06/17/2026
Pairing Wine with Musicians: The Red Clay Strays
Born and bred in the red clay of Mobile, Alabama, the Red Clay Strays are not easy to put in a box. Trust me, I tried. I needed a box big enough to hold Delta blues, gritty h***y tonk, Sun Records rockabilly, Southern rock, gospel soaked soul, and a lead singer in Brandon Coleman whose voice sounds like it was forged in a blast furnace somewhere outside of Mobile. Give up on the box. Just open a bottle and listen.
Their sound is Delta blues, gritty h***y tonk, and Sun Records rockabilly shot through with a palpable darkness , and Coleman’s vocals tie it all together like a preacher who also happens to know three Lynyrd Skynyrd albums by heart. One minute you think you’re listening to Waylon Jennings, the next minute Lynyrd Skynyrd shows up, and then somehow you end up somewhere that sounds like neither and both at the same time. It’s a lot. It’s wonderful.
So what do you pour?
**Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, California.** Big, jammy, a little wild, loaded with dark fruit, pepper, and smoke. This is not a wine that wants to sit quietly in a corner. Two bottles you can grab right at your Pennsylvania Fine Wine and Good Spirits store without having to sweet talk anyone or pretend you know French: **Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel** and **Predator Old Vine Zinfandel**. Both from Lodi, both in the $12 to $16 range. Rich dark berry flavors with layers of spice, plum, pepper and vanilla. They do not apologize for what they are. The Strays would approve.
And for a lighter moment, maybe when “Wondering Why” comes on and you find yourself standing completely still in the middle of wherever you are with a slightly stunned look on your face, reach for a **Grenache** from the Southern Rhone. Warm, tender, a little soulful. The kind of wine that makes you feel things you had not planned on feeling that evening.
Now here is where this pairing gets really good.
The Red Clay Strays are coming to the **TD Pavilion at the Mann Center on August 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM.** If you have never been to the Mann on a warm August night, picture this: you are sitting on one of the finest outdoor stages in the country, tucked into Fairmount Park, with the Philadelphia skyline glowing in the distance, a summer breeze doing exactly what a summer breeze is supposed to do, and a band on stage that is absolutely on fire. It is, in the most sincere possible way, one of the great places on earth to share a bottle of wine with someone you like. Or even someone you tolerate. The setting forgives a lot.
Grab a Gnarly Head at the Pa. state store, throw it in a bag, and go have yourself an evening you will talk about for a while.
I’ll see you there!
