Sweetwater Music Hall, the storied, not-for-profit venue at 19 Corte Madera Avenue, turns up the heat this summer with a run of shows that underscores its mission to make world-class music accessible to all. Since 1972 the 501(c)(3) has championed creativity and community, and the weeks ahead carry that torch with everything from sea shanties to space rock—plus open-mic nights that nurture the next generation of Bay Area talent.
The calendar kicks off Tuesday, June 10, when singer-songwriter Matt Jaffe presides over the Hall’s beloved Open Mic (7 p.m., no cover). A benefit for Delta Education Collective lights up June 11 as Top-40 powerhouse Pop Fiction turns the room into a dance floor for a cause, followed on June 12 by BandWorks’ youth-to-adult showcase featuring six freshly minted rock outfits. Local favorites Hall Pass bring a slick dose of rock-funk on June 13, while June 14 belongs to Pete Floyd, channeling Pink Floyd’s epochal catalog in immersive fashion.
Father’s Day weekend offers a double feature on June 15: Shark Alley Hobos lead a brunch-time, ZZ Top-themed romp at noon before Josh Zee & Friends deliver sunset-hour pop-rock at 6 p.m. The Crossroads Showcase returns June 16, spotlighting Shangri-La, Southbound Train and Missing Carlos. Psychedelic legend Gong, joined by Rob Crow, lands June 19, and vocal architect Deke Sharon teams with Pacific Edge Voices for a fundraising a cappella masterclass on June 20. All-female Aerosmith tribute RagDolls strut onto the Sweetwater stage June 21, and the monthly Marin Bluegrass Sessions jam anchors the early slot on June 22 before quizmaster Howard Rachelson hosts Trivia Café that evening.
After another no-cover Open Mic on June 24, Sweetwater turns rustic grooves electric with a two-night stand (June 25–26) by Live Dead & Brothers—Berry Oakley and Steve Kimock honoring the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers legacies. Pop-rock outfit Featherborn flies in June 27, and the venue transforms into a glitter-ball time capsule for the third annual Studio 54 Night on June 28.
July opens with gypsy-swing pioneers The Hot Licks on July 3, then Shark Alley Hobos return July 5 to toast the 50th anniversary of Jaws with live music at 8 p.m. and a screening at 9. Blues-harp dynamo Aki Kumar teams with genre-bending songwriter Maurice Tani July 6, while Matt Jaffe’s Open Mic reassembles July 8. The super-group Spaghetti—Jim Campilongo, Sam Reider, Scott Amendola and Mat Muntz—serves a saucy mix of pop, jazz and rock July 10. Classic-rock torch will be aflame July 11 as the Flamin’ Groovies share a bill with The Minks, an all-female Kinks tribute. Reggae star Marlon Asher, joined by DJ Sep, rolls in July 12; funk-rockers The Meaty Ogres and Quench groove hard July 17; acclaimed folk voices Alela Diane and Laura Gibson spellbind July 18; and prog-rock devotees Rash close the series with a rush of Rush classics July 19.
Doors open one hour before each performance. All shows are all-ages and wheelchair accessible. Ticket links, weekly listing updates and membership information—supporting Sweetwater’s workshops, exhibitions and education programs—are available at www.sweetwatermusichall.org. For those who believe in the transformative power of live music, the Sweetwater member community keeps the beat alive for artists and audiences across the Bay Area and beyond.
