As California reopens for live music and concerts, Sound Summit is beyond thrilled to welcome back fans to the slopes of Mt. Tam on Saturday, September 11 for a day of great music and stellar views. Topped by dynamic Americana group Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real and indie 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. Charismatic Bay Area 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. DJ Andy Cabic of Vetiver fame will, once again, spin tunes between sets.
Produced as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branches Conservancy, Sound Summit is a musical gathering like no other in the Bay Area. The festival is staged at the historic Mountain Theater, a 4,000-seat natural stone amphitheater with stunning views of San Francisco Bay and beyond. Add a sun-filled day, a resonant cause, and a healthy dose of joy, spice generously with stellar music, and you have a recipe for a magical mountain brew. Fueled by past musical acts Wilco, Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jim James, Grace Potter, Los Lobos, Dr. John & The Night Trippers, Bill Frisell, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Mother Hips, The Stone Foxes, Con Brio, and many more, Sound Summit has donated $200,000 to Mount Tam to date.
“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,” says executive producer Michael Nash. “We can’t wait.”
Tickets for the daylong festival go on sale Friday, June 25 at 10:00 am and are $115 for adults and $65 for youth 12 and under; children 2 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit SoundSummit.net. Gates open at 10:00 am; music from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm.
About Roots & Branches Conservancy
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.
Towards 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.
WHAT:
Sound Summit
WHEN:
Saturday, September 11
Gates open at 10:00 am; music from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm.
WHERE:
The historic Mountain Theater, Ridgecrest Blvd in Mount Tamalpais State Park
TICKETS:
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 25 at 10:00 am
$115 for adults, $65 for youth 12 and under; children 2 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit SoundSummit.net.
WHO:
Sound Summit’s stellar lineup features musical performances by the following artists:
Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real
Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real is an acclaimed Americana rock band that has toured relentlessly for more than a decade, playing countless sold-out shows and festivals around the world and occasionally serving as Neil Young’s road band. Nelson served as a music consultant to the award-winning film A Star is Born, helping train Bradley Cooper for musical authenticity, and wrote many of the songs on the soundtrack album.
Riding out the beginning of the pandemic with his parents (father Willie Nelson) and his brother, Grammy Award-winning Nelson was forced to hit pause in 2020 for the first time in his life. His brand new album A Few Stars Apart is a testament to finding a human connection: between close family and friends, as well as one’s own heart. The songs reveal what it means to come home again, to be still, and to find community—and yourself.
Father John Misty is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman. He has released four widely acclaimed albums and earned accolades from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork. He’s appeared on Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Father John Misty and his incredible live band have headlined The Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks and have appeared at Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals.
Father John Misty recently released Off-Key In Hamburg, his first live album in March of 2020, and Anthem +3, a collection of covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Link Wray released in July of 2020. Combined, 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-based Allah-Las mix melodic psychedelia, retro garage, and sun-filled surf into a hypnotic blend that draws you in from the first note. One critic referred them as “steeped in pop sensibilities … laced with Northern Soul and lo-fi funk.” Their latest album LAHS showcases their skillful melding of melodies and moods, and ventures into new, exciting territories. Indeed, their growth not just as songwriters, but as performers, arrangers, and producers — is clearly audible.
Eclectic New Orleans brass-band-meets-Mardi-Gras-Indian outfit, Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. “Mardi Gras Indian songs are inherently songs about freedom,” the band’s drummer Joe Gelini says. “And that struggle is as relevant today as it’s ever been.” PopMatters describes the band as "a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”
Teal Collins grew up in Mill Valley, CA bombing down Mt. Tam on a Schwinn cruiser, and finding a lot to love about The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead. Her early introduction to music was through her dad, famous Jazz disc jockey Al, "Jazzbeaux" Collins who taught her how to play the ukulele at the tender age of 5. Her own musical projects include The Mother Truckers, who spent a decade in Austin TX, winning multiple awards at SXSW Music Festival, (Best New Band & Best Roots Rock Band among them), releasing four albums, and extensively touring the U.S. and Europe, as well as penning songs for film and TV. The Teal Collins band blends the feel-good sounds of Rock, Soul & the California sun, all done with powerhouse vocal delivery.
DJ Andy Cabic is a long-time resident of the Bay Area who has filled rooms big and small with sound, both as a DJ and as the singer-songwriter of his group, Vetiver.
KNBR morning show hosts Murph & Mac (aka Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey) will return as the day’s dynamic masters of ceremonies along with KPFA’s “Dead to the World” radio host Tim Lynch.
INFO:
For more information and transportation tips, including shuttle, hiking biking and driving, and an updated concert schedule, please visit SoundSummit.net.
