Petaluma Music Festival Rocks to Help Keep Music Programs in Petaluma Public Schools

Greetings everyone. Welcome to my latest blog. If you read any of my past blogs or know me personally, you would know I’m a huge live music fan. I’ve been attending shows since I was in my diapers. So whenever I have the chance to photography live music no mater how big or small the act is I try and do it. However since Covid and anxiety over large crowds, I had not attended or photograph any music festivals. When the chance came to photograph one of my favorite early 90’s bands who I never saw live, I decided to make my return to the festival scene. The one I chose was my third time photographing the Petaluma Music Festival.

The Petaluma Music Festival is an annual event held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, that features multiple stages of live music and benefits local public school music programs in the Petaluma Public Schools. The festival featured 3 stages with a diverse lineup of bands. Tthe 2025 event includes The English Beat, Camper Van Beethoven, Ozomatli, Cracker, and more.

The first band that hit the stage was local Petaluma band Sebastian Saint James Band. James is an American Indie Rock-Folk/Blues-influenced singer-songwriter, guitarist, He is best known for his work fronting the bands Hillside Fire and Highway Poets, both award-winning groups. I was really impressed with their set all of the musicians in the band. The audience seemed really into the band. I was impressed with how well they played together. I definitely will be checking out Sebastian again. For more information on the band checkout his website at:

https://www.sebastiansaintjames.com

Next up on the Festival Stage, was the most popular band of the festival and the reason why I attended the show, the band Cracker. The band from from Richmond, Virginia made their debut in 1990.The band consists of lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. The band is known for its diversity a blend of rock, punk, grunge, country, blues, and folk influences. Cracker’s debut album, “Cracker,” released in 1992, featured the hit single “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now),” which topped the U.S. Modern Rock chart. Their next album, “Kerosene Hat” (1993), included popular songs like “Low,” “Get Off This,” and “Euro-Trash Girl”. I first heard of the band in 1991 when I was an A.M. DJ at Emerson College. I was stoked that I finally got to see them play even if it was 30 years after I first heard the band.

The band hit the stage at 1:30 after preforming a live soundcheck of their song “Someday” in front of the fans. The band not currently on a large scale tour did not have their full road crew with them. The only problem I had was their set time. The band was given a 75 minute set instead of 90 that singer David Lowery other band Camper Van Beethoven got. The official set started with “Dr. Bernice” followed by St. Cajetan. After that the crowed exploded when the band launched into “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now). The crowed yelled out the lyrics when the chorus hit. The band continued with “Sweet Potato”, “Pictures of Matchstick” and “Wedding Day”. The next 3 songs were the best of the set. It was started with the bands other rock athem “Low”. The crowed once again sang along with the band as they sang “Be with you, girl Like being low Hey-hey-hey, like being stoned.” The next song was a pleasant surprise a cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Loser”. The event was being held a week from what would have been Jerry’s birthday. This would not be the final Jerry/ Dead bad covers of the festival. After the Garcia tribute the band went back to another one of their classics “Euro-Trash Girl”. The band then closed their set with an Anne Harris cover “Sparrows” and Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”. The band closed out their set with “California Country Boy”.

https://www.crackersoul.com/

Next up was Los Angeles band “Ozomatli”. The band is a Grammy-winning band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1995. They are known for their energetic blend of musical styles, including Latin, hip-hop, funk, reggae, and other global influences. They also are amazing musicians. The band is known for their high energy live shows. The band is also known for their Activism: Ozomatli, is also recognized for their vocal activism and commitment to social justice, addressing issues such as immigrant rights, farm workers’ rights, and education. They were even appointed United States Cultural Ambassadors in 2008. The set included songs from the bands catalog. Unfortunately as it happens at music festivals with multiple stages, I only saw the beginning of their set due to a time conflict on another stage. Checkout the bands site here: https://ozomatli.com

Bella Rayne & Friends

The next artist I wanted to checkout was an 18 year old guitarist named Bella Rayne, who was playing on the “The Petaluma Stage”. The guitarist known for her improvisational solos and unique musical style. Hailing from Northern California, she’s a self-taught musician who draws inspiration from genres like psychedelic rock, 90s grunge, Southern rock, and jam bands, including the Grateful Dead. Bella has received endorsements from Fender. She has also got the attention of publications like Guitar World and was mentioned by her idol, Susan Tedeschi, as an artist to watch.

