On October 1st at San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi will join Steve Earle, special unannounced guests, and the evening’s house band, Sam Grisman Project, to gather in support of Camp Winnarainbow—a circus & performing arts haven for young people, founded in 1975 by hippie icons Wavy Gravy and Jahanara Romney.
Tickets on sale September 1st at 10am at: https://www.presidiotheatre.org/show/camp-winnarainbow-benefit-concert/
For more info visit www.CWRbenefit.org
About the Event
The concert, which will be held at the Presidio Theatre at 7:30pm on October 1st, 2025, is the third annual Toward the Fun(ds) concert benefiting Wavy Gravy’s Camp Winnarainbow. These special events have come to be known for their eclectic lineups of legendary performers in a relaxed, intimate setting, and for the joyful, uplifting tone of the shows. Past performers include Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Billy Strings, Rickie Lee Jones, Peter Rowan, and more. Here is a video of Jackson Browne discussing Camp Winnarainbow at a past event, and here is an example of the kind of special musical moments that transpire organically at these events.
About Camp Winnarainbow
For 50 years, kids, teens, and adults have run away to join the circus at Camp Winnarainbow in beautiful Mendocino County. Campers choose from activities including trapeze, juggling, clowning, unicycling, songwriting, and more. A day begins with a morning reading by Wavy Gravy or another camp leader, including poetry, stories, and daily meditations from texts written by Thich Nhat Hanh, Gary Larson, Pablo Neruda, and others. Drawing from a deep well of performing arts education and strong community building, CWR’s talented staff teaches timing, balance, and, as Wavy Gravy says, “Survival in the 21st century or how to duck with a sense of humor and a dollop of compassion.”
Camp Winnarainbow has a remarkable scholarship program, making it a haven for economically disadvantaged kids and kids of rock stars alike: “Kids from every walk of life come together and make a kind of a universal whole at Camp. Everybody gets something from each other and we end up being a community together and filled with love and wonder.”
About Wavy Gravy
Wavy Gravy, beloved leader of the ‘60s counterculture movement and official clown of the Grateful Dead, turned 89 in May. Born Hugh Romney and re-named by B.B. King, Wavy Gravy has spent his life joyfully bringing communities together through art and fun. Once described by Paul Krassner as “the illegitimate son of Harpo Marx and Mother Teresa,” Wavy Gravy has lived a remarkable life as a poet, clown, and activist. His biography reads like an eclectic Who’s Who, including formative experiences with everyone from Albert Einstein to Thelonious Monk, Lenny Bruce to Harrison Ford, Tiny Tim to Bob Dylan.
He has MC’d every Woodstock festival and produced concerts, relief convoys, protests, and multiple “Nobody for President” campaigns. In 1975, Wavy and his wife Jahanara Romney founded Camp Winnarainbow, a playful safe haven for children to develop life skills through the performing arts. In 1978, he co-founded the Seva Foundation with Dr. Larry Brilliant and Ram Dass. Wavy Gravy is the author of Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living, he is a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor, the subject of the acclaimed 2009 film Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie, and of a podcast entitled American Prankster.
About Steve Earle
Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protégé of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others.
1986 saw the release of his debut record Guitar Town, which shot to No. 1 on the Country Charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts...Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) received consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. Restlessly creative across artistic disciplines, Earle has published both a novel and a collection of short stories; produced albums for other artists such as Joan Baez and Lucinda Williams; and acted in films, television (including David Simon's acclaimed The Wire), and on the stage. He currently hosts a radio show for Sirius XM.
About Sam Grisman Project
Sam Grisman Project, or “SGP,” is a collective of friends and musicians led by bass player Sam Grisman, paying tribute to the musical legacy of Sam’s father David “Dawg” Grisman and his dear friend Jerry Garcia & beyond.
SGP offers evenings of acoustic music around condenser microphones, each with a diverse and dynamic setlist pulling from a vast and ever-expanding catalog of great songs of all kinds, including beloved Garcia/Hunter songs, Dawg music, Bob Dylan deep cuts, traditional tunes, and just about everything in between, including originals from the ensemble’s members. The depth of the musicians’ camaraderie, the excellent choice of material, and the level of skill, intention, individuality, and joy with which they deliver these tunes make Sam Grisman Project feel and sound simultaneously refreshing yet familiar.
About Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks is a GRAMMY-winning guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. His musical style encompasses several genres, and he has twice appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
About Susan Tedeschi
Susan Tedeschi is a GRAMMY-winning singer-guitarist and songwriter whose career as a solo artist and co-leader of Tedeschi Trucks Band has established her as one of the significant roots rock musicians of her generation. A Boston native, Tedeschi emerged on the national scene in the late ‘90s when her breakthrough album Just Won’t Burn (whose 25th anniversary was celebrated in 2023) achieved gold status and she received a Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination.
She has been an active bandleader, performer, and recording artist ever since, releasing 18 albums in 22 years including the most recent, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s acclaimed 4-album epic I Am The Moon, and sharing the stage with dozens of blues and rock icons including B.B. King, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Eric Clapton.
