Sweetwater Music Hall

Hot Buttered Rum (HBR) kicked off 2024 with a celebration of its silver anniversary at the Sweetwater in Mill Valley on Saturday, January 27, 2024. Yes, the NorCal bluegrass band and left-coast jam festival staple has been around for 25 years – congrats, boys!

Festival organizers from Noise Pop Industries and The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce are excited to reveal the 2024 music lineup as the boutique, all-ages Mill Valley Music Festival officially returns to Northern California on May 11-12.

I could tell you how their set included fun covers like the Rolling Stones’ “No Expectations,” John Hartford's "Granny Wontcha Smoke Some Marijuana," and Jesse Stone’s “Don’t Let Go” (a familiar Jerry Garcia Band tune for many in the audience who sang along with the refrain). I could tell you they picked and fiddled as tight as ever. I could tell you they had a guest fiddler named Coleman Smith and that he and Piccininni had a lot of fun fiddling eye to eye. So much to tell!

The Bay Area was awash with live music during the final days of 2023. During the week leading up to and including New Year’s Eve, live music fans in the region could choose The String Cheese Incident, LCD Soundsystem, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz, Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew’s “Remain in Light” Talking Heads tribute, Charlie Musselwhite, and Jerry’s Middle Finger, among others. And of course, some folks stayed home to stream Phish.

Midnight North singer Elliott Peck brought some of her friends to Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall on Friday, Dec. 8, for a delightful and powerful headlining gig that showcased her brilliant voice and distinctive songwriting chops. The Sweetwater was packed with veterans of Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads scene as well as other music lovers who have grown to appreciate Peck as one of the Bay Area’s finest performers.

Legendary nonprofit music venue Sweetwater Music Hall is set to celebrate its 51st Anniversary on Friday, November 17, 2023, with a benefit gala. The special event will feature a performance by the iconic San Francisco band The Tubes, with Prairie Prince and Fee Waybill, accompanied by the musical talents of DJ Logic. Additionally, a live auction will offer unique items and experiences to attendees.

The Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA hosted the electrifying jam band Spafford for two incredible nights this past weekend.  Friday night's sold out performance opened up with the cover "Take Your Mama" by classic pop-rock band Scissor Sisters.  Spafford then went into overdrive with the high energy, synth heavy instrumental "Red's Jam" followed directly into fan favorite "Leave the Light On" for a 46 minute extravaganza.

Expect plenty of picking-and-grinning when music-loving friends and family join forces for the Hellman Spring Stomp at Sweetwater Music Hall on Sunday, March 19. The evening of American roots music will feature the Go To Hell Man Band - the children, grandchildren, friends and band mates of the late, great Warren Hellman, founder of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.

Spirit Hustler is modern classic rock from the Bay Area born of an acoustic heart and layered with cosmic electricity. Its self-titled debut (released online 05/22/22) puts a fresh spin on the traditional album with a distinct opener and closer on each side, but rather than an overwrought “concept” album,” this is an album with a creative concept—a Theatre of the Mind in two acts. Imaginative songs are mini-movies inspired by actual experiences and rendered into animated audio art.

Melvin Seals and JGB brought their classic Jerry Garcia Band tunes to the sold out Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA last Saturday night. Both Seals and the original Sweetwater venue have long time ties to Jerry Garcia, making this performance extra sweet for the band and fans alike.

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