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| Mill Valley Music Fest (Photo: Paige K Parsons / Mill Valley Music Festival) |
Marin County will be the center of the Bay Area music scene this weekend (May 13th and 14th) as the Mill Valley Music Festival returns for its second year – this time as a two-day event – with some much-needed blue skies and clear air forecasted just in time! Michael Franti & Spearhead, Tank and the Bangas, Cake, Valerie June and Marin’s Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) with Adrien Belew, Matt Jaffe and The Alive will grace the stages and tickets remain available as of this writing.
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| Tank & the Bangas |
Festival Director Jim Welte has combined his love of Mill Valley (he’s the Executive Director of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce) and music (he ran mp3.com and wrote for Crawdaddy, Marin Independent Journal and other publications) to create an annual festival in the town that holds the honor for hosting the first rock festival at the KFRC Mount Tamalpais Fantasy Fair & Music Festival back in in June 1967. “With the impact of the pandemic, we were hunting for something that propelled the town into a new dynamic and built on the history of arts and culture and Mill Valley,” Welte says.
“I’m over the moon about our lineup this year and the music is the foundation of this event. Our lineup is a mix of local talent and artists from all around.” Jim takes particular pride in the inclusion of The Alive – A group comprised of students from Tam High whose drummer was thrust into the spotlight on May 13 last year when he jumped on stage to play with Pearl Jam at Oakland Arena. “I immediately reached out to him and his family and said we will have you whenever you want. They are playing on the main stage Sunday and are absolutely worthy of it. This is not a token ‘let’s get some kids on the stage.’ These guys have played all over and will be around for many years to come!”
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| The Alive (Photo: Mill Valley Music Festival) |
“We want to highlight as much local music talent as possible and we’ve partnered with the Sweetwater – an absolute icon – to sponsor the Sweetwater Spotlight Second Stage to highlight Bay Area artists and musical acts from beyond.” That stage will see local artists such as Alex Jordan and Matt Jaffe performing on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Last year’s initial festival went extremely well. “Year one was about getting it right and the experience was most important and we knocked it out of the park. We had the concept and history and then partnered with Noise Pop who is built for this,” Welte says. “There were plenty of lessons learned as we built the plane while flying it.”
With a five-year agreement in place, Welte has paid particular attention to the details of convenience that have a direct impact on the community. They’ve created lots of shuttle services in town and from out of town and will provide tons of bike parking so it doesn’t’ feel like a massive festival with all the hassles and any negative impact on the town.”
“We want to make this something Mill Valley is proud of and that gives back to the town year after year. We’re not Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza and this isn’t going to become something else. Every aspect of this festival is a reflection of our community. We’re showcasing Mill Valley to locals and the Bay Area community and reminding them of everything going on in this town and Marin County.” While three local charities will benefit from this year’s festival, another unique part of Welte’s giving back approach is putting sponsorship dollars toward scholarship tickets for community members who might not be able to afford paying for the experience – nearly 500 tickets this year at last count. “This is not just something for the haves. This festival is for our neighbors and beyond", Welte says.
Given the weather forecast and terrific musical lineup, this seems like a great weekend to start (or continue) an annual musical tradition in Mill Valley. As of this writing, tickets were still available. For tickets and more information, visit www.millvalleymusicfest.com.