One of the things I love about music festivals, is opening myself up to bands and different types of music than I usually would see. Every time I go to a music festival, there is always one act that I haven’t heard of that surprises me. In the past bands like Pearl Jam, Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots (I saw photographed Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots with just 1 other photographer) I saw for the first time without knowing any songs. Two days before the 2025 festival I researched all the bands playing on all 3 stages. Before the show, I only knew Cracker and Moonalice.

Bella was my best surprise at this years festival. The 18 year old guitarist, did not sing (at least at this show), she was supported by her musical friends, which included Alex Jordan on Vocals. Alex was one of my favorite artist who use to play Terrapin Crossroads. Terrapin Crossroads, was a music venue, bar, and restaurant open from 2011 until 2021 in San Rafael, California, founded by former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. It was a second home for Bay Area and Marin County bands.

Bella’s set included amazing covers. The show kicked off with Alex Jordan on vocals performing the Grateful Dead’s “Hell in a Bucket”. I couldn’t believe how much Alex sounded like Bob Weir. Lead singer Emerson Rose sounded amazing. This was the first time I saw her perform. The band then played a rocking “Mr. Charlie” with Bella tearing it up on her solos. Highlight of the set was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm.” I didn’t get to see her full set but next time I see her I will make sure I do.

Checkout Bella’s website at: https://www.bella-rayne.com for the latest information including live shows.

After Bella’s set I made my way back to the Festival Stage for Camper Van Beethoven. The band who is fronted by Cracker’s David Lowery. Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock band known for its eclectic mix of styles, including punk rock, folk, ska, and country. I only saw a few songs before having to make it to my third stage of the day.

https://campervanbeethoven.com/home

http://www.moonalice.com/splash

Up next on the schedule was Moonalice peformming on the Lagunitas Brewing Stage. I’ve seen Moonalice a few times over the years. Since I last saw them the band went through a makeover. Moonalice formed from members of the Flying Other Brothers. The band has been touring since May 2007, and has come to the attention of music critics. The band was made up of ten musicians, and led by businessman Roger McNamee.

The jamband added Lester Chambers: Lead vocalist and co-founder of the 1960s psychedelic soul group The Chambers Brothers. Roger McNamee: Guitarist, advisor to the Grateful Dead and U2, and prominent figure in the tech industry. Pete Sears: Bassist and founding member of Jefferson Starship.Barry Sless: Lead guitar and pedal steel.John Molo: Drums (formerly of Bruce Hornsby & The Range and Phil Lesh & Friends): Dylan Chambers: Vocals (Lester Chambers’ son). In 2019 Erika, Rachel, and Chloe Tietjen of acclaimed Americana band the T Sisters joined the band. The sisters recently recently released an EP called “Sheroes,” featuring covers of songs by iconic female artists such as Madonna, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, and Gloria Gaynor. They see this as a way to celebrate and empower women in music.

Moonalice is known for extended jams and improvisational sections within their songs, so expect longer versions of their songs than the studio recordings. They definitely fall into the Jam Band category. Some highlights of the show were covers of “Bird Song” by the Grateful Dead, was originally dedicated to Janis by the band, and then to Jerry Garcia after he passed. The T sisters did a emotional cover of Jefferson Starship “White Rabbit”. Unfortunately who ever was working the sound was having an off night. You could barley hear the vocals everything else sounded great. I spent 5 years as a music manager. I use to stand right by the sound guy and had them fix the sound levels. I look forward to the next time seeing Moonalice again soon.

The final and headliner of the evening was The English Beat. The English Beat, also known as The Beat (and sometimes The British Beat), was an English band formed in Birmingham in 1978. They gained prominence as founding members of the British Two-Tone ska movement, which blended ska, pop, soul, reggae, and punk rock. Their debut album, “I Just Can’t Stop It,” released in 1980, is considered a classic of the genre and produced several Top 10 singles. The band sounded good. I don’t usually listen to that kind of music, but I found them very entertaining.

http://englishbeat.net

I want to thank everyone at the Petaluma Music Festival for putting on a great festival for a great cause. Lets keep music in all public schools! You can find out more information on the festival here: https://petalumamusicfestival.org

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ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography