If you’ve always wanted to test out your singing chops in front of an audience, but you haven’t yet found the nerve, you’re in luck!
Beginning Tuesday May 3, St Ambrose Tasting Room will be hosting an open mic from 5-8pm each Tuesday evening. If you’re a seasoned performer (or band), we welcome you, too. Singers, comedians, poets, mimes and jugglers also welcome; variety is the spice of life. We’ll provide an amp and a mic, all our love and support and of course a little liquid courage if you should need it. You should have a basic understanding of how to use the equipment, as we won’t have a sound tech on hand.
Starting at 4pm each Tuesday, performers are welcome to sign up on the clipboard available at the tasting counter, in person only please.
Our tasting room is a great space for performers; each Friday night, all year through, we showcase many talents from around the region. These musicians tell us again & again how much they appreciate our small but charming atmosphere & audience and all the good vibes buzzing around this space. Off the beaten path, we are a great stop on your way home from work, after a day at the beach, or as your main destination for the day.
We’ve got gourmet bites that pair perfectly with our ample assortment of estate meads and wines, and when the weather allows, we have bean bag toss games, Adirondack chairs, and fireflies to set the stage for relaxation. Feel free to kick off your shoes and do some cartwheels in our ample lawn, and listen to a little night music as the sun sets behind the big red barn.
In the tradition of an old fashioned Speakeasy combined with a little bit of Hee Haw, our Open Mic Series here at St Ambrose might just be the best thing to happen to Tuesdays in awhile. In addition to spotlighting up and coming performance artists, we’ll also pass the hat for a community supported donation to local organizations that serve our neighbors in need.
Each week, the tasting room staff will select a worthy cause and share their mission and pass the hat around to all you fine folks. And then we’ll send out a donation with everyone’s name on it. And it will be just as great, if not better, than the rush you get from belting out your tunes, or laughing at your sister’s husband’s stand-up routine.
Come check us out on Tuesdays from 5-8pm starting May 3.
One of the great benefits of our little corner of paradise – beyond the sprawling lake shore, dune forests, fertile farmland, and stunning beauty – is that the elements attract seekers and makers. Our talented artisans and performers draw inspiration from the seasons, and from a life that is not spent waiting in traffic or thwarted by concrete and steel. This allows for an easy connection to the grounding energy from land and lakes, and for some, a way to make a living expressing their creativity.
Everyone who feels the pull to migrate here from other lives has a story of how they found their ZIP code in our beloved Benzie, and each is rich with what sustains them in their artistry. Ask around and you too will find interesting facts about these creative souls.
Our Friday night performer, Jake Frysinger, grew up summering here and then as an adult, made the choice to build a life here with his wife and son. Here’s his story:
On becoming a performer:
“My dad taught me to play the guitar when I was pretty young. I think I was probably around 8 when I started. He said if I practiced everyday for 15 minutes before school for like 6 months or something he would buy me my own guitar. So I stuck with it, and he bought me an electric guitar and a little amp at a pawn shop. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
On making a living:
“I’ve had quite a few different jobs over the years. I spent 5 years at the University of Michigan getting a teaching degree, but I’ve mainly worked in bars and restaurants since 2002. Although I did work at a landscaping job for a year and as a librarian at the Interlochen Center for the Arts for several years also. I’m currently the Sous Chef at the Manitou Restaurant on M-22 between Frankfort and Empire.”
On discovering music:
“I played at a school talent show when I was in 5th grade. A buddy of mine named Jeremy Shive played the drums, so we got together and played some old blues song I can’t even remember the name of. But I remember everybody in the audience going nuts when we got done playing. Maybe I’ve exaggerated the audiences’ reaction 25 years later, but that’s how I like to remember it! From that point on I knew I really enjoyed performing.”
What attracts you to the type of music you perform?
“I listen to a lot of different types of music. My dad had all kinds of records in the house growing up. I enjoyed everything from Johnny Cash to Thelonius Monk. The kind of music I enjoy playing has also changed quite a bit over the years. When I first started it was all blues music. Then I went through a Led Zepplin 1970s rock phase, which transitioned into a heavy metal head banging phase. Then it was reggae, and now I mostly do singer-songwriter type of stuff. I’ve written quite a few songs and recorded an album with a band called Big Pretty and the Red Rockets when I lived in North Carolina. That was a pretty eclectic collection of songs. But now when I play, it’s mostly at bars and restaurants so I do quite a few covers also.”
Most exciting thing you’ve gone through as a musician:
“When I played with Big Pretty and the Red Rockets in North Carolina, we won a battle of the bands at a venue in Raleigh called Kings. The prize for winning was that we got to open for The Drive-By Truckers and Dave Matthews at a show in Raleigh. It was really exciting, but the group split up shortly after that.”
On keeping music fresh:
“Sometimes that can be a bit challenging. But when you play 2 to 3 hour shows, you can’t avoid overlap and playing some of the same songs you play at other shows. Each show has a different group of people in attendance though, so I tell myself that it’s new to them. I’m also fortunate to have a great group of supportive friends and family that come to many of my shows, and that always makes it fun for me.”
