Sound Summit celebrates its 10th anniversary on Saturday, September 13, as CAKE returns to the historic Mountain Theater to headline the daylong festival atop Mount Tamalpais that has brought both exceptional music and benefit to the mountain and Bay Area community alike over the past decade. The ever-engaging band first appeared at Mount Tam Jam in 2013, the show that Sound Summit producer Michael Nash orchestrated and inspired him to launch Sound Summit in 2015.
Joining the genre-defying crowd favorite are female-driven Canadian alt-pop powerhouse Alvvays in their only California performance this year; Stand! - a very special Sound Summit celebration of musical icon Sly & The Family Stone featuring Taj Mahal, Narada Michael Walden, Martin Luther McCoy, Vicki Randle, Rustee Allen, members of Graham Central Station, and more; beloved indie rockers Real Estate; and self-described purveyors of “Cosmic Mountain Music,” Wolf Jett.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) via SoundSummit.net.
“We’re looking forward to another eclectic and memorable day on the mountain,” says Nash. “We thought it would be cool to return to our roots for this benchmark and bring back CAKE to helm the event, and they’re psyched to return. Also, curating this Bay Area celebration of Sly’s legacy with music director Larry Batiste has been particularly joyful. The music and lyrics feel as resonant and topical today as when they were written.”
Staged in a 4,000-seat natural stone amphitheater atop Mount Tam, the annual musical gathering is produced by Roots & Branches Conservancy to raise funds for Mount Tamalpais State Park. Over the past decade, Sound Summit has generated more than $300,000 in support of the mountain, funding an array of meaningful projects from trail restorations and historic building renovations to fire prevention, water conservation, emergency resources, visitor services, and more.
Sound Summit is excited to welcome back perennial emcees Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey — longtime KNBR radio duo known as Murph & Mac from 2006 to 2023. Andy Cabic of Vetiver returns as the all-day DJ, spinning tunes and setting the vibe between sets.
Past Sound Summits have featured legendary performances by Wilco, The War On Drugs, Lord Huron, Sierra Ferrell, Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kurt Vile, Courtney Barnett, Grace Potter, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, Father John Misty, Jim James, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Los Lobos, Dr. John & The Night Trippers, and many more.
WHAT: Sound Summit
WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 2025
Gates open at 10:00 a.m.; Music from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
WHERE:
The historic Mountain Theater, East Ridgecrest Blvd in Mount Tamalpais State Park
TICKETS & INFO:
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. via SoundSummit.net. Adult tickets are $120; youth 12 and under are $60; children 2 and under are free. Reserved Mountain Parking: $65. Round-trip shuttle from Mill Valley: $30. Visit SoundSummit.net for transportation options and full event info.
WHO:
CAKE – popular genre-defying rockers
Alvvays – female-driven Canadian alt-pop juggernaut
Stand! – a very special Sound Summit celebration of musical icon Sly & The Family Stone, featuring an array of special guest artists ft. Taj Mahal, Narada Michael Walden, Martin Luther McCoy, and more, backed by a top-flight Bay Area house band and curated by music director Larry Batiste
Real Estate – beloved, dreamy indie rockers
Wolf Jett – folk, soul, and Americana hybrid
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.
