Sound Summit: A Benefit for the Mountain

Sound Summit: A Benefit for The Mountain returns to the slopes of Mount Tamalpais on September 17 for a day of great music and celebration with another eclectic lineup featuring Wilco, Los Lobos, Bill Frisell’s Guitar in the Space Age, The Stone Foxes, and more. Charismatic Bay Area radio personalities Murph & Mac (aka Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey) also return as the day’s dynamic masters of ceremonies.

Produced as an annual fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branches Conservancy, the one-day festival is staged at the historic Mountain Theater, a 4000-seat natural stone amphitheater with stunning views of San Francisco Bay. Born in the wake of drastic cuts to the State Parks budget, Sound Summit aims to raise funding for and awareness of the mountain’s needs in the form of a festive event that celebrates this gem of the local landscape.

“Good deed-doing for a very special place in the neighborhood,” is how Sound Summit executive producer Michael Nash describes the intention behind the endeavor. “Last year, Sound Summit reaffirmed everything we felt was resonant about both the event and the beneficiary. In terms of community spirit, it felt like the ultimate backyard party in an astonishingly beautiful backyard.”

Sound Summit is a double entendre meant to evoke both musical gathering and mountain peak and speaks to the goal of one serving to sustain the other. “Our ultimate goal is to have Sound Summit serve as an annual, sustainable revenue source for Mount Tam,” adds Nash. “We hope to do so for many years to come.”

In the wake of Sound Summit 2015, Roots & Branches Conservancy’s announced a $40,000 grant to Mount Tamalpais State Park, allocated to projects with tangible impact in fire prevention, water conservation, emergency equipment, and visitor services.

Sound Summit’s stellar lineup features musical performances by the following artists:

• Wilco – Wilco has been called the “best rock band in America” by NPR and heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “an amazing machine whose six players seem more at one with their music than any rock group working today." Ever eclectic, the band has made a long career of weaving diverse musical influences into a coherent, reverent and wholly unique sound. Their refusal to be categorized and fearless interpretation of musical genres both past and present has ensured their continued critical acclaim and devoted worldwide following.

Described by Rolling Stone as "America's foremost rock impressionists,” Wilco blends its distinctive, indelible songwriting, stunning guitar work, and adventurous ensemble playing into consistently powerful and resonant live performances.

• Los Lobos – For over four decades, Los Lobos has been bringing its self-described “soundtrack of the barrio” – a signature powerhouse mix of rock,
Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music
– to fans far and wide. Still jamming with the same raw intensity of their East L.A. garage band roots, Los Lobos remains every bit as culturally rich, lyrically provocative, musically captivating as they were back in the day.

• Bill Frisell’s Guitar in the Space Age – Hailed by critics as “a revered figure among musicians” and “one of the most sought-after voices in contemporary music,” Bill Frisell continues to astonish with the breadth of his skills and vision. His Guitar In The Space Age project, featuring Greg Liesz (steel guitars), Tony Scherr (bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums), is a dazzling homage to the instrumental popular music of the guitarist’s formative years.

• The Stone Foxes – The Stone Foxes rock. They are San Francisco’s rock band, bearing the torch of their predecessors with the knowledge that rock ‘n roll can move a generation. Their songs are tinged with western darkness, punk, surf, and Americana, but are tied strongly together by their everlasting rock ‘n roll core. Just when you think they can’t rock any harder, they do, and leave you smiling and breathless in the wake.

Tickets for the daylong festival go on sale Friday, June 17 at 10:00 am and are $100 for adults and $50 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 efforts ranges from regional environmental and educational work to the preservation and evolution of artistic and cultural traditions – musical, narrative, and beyond. Wherever possible, we aim to create intersections between the environment and the arts to their mutual benefit.

Towards those ends, our programs entail three key facets – grantmaking, education, and experience. As such, our interests lie in producing resonant community experiences at our events, providing educational components in our programming, and making meaningful contributions to worthy beneficiaries.

We at Roots & Branches feel strongly about both preserving and celebrating treasured Bay Area cultural and environmental resources and evolving others we hope will become equally treasured. Implicit in our name is the concept of connection – past and future, foundation and growth, root and branch – that guides and inspires our goals, our programs, and our development.

WHAT:
Sound Summit: A Benefit for the Mountain

WHEN:
Saturday, September 17, 2016; gates open at 10:00am; music from 11:00am – 7:00pm

WHO:
• Wilco
• Los Lobos
• Bill Frisell’s Guitar in the Space Age
• The Stone Foxes

WHERE:
The historic Mountain Theater, Ridgecrest Blvd in Mount Tamalpais State Park

TICKETS:
Advance tickets available online at Sound Summit.net are $100 for adults; $50 for youth 12 & under; children under 2 are free.

Day of Show tickets are $120 for adults; $60 for youth 12 & under; children under 2 are free.

INFO:
For more information and transportation tips, including shuttle, hiking biking and driving, and an updated concert schedule, please visit SoundSummit.net.