Devo Tour 2014, after Gerald Casale launches his new wine brand

Devo Tour 2014

Devo Tour 2014, comes right after Gerald Casale launched his new wine brand this past May 28, at the McLoughlin Gallery, in San Francisco, called The 50 by 50.

Devo, an American rock band formed in 1972, is made up of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The band included two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. Tragically, Gerald lost his brother Bob on February 17, of this year. But the show must – and will – go on with a 2014 tour. Launching on June 18, at Rams Head in Baltimore, Maryland, the band plans on…

This international tour is intended to raise funds for Bob Casales family… for his wife and two children.

Bob Casale ~ July 14, 1952 to February 17, 2014. Casale died of heart failure in Los Angeles on February 17, 2014. He’s survived by his brother Gerald, wife Lisa, and two children (Alex and Samantha).

Here’s a lineup of venues, for anyone wanting another round of Devo, and wanting to support this artist’s family…  a tribute to a very talented man…

THE 50 BY 50

How I came to know about all of this was by being invited to a launch of Gerald Casale’s new wine company project: THE 50 BY 50

ABOUT THE 50 BY 50 from their press release:

Since Pinot Noir grapes don’t thrive in Napa’s Wooden Valley, THE 50 BY 50 went to the best location nearby to purchase the fruit where they do thrive–the Sonoma Coast. Gerald explains, “Our ambitious five-year plan for releasing our first vintage of complex, Bordeaux-style Estate wine is on course. Meanwhile, to launch our 50 by 50 brand, we are offering the 2012 Pinot Noir and 2013 Rose of Pinot Noir as our debut releases.

The fruit for both wines was grown and harvested at Rodger’s Creek, in the Sonoma Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area). Rodger’s Creek vines are 12 years old. The soils are a Kidd stony loam and our grapes came from vines on an approximately nine percent slope at an elevation of 675 feet.” The anchor of THE 50 BY 50 vision and its namesake rests in the creation of its estate house, a realization of a never-built architectural masterpiece known as the “50 by 50” designed over 60 years ago by the pre-eminent, 20th Century Modernist architect Mies Van Der Rohe.

When Jose and I arrived at the McLoughlin Gallery, we were both stuck by the unusual art. This particular piece spoke to me because I am so disappointed by today’s American fast food scene. It has fattened America, left so many undernourished and physically impaired, and it’s not getting any better. It’s getting much worse with the introduction of genetically modified foods. The maladies of today are NOT the maladies that I grew up with… but, after spending $10,000 in one year alone, to get to the bottom of two of my daughters constant stomach pain… and linking back to the introduction of GMO products…  Oh my gawd, oh my gawd, oh my gawd…  Jose asked about the piece and we learned that Gerald Casale had just purchased that piece and this is how this venue was chosen to launch his brand 50 by 50.

I knew I was going to like Gerald Casale…

I’ll always be here to help a rocker gone winer. This is the first, interestingly, who’s actually acknowledged my existence, to the point of inviting me to an event. Jose and I trotted off to San Francisco, with me thinking I’d see a ton of my wine writing buddies… I was aghast to not find one other single wine writer or blogger at the event. I was fine with that, but it just amazed me that I had somehow gotten inside of something so special, without the rest of the wine writing community flocking to an art gallery to enjoy fine wine, a proprietor, and some very unusual art objects. Telling Jose that I didn’t understand how I ‘d gotten onto the guest list in the first place… It’s a normal thing to wonder when you have no connections… Jose asked the PR pro Libby Coffey, “How did you come to invite Jo?”

Without even batting an eyelash, she answered, “Because Jo’s cool!” Okay, I’ll take that. Someone had done her homework, and understood my passion, when I thought no one was looking…

Speaking with Gerald, I realized how special he is. When he said why he was going on tour, my heart went out to him. I hadn’t realized that his brother’s passing was so current, as I now know. I’m so sorry that his family has to experience this… Someone so young and talented… just gone.  He told us that he loves being on stage performing. He’s one of those performers who’s genuinely in love with making others happy, and so he continues to love the limelight… A pied piper who now brings the wine to the party as well as the music.

Instruments: vocals, synthesizer, bass, guitar, and keyboards: The complete package with a kind heart…