The 94941 is chock full of incredible live music all year long – it’s built into the fabric of who we are as a community.
That fabric includes major live music festivals like the Mill Valley Music Fest, which drew nearly 10,000 people to town in mid-May, and Sound Summit, one of the biggest and most locally beneficial live music events in town, set in one of the Bay Area’s most spectacular and intimate venues at the historic Mountain Theater, a 4,000-seat natural stone amphitheater atop Mount Tamalpais. That event is set for Sat., Sept. 9.
And don’t get us started on the venerable Sweetwater Music Hall, which has top-notch live music just about every night of the week, as often does the Throckmorton Theatre. And the Mill Valley Arts Commission brings back the Concerts in the Plaza series on September 9-10 with two full days of live music featuring an array of acclaimed local bands, as well as a few exciting special guests.
But this weekend is all about the long-cherished Homestead Valley Music, which returns on August 26th at the Homestead Meadow at the Homestead Valley Community Center, 315 Montford Ave., from 11am-6pm.
The headliner is Mapache, a California-based band featuring vocalists and guitarists Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch, who blend expert harmonies with melodic folk-rock that harkens back to the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Next up is Wolf Jett, whose “Cosmic Mountain Music” boasts the “sound of pure joy.” Original, danceable tunes in the style of classic southern Americana with folk and blues influences, featuring soulful vocals combined with lively improvisation.
DaShawn and Wendy Hickman grew up with the pedal steel taking the lead in the House of God church that his family attended in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. His arrangements harken back to a time when trap drums were utilized in the ‘30s with just a bass drum, tambourine, washboard, and cowbell alongside the lap steel (and then later the pedal steel in the ‘70s) singing the melodies.
Marin County Breakdown is an acoustic string band drawing from traditional bluegrass and old-time, plus some country, blues rock, and jazz to create a contemporary California bluegrass sound.
‘Til Dawn, Youth in Arts A Cappella ensemble is an advanced vocal music program for motivated young artists. `Til Dawn celebrates the value of the arts, encourages positive messages about meaningful social issues, and inspires children of all ages. The group performs a mix of rock, pop, blues, jazz and soul standards and contemporary hits, in addition to original songs by group members.