Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes (credit: Sean Walsh)

It is Friday of the four-day BottleRock Napa Festival. A casual glance around reveals multitudes of music-lovers in a variety of fashions, holding first-class disposable wine glasses, and what look to be large Capri Suns filled with, you guessed it, wine.

The sizable outdoor stage areas are framed by clean white tents housing mini-versions of Napa tasting rooms sans free tastes. It is here where a concert-goer can be found taking cover from the heat and saying things like, “I’ve always preferred a nice Rosé.” As well as, “There really is no cell service here.”

At the Boyd Family Vineyard suite, (ironically found next to the Lloyd suite) Joan and Stan Boyd serve up their creations to thirsty visitors. “Coming to BottleRock wasn’t a business decision,” Stan recalls, “We came to drink wine with our friends and to meet some new people.” As the clever Boyd family’s tent features an array of iPhone chargers, it is likely meeting new people has for them been quite effortless since their little home away from vineyard is placed directly in front of the main stage. Joan (who retired from the travel industry to grow wine) mentions, “I’m looking forward to The Black Keys, but also The Shins.”

Over in the Whole Foods Market Garden, families, hipsters and hipster-families dine on gourmet fodder served up by the Napa cuisine elite. They nosh comfortably on specially made tables supported by metal guitar insignia. Grilled mozzarella cheeses, memorable pulled pork sandwiches, cilantro fries and cold coconut milk served in massive fresh coconuts turn the heads of hungry foodies, guiding them from one booth to another. The most common phrase uttered in this sect of the festival is most certainly, “Excuse me, where did you get that?”

(credit: Sean Walsh)

Incredible food, wine and music are the ingredients that have made BottleRock Napa Valley so delicious. The added spice of Stand-Up Comedy however does not fit into the recipe so tastefully. Although the featured acts themselves are known in the comedy world as some of the best, the ‘Comedy Closet’ venue and atmosphere of the festival seem to be all wrong. During his set, Demetri Martin said of the Comedy Closet space, “This is like the Guantanamo of comedy venues, where jokes go to die.” The building is long and wide, dwarfing the tiny stage. It is 7:30 p.m., adrenaline has been pumping for the last six hours and attendees hardly have the attention span to enjoy the subtleties of a stand up performance. C’est la vino. Such issues are bound to happen in the inaugural year of any event of size. Yet, BottleRock Napa is only six months old. That is to say the idea of an ultra-Napa festival was brought to the table half a year ago by locals Gabe Meyers and Bob Vogt. Such a timeline goes to show all that a taste for style and a capable community can accomplish.

One such Napa community member, Designer Richard Von Saal gave the festival its rock-chic aesthetic. The elegance of BottleRock is found in the details, from the aforementioned tables in the food market to the large wooden guitar arch at the entrance, as well as a substantial stone guitar head to be signed by the bands and participants.

(credit: Sean Walsh)

According to Von Saal, “Everyone involved wanted this festival to be Napa, it’s this sophisticated glamour. BottleRock could not be a better chess move in the growth and development of Napa.”

As evening begins to fall, the slightly dusty masses move their way past the standing gardens and mini-wineries toward the main stage to hear Friday’s headliner The Black Keys. Although the crowd is tightly woven together, the stars are out and there is an air of graciousness and civility — as long as no one spills their Merlot. They wait until to emphatic applause, drummer Patrick Carney and guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach take the state-of-the-art stage with their “whatever” swagger and proceed to tear down the house.

Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys (credit: Sean Walsh)

Both Carney and Auerbach begin the show in rock-star leather jackets, but by the end have stripped down to tee-shirts and jeans. Watching the two perform, it’s easy to forget they aren’t just jamming together in a garage with incredible acoustics.

The lights flash THE.BLACK.KEYS and the crowd rudely begins to depart without requesting an encore. It’s understandable however, considering many would be returning for the next two days and need to buy some more socks to be rocked off.

Tickets are already on sale for next year’s BottleRock Napa Valley, although the lineup has obviously yet to be announced. In the meantime, Napa itself can take a breath. The rest of Northern California has had the opportunity to taste the charms of the area and they will be back for more.

