Mount Tamalpais’ intimate and always hip music festival, Sound Summit, returns on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Mount Tamalpais State Park.
This year’s event features headliners Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile & the Violators, as well as the California Honeydrops, 17-year-old guitar phenom Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge and musician James Wallace, a.k.a. Skyway Man.
That’s an impressive lineup for any festival, let alone a small, single-day one atop beautiful Mt. Tam. Yet, an amazing lineup is nothing new for those who have attended Sound Summit in the past.
When asked how he manages to pull in such relevant and popular acts every year, festival producer and Roots & Branches Conservancy board president Michael Nash said, “Like anyone who loves music and wants to create a resonant event, I think it’s just about staying tuned to what’s happening musically on various fronts and trying to put pieces together that add up to something cool.”
He continued, “Hopefully we’ve done that to the degree that there are artists every year who strike the right chords, so to speak. Ultimately, there are countless options, so it’s at once a creative challenge and adventure.”
Produced as an annual celebration of Mt. Tam by Roots & Branches Conservancy, Sound Summit has raised over $250,000 for Mount Tam to date and funded a broad range of meaningful projects on the mountain, from trail and bridge restorations to fire prevention and water conservation, emergency equipment, visitor services and more.
Some acts that have graced previous Sound Summit stages include Wilco, Lord Huron, The War on Drugs and Kevin Morby. Local Grateful Dead fave Bob Weir frequently shows up unannounced to jam with friends such as Grace Potter, Herbie Hancock and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.
Asked if there have been any acts he’s wanted for the fest but just couldn’t land, Nash plays it cool. “There are so many performers we’d love to have. Some are simply beyond our financial resources; with others, it’s often about timing or plans they already have in the Bay Area. We have a few pursuits we’ve been persistent about that will hopefully bear fruit,” he noted.
The aforementioned intimate setting of Sound Summit is indeed a huge draw. But, as anyone who has attended the festival or any other event at Mount Tamalpais State Park would know, it can be a challenge to ascend the mountain. Buses transport concert goers to the stage while some braver, more athletic souls hike in and out. Yet it often feels like the pilgrimage to the show binds the audience closer together.
Nash agreed, saying, “There is something about this community that’s formed for a day. Bound by an awareness that they’ve all ascended the mountain, one way or another, and come together at this special place in the neighborhood for a memorable and, dare I say, elevated experience. You can absolutely feel that vibe. Everyone can see another, as they gaze out over a stunning vista with a stirring soundtrack to match. You feel like you’ve actually been somewhere.”
Tickets for Sound Summit are $138.50 for adults and $70 for youth 12 & under. Parking at the Summit is now sold out, and bus tickets are $35.The festival encourages attendees to bring blankets or low back chairs as well as seat cushions. Small coolers are welcome with sealed, non-alcoholic beverages, and food and beverages (alcoholic and non) will be sold but are cashless, so bring a credit card.
