...I can't say it without stomping a little. What an unreal experience...this was not my Momma's mass!
We showed up at the gates to
Blasted Church at about 9pm. Gates were to open at 9:30 and I thought they'd might open them a little early - wrong. We hung out with some really cool folk for a half hour, but I must admit - it was unusually brisk and although it was fun visiting....I really wanted to sneak back to the truck and turn the seats on. Promptly at 9:30, a couple of cheese wagons (school buses for you city folk) arrived from Penticton with many a blues-goer. We followed on foot down the beautifully lit lane edged with vines on either side. It was breath taking - an we could see that breath!
Once we got closer to the wine shop, we were detoured down a steep drive and under the winery structure above. We emerged on the other side at pool-level and adjacent to the barrel room where the performance was to take place. We were ushered into a huge white tent. This turned out to be a little piece of heaven - wine one one side and BBQ on the other!!!
I was told that the wine selection featured Hatfield's Fuse, a Rose and a Merlot. I settled on the Hatfield's Fuse as it was almost too cold to enjoy the Merlot. Next came the BBQ.
Memphis Blues BBQ put on an unreal spread. Brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, some of the best corn bread I have ever tasted and beans. There was also salad, but I left that for the rabbits....it's really hard to BBQ lettuce! It was fabulous. They did have a few recipe books for sale and we snapped one up.The book is now fairly dogeared. We don't buy BBQ sauce anymore - we make theirs. Mmmmm BBQ.
After we filled up, we left the security of the ring of warmth of a closely guarded upright propane heater and headed inside. It was soooo cool. There were still a few barrels lining the walls and there were white tapers scattered throughout. Stunning. There was a stage at the front, so we headed there - I had seen Ruthie a few times before and I didn't want to miss a thing. Now I'm not as short as she is, but the closer the better as I quickly get lost in the crowd. In due time the band came in...Samantha Banks on drums and 'Slow Burn' Tanya Richardson on 5-string bass and fiddle - now these two are so tight. I love a good baseline and beat and I could get lost in these two for hours. And finally, Ruthie herself on guitar. Now, she is not the tallest in the room, but when she belts out a tune she is 10 feet tall and her stories of her experiences or that of her music make you so comfortable that you could be sitting on her back porch! They delivered a terrific set, but the cold finally chased the 3 Texans with dreds off the stage near 11 or 11:30.The show was totally worth our 10 hour trek through the Rockies
It was a crazy amazing night and we were excited to do it all again the next night. - What better way to pass the day - traipsing through the plethora of Okanagan superb wineries - an oenophile's dream come true.
Meatgoddess recommendations:
Blasted Church - Gewurztraminer, OMG, Nothing Sacred and Big Bang Theory - I have seen the Gerwurz and the Big Bang in Alberta.
Musical Pairings:
Blasted Church - Gewurztraminer: Ruthie Foster
Oh! Susannah
Blasted Church - OMG - Ruthie Foster
Tears of Pain
Blasted Church - Nothing Sacred: Ruthie Foster
Up Above My Head
Blasted Church - Big Bang Theory - Ruthie Foster
Truth
Blasted Church - Merlot -
Death Came-A-Knockin'
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