(credit: Thinkstock)

Once again, the summer movie season seems to have kicked off just as early as the temperatures began to rise.

Although the official start of summer isn’t until June 21, that hasn’t stopped the release of some of the season’s most anticipated films.

“Iron Man 3” has already raked in millions worldwide and domestically — something Hollywood hopes the rest of the films on this list will do.

And just like summers-past, the sequel trend continues — making up about a third of the list, as well as throwing in some reboots.

Check out some of the most anticipated summer films for 2013 and let us know what you are most looking forward to in the comments below.

Star Trek Into Darkness – May 16
The follow up to J.J. Abrams 2009 blockbuster has the Enterprise crew battling an old nemesis — leaving many fans wondering and anticipating if Chris Pine will deliver one of the most famous Star Trek lines.

Fast and Furious 6 – May 24
After last year’s surprisingly fun “Fast 5,” it’s no surprise that we’re getting another installment in the franchise of sleek cars and hot women.

The Hangover Part III – May 24
The Wolfpack heads back to Vegas in the final installment of the “what happened last night?” series. There’s no wedding this time, but the shenanigans are sure to be just as outrages as the first two films.

After Earth – May 31
Will Smith and son Jaden team up in this post-apocalyptic film, crash landing on Earth 1,000 years after humanity has abandoned the blue planet. Will this sci-fi be the return to glory for director M. Night Shyamalan?

This Is The End – June 12
It’s another apocalypse movie, but this time it’s from the perspective of celebrities. Seth Rogen (who also serves as co-writer) and James Franco reunite in this star-studded comedy that asks the question, how would our beloved celebrities deal with the end of the world?

Man of Steel – June 14
After 2006’s disappointing “Superman Returns,” the Last Son of Krypton gets a reboot in this new tale that has our hero faced with the fear that Earth may not accept him.

This is definitely one of the films I’m most looking forward to seeing. It’s been quite sometime since any film’s trailer has looked quite as mesmerizing as for “Man of Steel.”

World War Z – June 21
Zombies are all the rage right now thanks to the popularity of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” Based on the book of the same title (written by Mel Brooks’ son Max Brooks), the film stars Brad Pitt as a U.N. worker racing to stop the zombie pandemic from eliminating humanity.

Monsters University – June 21
From zombies we move onto monsters. The Pixar prequel takes us back to Sulley and Mike’s college years where they learned to scare. We get a peek into the lives of the best friends at a time when they weren’t necessarily that.

I’m biased — I love Pixar — and I can’t wait for this film.

White House Down – June 28
Remember “Olympus Has Fallen” from earlier this year? Another one-man army saves our president — the only difference is Jamie Foxx is much younger than Morgan Freeman.

The Lone Ranger – July 3
Disney has been pretty good to Johnny Depp, and the return of the masked Texan has been getting plenty of hype to continue that streak. Captain Jack Sparrow hangs up his sword as he steps into the role of Tonto. Let’s hope this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film is as entertaining as the pair’s first pirate adventure.

Despicable Me 2 – July 3
Steve Carell returns as the former villain turned dad to help fight a powerful new super criminal. His minions still look cute, and I hope the film will be as entertaining as the first — but please don’t spawn into too many sequels.

The Way, Way Back – July 5
This is probably the closest to an indie film on our list, but you can’t ignore the star-power brought to this film (also staring Steve Carell). Though you might not know the names of writers and directors Nat Faxon (“Ben and Kate”) and Jim Rash (“Community”), you might remember 2011′s “The Descendants,” which garnered them both an Oscar for writing. The film tells the story of one awkward teenager coming into his own through the unlikely friendship with a water park employee (Sam Rockwell). It’s just not summer without a coming of age tale.

Pacific Rim – July 12
Honestly, this film looks a bit ridiculous with it’s MechWarrior-like story, and there is only one reason to see it — director Guillermo del Toro. He has given us the beautiful “Pan’s Labyrinth” and most recently co-wrote “The Hobbit” trilogy. The renowned Mexican director has given us some visually beautiful and entertaining films. So, this one is definitely worth giving a shot.

