Clockwise from top left, Lord Huron, a view from the Mountain Theatre, Brokedown in Bakersfield, Sierra Farrell, Kevin Morby, Vinyl and another amazing shot of the view from the venue.
On Sept. 9, 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 – returns to the historic Mountain Theater, a 4,000-seat natural stone amphitheater atop Mount Tamalpais with stunning views of San Francisco Bay and beyond.
Founder Michael Nash produces the event as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by his nonprofit organization, Roots & Branches Conservancy. To date, Sound Summit has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in support to Mount Tam.
For the 2023 edition, Nash & co. have curated a fantastic lineup, headlined by cosmic folk-rock storytellers Lord Huron; spellbinding Americana songstress Sierra Ferrell; captivating modern-day troubadour Kevin Morby; a special reunion of acclaimed Bay Area music collective Brokedown in Bakersfield (Nicki Bluhm, Tim Bluhm, Dan Lebowitz, Steve Adams, Scott Law, Dave Brogan); and Marin County’s own beloved funkmasters Vinyl.
High-spirited KNBR radio personalities Murph & Mac (aka Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey) return as the day’s dynamic Masters of Ceremonies along with KPFA’s “Dead to the World” radio host Tim Lynch. Andy Cabic of Vetiver fame will keep the groove going all day long, spinning records between sets.
Sound Summit is as much a community spirit as it is a community event. The San Francisco Chronicle has called the festival “a day of restorative celebration.” Produced as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branches Conservancy, Sound Summit is staged at the historic Mountain Theater, a 4,000-seat natural stone amphitheater with stunning views of San Francisco, the Bay, and the Pacific beyond. There is no venue like it anywhere in the Bay Area. Fueled by past musical acts such as Wilco, Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The War On Drugs, Grace Potter, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, Father John Misty, Jim James, Los Lobos, Dr. John & The Night Trippers, and many more, Sound Summit has provided $250,000 to Mount Tam to date. And it just recently funded the restoration of the Steep Ravine Trail, the mountain’s most popular, which had been closed to the public for over six months.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 2 at 10am and are $120 for adults and $60 for youth 12 and under; children 2 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets and for more information on the event, parking and shuttles, visit SoundSummit.net. Gates open at 10am; music from 11am–7pm.
Roots & Branches Conservancy is a San Francisco Bay Area-based non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources, both physical and cultural. The broad arc of our mission ranges from regional environmental and educational work to the preservation and evolution of artistic and cultural traditions – musical, visual, narrative, and beyond. Wherever possible, we aim to create intersections between the environment, education, and the arts to their mutual benefit. To those ends, our interests lie in producing resonant community experiences in our events, providing educational components in our programming, and making meaningful contributions to worthy beneficiaries.
Roots & Branches Conservancy was born in the context of drastic cuts in the California State Parks budget and our belief in the power of art and community to gather force for a good cause.
Here’s a clip of one of Lord Huron’s early, and most popular tracks, “Meet Me in the Woods.”