Singled Out: Pi Jacobs' Weed and Wine

Keavin Wiggins | 09-07-2021

Pi Jacobs Album cover art — Album cover art

Americana singer, songwriter and musician Pi Jacobs just released her new album "Live From Memphis" and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the song "Weed and Wine". Here is the story:

When I was three, we lived in the Baker Street commune in San Francisco, that was the first memory I have of adults sitting around in a circle and smoking weed. Of course, I didn't know it was illegal then, I just thought it was some sort of ritual that was important to grownups. I knew I didn't like to be around stoned people, though. When I was seven, we drove out to see a "commune sister" who had moved to Colorado, and I stayed in the back of the pickup truck in order to get away from the stoned adults. I sang "Ramblin Man" by the Allmans in that truck the whole way to Colorado and back.

I'm not "anti-drug" but the fact that I had so much access to both weed and wine growing up, convinced me that these things are not great for kids. I got into a lot of trouble by starting to drink and smoke so early (about 9 or 10). Being one of the "bad stoner kids" did not do a lot for my already shaky self-esteem. Then compound that with the stupid stuff I did while high, and I ended up feeling like I was the scum of the earth by the time I was just 16. That was when I sobered up--and I was a sober person for 11 years from ages 16-27. Those are some odd ages to be a teetotaler, and at times I felt like I was missing out, but it was really worth it. Eventually, I was able to become a social drinker, but that time of sobriety and working on myself gave me the life-skills I have today.

I now have some fond memories of being a little stoner kid, but they are less about being high, and more about the other hippie kids, and the way we grew up. We had tons of freedom, and we loved nature. We'd go to nude beaches: it was very innocent, having grown up going to them. Nudity was no big deal to us. We'd frolic in the river, then lie around listening to our favorite records for hours on end. We had so much music, literature, theater, nature, and art in our lives, that we felt truly rich. Our dance parties were pretty epic too.

I still love Sonoma County. My husband and I are big cycling enthusiasts, and it's one of the best places in the world to ride: with forests, rivers, cute little towns, the Pacific, and of course, tons of wineries. As an adult, I've become a foodie, and there is a huge organic, farm-to-table movement in Sonoma. Pair that with world class wines, and it's a gourmet paradise! I'm not a big weed person now, but I'm happy it's legal, and that I can enjoy the occasional gummy. It's taken me a long time to have a healthy relationship with all of these things. I'm so grateful for the work that I've done, and the people that have helped me.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the album here