Sip and listen: Don't miss these Summer Music on The Blufftop concerts

Aarik Danielsen, Columbia Daily Tribune
·2 min read
Molly Healey entertains the crowd during last year's Les Bourgeois Vineyard and Winery's Crush Festival.
Molly Healey entertains the crowd during last year's Les Bourgeois Vineyard and Winery's Crush Festival.

Picturesque Missouri River views and palate-pleasing Missouri wine. What, if anything, is missing?

How about Missouri music? The Blufftop at Rocheport unites all three in its Summer Music series, programming a full season of terrific artists from around mid-Missouri and the entire state. Home to Les Bourgeois Vineyards, The Blufftop bears a new name but continues a series that has become a summer tradition.

The whole schedule is packed with quality; here are just nine of the artists ready to set your wine-tasting soundtrack.

More: Keep an eye (and ear) out for these five Pedaler's Jamboree acts

May and June

May 29: Molly Healey Whether solo, with her band or in company with the likes of Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Healey creates an immersive musical experience rooted in her love of strings and facility with folk styles.

June 5: MOSY Preludes at the Pub featuring Prosecco Strings As part of a mission to bring orchestral music from the concert hall into the community, Missouri Symphony Orchestra musicians will perform in a glorious acoustic setting.

June 12: Augusta Cooper Singing as her fingers travel the frets of an upright bass, Cooper cuts a figure resembling Esperanza Spalding and evokes other soul luminaries such as India.Arie and Nina Simone.

July

July 3: Noah Earle One of the finest songwriters to emerge from Missouri, Earle's music tangles folk styles while focusing on life's sweetest, simplest gifts — and the most puzzling parts of being human.

July 17: Kyren Penrose The young singer-songwriter mines the spaces between hard-luck living and everyday beauty, each song communicating something essential about the way we live. Penrose's "Wildflower" is one of the best local releases out so far in 2022.

July 24: Meredith Shaw Shaw counts classic country singers such as Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton as influences; her work channels such strains into a pop, rock and country blend that sounds both timeless and born of this moment's heartbet.

More: Hear several current and former Columbia bands dazzle on new singles

July 31: Josh Runnels Band Known as J.ARTiz, Runnels — a veteran of the band Loose Loose and the creative force behind the Soul Sessions series — plays a sort of "future soul" sound that draws from R&B legends while spinning the music forward.

August and September

Beth Bombara
Beth Bombara

August 7: Rochara Knight and the Honey Doves Backed by an ace band, Knight delivers soul music with a killer voice, natural joie de vivre and clear sense of connection to the genre's history.

September 11: Beth Bombara One of the enduring spirits of the St. Louis scene, Bombara creates rock with a wide-open heartland sensibility and a lyrical specificity that unlocks universal feelings.

Admission for each concert is free. Find the full schedule at https://missouriwine.com/summer-music-on-the-blufftop/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Sip and listen: Don't miss these Summer Music on The Blufftop concerts