Do you play for yourself or the audience – and what about an audience helps you find your groove?
“Both really. It definitely varies from show to show though. Sometimes if I’m in a certain mood, I might just play whatever I feel like. But most of the time I try and play whatever fits the mood or feeling of the venue and the people there. If it’s a rowdy crowd I try and play more up beat stuff. If the crowd feels a little more chill, I try and tone it down to fit that mood. I’m definitely comfortable in both situations though.”
What’s the worst heckling you’ve ever had?
“I can honestly say I don’t remember anything too terrible. I may have just blocked those things out of my mind though.”
What makes you want to be a performer?
“I just really enjoy it. It’s kind of a form of escapism for me, and maybe a little meditative.”
Are you an artist in other forms?
“Definitely not! I wish I was though! My wife is an amazing visual artist in terms of drawing, painting, etc. Some of the stuff she does looks so effortless when she’s doing it, but she produces some incredibly beautiful work. My 5 year old son has already surpassed my drawing skills!”
What’s your favorite St. Ambrose beverage and/or Sleeping Bear Farms product?
“I love all of the draft meads! And the Royal Reserve still mead is amazing! And we’ve always got a jar of Sleeping Bear raw honey around the house.”
So come on in to our tasting room this Friday, April 22, from 6-9 pm and listen to the songs and stories of a treasured local singer/songwriter and bask in the glow of one of the many talented musicians our little piece of heaven boasts as a resident. His voice is both powerful and gentle and his humor and humility are quite disarming for a former Wolverine lineman!
St. Ambrose Cellars participated in the 2016 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. This year’s event featured almost 4,000 wines from 916 wineries, located in all 50 states, 26 countries, and 6 Canadian provinces. 73 judges from 20 countries evaluated the wines that were entered. We’re proud to say our wines held their own in this tough field, scoring four silver and two bronze medals.
Silver Medalists
Cabernet Franc 2013, Crescendo 2013, Merlot 2013, and Syrah 2012 brought back silver medals. These exceptional reds are all available in the tasting room and online right now.
Bronze Medalists
Our new Riesling 2014 and the Cabernet Sauvigon 2013 took bronze at the competition. These two are only going to get better with age!
Check out the full results of the 2016 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition here.
For National Wine Month we thought we’d help you sample some of ours by offering Friday Night Flights – A curated selection of four of our wines, paired perfectly with a tasty palate-pleaser.
This week we’ve got a copious peach, raw honey and 2014 Riesling compote, served over moist and delicious pound cake from Crescent Bakery in Frankfort.
Our stainless steel aged Chardonnay, Late Harvest Vignoles, Pinot Grigio and Royal Reserve Mead will be paired with this dessert. The compote will highlight flavor, complexities and balance of the wines. Food will be prepared in-house, and available Friday night during music from 6-9pm, and throughout the weekend as supplies last.
If you purchase 2 or more bottles of one of these featured in the flight, you can get a 10% discount off the purchase price.
We will also the wonderful music of Blair Miller to accompany this event!
On Friday April 15, accountants all over the land will begin a celebration hailing the end of tax season. The same day, here in the tasting room we’ll be toasting our glasses to special musical guest Blair Miller.
This is our second date with Mr. Miller. To say we’re giddy would be an understatement. This writer recently had the good fortune to catch up with him for a pre-party interview, as the self-proclaimed luddite found a real-life interview more appealing, which only endears him more to us.
His smooth, yet crackly, voice goes down like our own Pepper Honey Mustard (which he loves)— there’s a story in that voice that you know is a little sweet and a little savory, and the way he speaks about the blues? Nicey spicey.
Intriguing with a hint of humility and mystery, Miller is relatively new to the music scene as a performance artist. After retiring as a medical social worker, he started using the new freedom in his schedule to begin a journey as a musician. He picked up a guitar at the age of 13, rocking out to British and American blues covers, finding his groove with the likes of Charlie Patton & Robert Johnson. He then discovered a voice to sing with by the time he was in his 20’s and he found he was moved by something inside himself that lived inside the blues as well.
His musicologist-like passion for the nuances of the Mississippi blues – vs. the more “restrictive” urban and modern 12 bar structure – resonates as he strives to explain the magic that he witnesses as the energy in the music connects with the energy of an audience. His delta spirit music plays out like a deep reservoir of story, history, and reverence for (and supple mastery) of an old-school style of blues. A style of blues that allows for creativity and freedom, steeped in a sound with a direct link to the African poly-rhythms that modern blues have left behind.
It was apparent from our interview that he walks his talk. We have an eclectic array of musical acts for our Friday Night Music series, but Blair Miller, in voice and ardor, is the blues. Join us as we revel in the ambiance of a concert-like venue the skill of this talented solo act commands, Friday April 15 from 6-9 pm. We think you’ll be glad you did.