The Wolverine – July 26
It’s another superhero reboot. After 2009′s awful “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” fans needed a break from our clawed hero. Taking a note from many superhero films of late, (i.e. “The Dark Knight,” and “Man of Steel”) “The Wolverine” also gets dark and gritty, stripping our hero to his most vulnerable state.

2 Guns – August 2
It’s a shoot ‘em up staring Denzel Washington (probably playing the same role he’s played since 2001′s “Training Day”) and Mark Wahlberg (also playing a familiar role). Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (“Contraband” — which also stared Wahlberg), this is bound to be the obligatory standard summer action film.

Elysium – August 9
Set in the future, the privileged and poor live in separate worlds — much like last year’s “Total Recall” remake. This is director Neill Blomkamp’s first feature film since his 2009 debut with “District 9.” Staring Matt Damon, this film looks just as visually stunning as “District 9” did when it surprised audiences, coming out of nowhere.

Kick-Ass 2 – August 16
It’s the return of the high-school heroes, but this time they have created a Justice League of their own as many more suit up in this comic book sequel.

The World’s End – August 23
This is the final film in what is known as the “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy,” which includes 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead” and 2007’s “Hot Fuzz” — all three are directed by Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg (also in “Star Trek Into Darkness”) and Nick Frost.

There’s no doubt this is going to be one of the “guy films” of the summer. The general story is about a group of male friends going out on an epic pub crawl, which of course leads to all sorts of tomfoolery. Oh, did I mention it’s also about aliens?

The Armored Avenger returns!

“Iron Man 3″ does something very few threequels have accomplished, and many more fail to do: stay fresh.

True, unlike most franchises, director Shane Black (replacing series director Jon Favreau) doesn’t have to reintroduce us to the characters years later, but we’ve seen this Iron Man in four films in the last five years, so it’s easy to quickly get tired of seeing the same thing. Still, Black crafts new life for the superhero by taking Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark out of his comfort zone.

Picking up where last summer’s blockbuster hit “The Avengers” left off, we see a more agile Stark fearing for the safety of his loved ones since his near-death fall from space. His home is destroyed (don’t worry it’s not a spoiler, this part is in the trailers), forcing him out onto the “streets” and fending for himself.

Instead of being introduced to many more characters like we were in the second film (Black Widow, Hammer, Ivan Vanko, Nick Fury and even a new Rhodes), we get to enjoy more screen time from our hero. After all, between all the action and comic nerdiness, Iron Man is what audiences want to see, not People magazine’s most beautiful woman (sorry, Pepper).

Much like “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3″ is full of action, wit and enduring characters that continue to demand the audiences’ attention.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of the film is all the suits — much more suits. Without spoiling the end, all I will say is this is the most action-packed ending of all three Iron Man films. It might even top “The Avengers” (feel free to argue in the comments).

Without a doubt, this film will dominate the box office as one of the season’s must-see films.

By the way, don’t forget to stick around for the post-credits scene.

Rockabilly music and its fans are a unique cultural faction that celebrates ‘50s style as much as the twangy, frenetic sound.

At a Reverend Horton Heat show at Ace of Spades on Tuesday night, the crowd was littered with men with slicked-back hear, rolled-up sleeves and high-waist slacks. Women with big skirts, bigger hair and smeared in bright red lipstick were also out in full force.

Since the rockabilly sound is so adaptable, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the bill was an eccentric collection of bands that spanned a gamut of genres.

Matt W. Gage and his band took the stage first and their off-key, out-of-tune country twang played to a sparse crowd that either wasn’t interested in the tunes, or hadn’t lubed up enough yet to abandon their reticence. The band played a collection of straight-forward southern party rock that, admittedly, might have played better with a packed crowd later in the evening.

Guttermouth took the stage next and subsequently antagonized the audience into rapt attention. The punk rock stalwarts and their mouthy lead singer, Mark Adkins, wasted no time working the energy into a froth and didn’t let up until the last crunchy chord was played. Adkins has a reputation for offensive behavior and it was on full display at the show as he called out practically everyone, including audience members, club security and even the venue itself.

