The founders of trendsetting wine labels BloodRoot and Reeve Wines, Noah and Kelly Dorrance, will gather with music fans this June for the second annual BloodRoot Ramble.
The two-day music festival in Healdsburg on June 7 and 8 will bring together LA-based indie rockers Lord Huron, along with Andrew Bird, Cautious Clay, and others.
And it’s for an important cause: since losing their niece, Evelyn Dieckhaus, last year in a school shooting in Nashville, the couple have rallied wine and music friends to raise more than $200,000 to advocate for sensible gun ownership legislation.
Proceeds from this year’s Ramble support Giffords, a nonprofit led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Powered by passion
Kelly: “I grew up in a family of responsible gun owners. But having a right to own a weapon should come with—at a minimum—the same type of responsibility you must show to get keys to a car. Gun violence numbers are so rampant that the notion of ‘it will never happen to me,’ is not true. My family is proof. Action has been an antidote for grief, pain, and hopelessness.”
Community support
Kelly: “We feel like we won the lottery living in this beautiful, tight community that’s close to the city, ocean, redwoods, and mountains. Our kids are getting all sorts of amazing experiences.
They also have so many incredible humans around them who lead by example by showing perseverance, open-mindedness, and kindness. They’ve been through quite a lot in their young lives—fires, pandemic, loss of a beloved cousin—and they have felt loved and supported every step of the way.”
Musical genius
Noah: “We really went big for a small local festival by curating a lineup to draw a great crowd. These are the only Bay Area shows for Andrew Bird and Lord Huron this year. Plus, it’s pretty fun to bring Lord Huron back to Healdsburg, since we had them play for 500 people in Healdsburg in 2016 when they were an up-and-coming band. They’ve grown a lot since then. So have we.”
A homegrown festival
Kelly: “There is nothing big, corporate, or slick in anything we do. There are a million reasons why we shouldn’t be pulling off a music festival, but it boils down to the fact that we just want to do it. We are as passionate about music as we are about wine. Nothing makes us feel better than pulling people together for a good time and a good cause.”
The BloodRoot Ramble Festival is June 7 and 8 in Healdsburg. Tickets available online at bloodrootramble.com/tickets