Page 1 of Pour Some Vino On Me

Kyrie

Pour Some Sugar On Me

My love for all things 80s music and wine inspired me to open my own winery, Vine'yl Anthems—that and the fact that my parents are rock-n-roll royalty. My mom is still known as the first Pop Princess.

Sure, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson were a close second, but my mom is the original Pop Princess of 80s music. Combine that and her epic love story with my dad, the Bad Boy of an 80s rock band, and you have the makings of a great Hallmark movie—maybe more of an R-rated Hallmark movie.

On the other hand, my life is more like a tragic love story where the girl finds love; then the boy decides he's more interested in the girl's famous parents, so the girl dumps the boy and decides she is done searching for love.

Life on the road is less glamorous than you would think. Sure, I've met tons of famous singers and musicians, but to me, they're just people I call my aunts and uncles. The long hours on the road and sleeping in bunks on the tour bus all get old really fast. Sure, the bunks were cool at first for a young kid—it was almost like having my own little world. But as I got older, I craved real privacy.

By the time I came along, my parents were well into their careers, each taking turns with their world tours so we could all be together. Now, after they've retired from their music careers, we all live together at the Inn located on the vineyard grounds. It's nice to be able to stay in one spot longer than a couple of days.

If I could change one thing in my life, it would be being able to go to a real school with prom, football games, and an actual graduation, not the endless stream of tutors who thought it would be a dream come true to be on tour until they realized the toll that lifestyle can take on a person. I'm not talking about drugs or alcohol; my parents would never allow that. It was the long hours on the tour bus that could make a person go stir-crazy.

Thankfully, that life is behind me now. I've moved on to a life I can build on—a life where I can raise my children in a stable environment. Buying this vineyard three years ago was the starting point for my new future. Now, with a thriving vineyard, winery, and Inn with plans for a venue in the works, all my dreams will soon come true.

Vine'yl Anthems doesn't open for a few more hours, but this is my favorite time to be here—with the lights off and only natural sunlight streaming through the windows. Just me and the stage that's set up for the numerous musical groups that pass through. On some nights, like tonight, we have live bands; on other nights, like tomorrow night, we have Karaoke.

Karaoke night is my favorite night. It gives the average Joe the feeling of being an actual Rock Star.

Maybe one of these days, I'll be brave enough to stand up on that stage in front of an audience and sing again.

Wanting to erase the memory of why I stopped singing for anyone other than myself, I stroll to the giant glass window overlooking the vineyard and start to sing one of my favorite songs.

Crue

Fast Car

The winery is pretty cool, with all the 80s rock-n-roll memorabilia lining the walls—everything from framed pictures to guitars, all signed by the artist. I step closer to the framed photo of a group of four guys with long hair and spandex body suits.

Man, am I glad Rockstars don't dress like anymore. I might have to make a career change if they did—even if these guys are all Rock Gods from the best music decade, their choice of fashion didn't age as well as they all did.

That's why I'm here, to meet with the ultimate 80's Rock God, Bon Vince, lead singer of Kingston Lux, the most famous rock band in history. My band, Zayden Grey, is working on our fourth album, and we want to do a remix of Kingston Lux's number-one-selling single, Sweet Child.

I arrived two hours before opening, and luck was on my side as I pulled on the interictally carved wood door of the winery—instead of meeting resistance as I expected, the door swung open easily. Having a private viewing of the music legends decorating every inch of this place is mind-blowing.

Considering Bon and his wife, Presley, both ruled the airwaves for most of the eighties and well into the nineties, I shouldn't be surprised at all the candid pictures of famous singers and musicians, but damn, the amount autographed pictures and memorabilia colors a picture of a life I never thought was possible.

My road to success has been nothing like the fun, carefree pictures on the wall. My upbringing was more like one of those funhouse mirror rooms where you look into the mirror, and someone you don't even recognize is staring back at you in the reflection.

I'm not saying my life was all bad, but getting bounced from foster home to foster home isn't exactly the ideal life for most kids. Sure, some kids got lucky and were placed with loving, caring foster parents—I, on the other hand, was placed time and time again in families that already had too many foster kids than they could handle.

It wasn't until I met Carl and his wife, Mae. They were an older couple who never had any children. By the time I was placed with them, I was an angry thirteen-year-old with a chip on his shoulder.

Carl taught me to channel my anger into learning how to play the guitar by playing along with some of his favorite rock bands from the '80s. I have Carl and Mae to that for where I am today. And, of course, Bon Vince and his style of music influenced my own. Now, if I can only get him to agree to let my band do a remake of his song, my career will continue down the path I set for myself all those years ago.

A hauntingly seductive voice pulls me out of my thoughts and farther into the darkness of the closed winery. I know Mr. Vince told me to meet him at four o'clock this afternoon when the winery opens, but I couldn't resist the chance to view the inside of the winery without a crush of people wanting my autograph or one of my band members.

The woman at the edge of the stage with her back to me has a voice like I've never heard before. It's a cross between blues and rock, with a hint of something I can't put my finger on.

Her sultry voice fills every inch of the room in a way I've never heard before. Her soulful rendition of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car leaves goosebumps up and down my arms. My feet take on a life of their own as I walk to the edge of the stage, taking one of the acoustic guitars from its stand and quietly sliding the strap over my shoulder so as not to interrupt my little songbird.

The first strum of my pick against the strings of the guitar stops my little songbird from singing and causes her to turn her head to look at me.

"Keep going," I encourage her with a smile, letting my fingers take over the melody and waiting for her to join in.

Hesitantly, she continues the song until the final cord echoes off the walls of the empty room. Our eyes hold, and I feel like I'm looking into the eyes of my future. Does she feel it, too?

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