Our first installment of Indie Artists & Wine series. Tonight features Julie Peel, Shira Goldberg and Alexa Wilkinson. As part of show we are offering a special deal on our Spring releases - $5.00 glasses / $15 carafes of our delicious handmade wines. Enjoy a sneak peek at our Lake County Syrah, Downtown White and Malbec.

Tickets are only - $10 in advance/$12 at the door

ABOUT JULIE PEEL

Julie Peel unleashed her debut full-length album on American Laundromat Records (ALR) September 22nd 2008, and has been enjoying rave reviews and charting at college & specialty radio ever since. Previously featured on ALR compilations, this is Julie’s first solo full-length release. She counts Aimee Mann, Kim Deal, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell among her influences, and their impact is not hard to discern on Near the Sun. Julie’s lo-fi, guitar-driven pop recalls the likes of Ida, Anna Ternheim, Caithlin de Marrais, and Mirah, but bears her own distinctive indie sensibility and style. Born in Cannes, Julie was raised between France and Canada, and sings entirely in English on this album. As a child, she tended toward self-determination. “At 6,” she explains, “I would take my bike and go for long rides in the countryside... Sometimes I would go fishing by myself.” . That independent spirit is evident throughout Near the Sun, which Julie recorded, mixed, and produced on her own. She plays most of the instruments as well, though she is also joined on bass, cello, and upright bass by Cyrille Catois and on drums by Andreas Dahlbäck

Spontaneity was key in the creation of this album, as evidenced by tracks such as ‘Innocence.’ “I composed it and wrote the lyrics in under an hour, and recorded it very quickly right after,” she reveals. “... I guess this song is what represents me the most.” . The swell of the cello under her honest, melancholy lyrics turn this stand-out track from simple to understatedly sophisticated. “Most of the tracks were first takes,” Julie notes, which manifests itself in a sense of both immediacy and intimacy throughout the album. The undeniably catchy track ‘Living in a Movie,’ replete with irresistible handclaps, seems sent straight from the soundtrack to a film by Michel Gondry or Sofia Coppola. A sweet and somehow cinematic tune that demonstrates Julie’s capability to craft pop songs at once familiar and dream-like, deceptively minimal, ‘Living in a Movie’ is just one of the songs off Near the Sun that compels repeated listens.

ABOUT SHIRA

Shira first picked up a guitar at the age of four. She then proceeded to try to play it like a violin with a chopstick. After becoming frustrated she then stuffed it full of dirt and went to get a snack. It wasn't for another 14 years that she picked up the instrument again. Needless to say, she had matured enough in the interim to abandon the chopstick method and get down to the business of writing songs.

"I grew up in a musician family in what was left of the Catskills" she says "and so I would hear all the classic pop songs and it really influenced me. My goal has always been to write something as timeless as 'The Shadow of Your Smile' or 'They Can't Take That Away From Me'. Even though my music is very much in the rock realm, with electric guitars and whatnot, I will always be guided by that classic sensibility.

Shira's first record My Heart is full of Lightning, Produced by Chris Kuffner, is due out at the end of February 2010.

Check out Shira here

About Alexa Wlikinson

ALEXA WILKINSON is more than meets the eye. Her pretty, girl-next-door face on a petite 5-foot 4-inch frame suggests nothing of the emotional maturity displayed on both her debut album Lullaby Appetite, and her sophmore follow up, Lions. Alexa’s evolution into a musical artist originated from common childhood experiences.

Lullaby Appetite consists of 11 songs that display a unique of blend of music from jazz, rock and folk influences. Penned and performed by Alexa herself, these songs represent her own personal journey through life, love, acceptance, and lessons learned. Her fresh, smooth vocals slide easily around the extremely memorable melodies, toe-tapping rhythms and sprite guitar playing. The lyrics are rich with expression, exposing a vulnerability and honesty without naïvete. Rather there is an emotional maturity of looking at life with an optimistic eye, accepting one s mistakes, and moving on.

Now based out of NYC. Wilkinson has toured and shared the stage with Ingrid Michaelson, Josh Kelley, Natasha Beddingfield, Mieka Pauly, Bess Rogers, Joshua Radin, Vanessa Carlton, Dar Williams, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, and many more. She has had various songs from her both albums featured on MTV's "The Hills", CBS's "NCIS: NY" & "Make It or Break It", and many others. She is an active part of JRI's "Share The Beat" event, promoting the importance and awareness of organ donation.

Check out Alexa Wilkinson here