However, Adkins’ attitude was in the spirit of punk rock and a savvy concert goer would be remiss if they took the barbs at face value. It was a live-wire act that certainly brought a spark while they ripped through their oeuvre.

Reverend Horton Heat took the stage next and played to a packed floor. They started off the night playing one song from each of their first albums, in order, until taking a break to play a few covers, which included tunes from Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. Gage played a Cash cover earlier in the evening, but the difference was evident as Gage tried to punch it up, while Rev was more, well, reverent.

Highlights included “It’s Martini Time,” “Psychobilly Freakout” and “Galaxie 500.” There was also a mean cover of “Johnny B. Goode” that featured Jim Heath switching to stand-up bass for the track.

The show was drenched in nostalgia and kitsch, the music was a throwback to a bygone era and the cultural appreciation was palpable. With so many modern anxieties that plague us on a daily basis, it’s nice to have a throw-back, old-fashioned good time every once in a while.

SACRAMENTO – CBS Sports 1140 – Following up on the Daytona 500, NASCAR heads for Phoenix this weekend.  What Daytona lacked in excitement, Phoenix makes up for in mystery.

The new “Gen-6” car proved itself at SpeedWeeks as fast, visually interesting and a good driving car for the stars of stock car racing.  Where it failed – some say, badly – is in its passing ability.  Or, lack thereof – many drivers complained that there was absolutely no way to execute a single-car pass, and that only in single-file lines of the big Daytona packs could a driver race for position (downside – you bring three to six cars with you in the line).  Testing of the new car at intermediate tracks has been limited, with just a few sessions at Charlotte Motor Speedway in January.  Not every team was able to get tests completed, due to the then-lack of completed cars…owing to the shortage of parts and pieces available at the time.  Teams will see early in practice exactly how much maneuverability the new car has, but won’t know much about position racing until the Green Flag drops Sunday afternoon.
Phoenix International Raceway hosts just its fourth Cup series event since the one-mile oval was repaved in the Summer of 2011.  Ask people who won last November’s Cup Chase race, and most don’t recall Kevin Harvick’s victory.  They do, however, remember that tensions between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer boiled over when Gordon, frustrated with numerous incidences of contact with Bowyer through the day, intentionally wrecked Bowyer’s Toyota late in the race setting off a brawl between the two teams’ pit crews  (Bowyer says he and Gordon, the Vallejo native, are “fine” these days).

EVENT:                 Subway FreshFit 500

PLACE:                  Phoenix International Raceway, 1 mile oval

DISTANCE:          500 kilometers (312 laps)

DATE/TIME:        Sunday, March 3^rd, 12noon PT/3pm ET

SMOKE SIGNAL:  Local racing promoter and writer Steven Blakesley reports three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion TONY STEWART will appear at the newly constructed 3/8^th mile dirt track at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds for a World Of Outlaws race on Saturday, March 23.  The co-owner of Stewart Haas Racing is well respected for his ability to race – and win – in almost anything with four wheels and an engine.  Stewart owns the WOO teams of dirt racing stars Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz.

McDOWELL SITS OUT:  After finishing a career-best 9^th in the Daytona 500, Michael McDowell and the No. 98 Cup Series team will sit out this weekend’s event.  Team owner Phil Parsons runs a very small shop, and in spite of earning $368,000 for his teams’ top 10 finish at Daytona, the team says it doesn’t have the resources to qualify (the team is not guaranteed to make the show based on owner points) or run this weekend.

CLEMENTS SUSPENDED:  NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements used an unspecified racial term in post-race remarks at Daytona, drawing him a two race suspension by the sanctioning body.  Use of language deemed derogatory on the basis of race, religion, origin or gender is a violation of NASCAR’s code of conduct.  Clements has said his use of such language was inappropriate, and will not appeal.

SATURDAY RACING CALENDAR:

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Phoenix

NASCAR K&N West Series, Phoenix

Grand Am ROLEX Sports Car Series at Circuit of the Americas, Austin TX

AMA Supercross, St. Louis (delayed TV coverage Sunday, 9am, CBS)