As California reopens for live events, the popular music festival Sound Summit announced this week that it will welcome fans back to the slopes of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County on Saturday, September 11, for a full day of live music.
Produced as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by nonprofit organization 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 Bay and beyond. To date, Sound Summit has donated $200,000 to Mount Tam.
This year, Sound Summit’s lineup is topped by dynamic Americana group Lukas Nelson & The Promise of The Real and indie-rock sensation Father John Misty. The eclectic lineup of music will also feature retro-cool rock band Allah-Las, high-energy New Orleans brass ensemble Cha Wa, and local powerhouse vocalist Teal Collins.
Riding out the beginning of the pandemic with his father (Willie Nelson) and his brother, Grammy Award-winning Lukas Nelson was forced to hit pause in 2020 for the first time in his life. This month, Nelson testifies to the power of finding a human connection in your family, community and yourself on the brand new album A Few Stars Apart.
Father John Misty recently released Off-Key In Hamburg–his first live album–in March of 2020. He followed that release with Anthem +3, a collection of covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Link Wray, released in July of 2020. Together, Off-Key In Hamburg and Anthem +3 raised over $150,000 for multiple causes including The Recording Academy’s MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, CARE Action and Ground Game LA.
Southern California band Allah-Las mix melodic psychedelic rock, retro garage rock, and sun-filled surf rock into a hypnotic blend that draws you in from the first note. New Orleans brass band Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture with funky grooves and rhythms.
Teal Collins grew up in Mill Valley, and her musical projects include The Mother Truckers. Now, the Teal Collins Band blends rock and soul sounds with Collins’ powerhouse vocal delivery.
Charismatic Bay Area radio personalities “Murph & Mac” (aka Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey) return as Sound Summit’s dynamic Masters of Ceremonies, along with KPFA’s “Dead to the World” radio host Tim Lynch. DJ Andy Cabic, frontman of San Francisco band Vetiver, will also spin tunes between sets.
“Being able to gather with friends and family again and celebrate high atop this treasured mountain after the long and challenging year we’ve all had is a truly joyful and liberating thought,” Sound Summit executive producer Michael Nash says. “We can’t wait.”
Tickets for the daylong Sound Summit festival go on sale Friday, June 25, at 10am and are $115 for adults and $65 for youth 12 and under; children 2 and under are admitted free.
