Marin County visitors often look for glimpses of the many rockstars who live in its hillsides.
But, for the most part, those efforts are somewhat futile. Sure, they're there. But they're in those hillsides for a reason: they provide great privacy in addition to great beauty.
Still, every now and then, an especially alert tourist may see a somewhat familiar face walking down the street. Beyond that, well, things in Marin appear to be pretty quiet.
Gone are the days of The Ark, the softball games between the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane, and other visible rockstar happenings.
And perhaps most sad of all, gone are the days of dropping in on a Sunday afternoon at The Sweetwater and stumbling into one of the super-famous rockstars strumming a few licks on a guitar. Or discovering someone and something new.
For the past few years, though, after a series of trials and tribulations, a group of Mill Valley locals, including Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, have been working to reopen Sweetwater.
Not in its original location but in a whole new venue with a state of the art sound system linked to Weir's own live-streaming studio that is meant to encourage more big name acts to find value in playing to a tiny group of mostly locals.
Unsurprisingly, it's also all about giving something back to the community that fostered so much talent. Master classes, residencies, open mics will be as much a part of the ongoing schedule as performances by the rockstars themselves. Something for everyone.
Later this month, it finally happens with a soft opening on January 27th.
In fact, some could say it's a Grateful Dead winter in Marin with Phil Lesh also finally settling on a location for his latest venture: Terrapin Crossroads, set to open in San Rafael next month. It, too, will serve up community inclusion in a range of offerings sure to bring woo-hoos from the locals and tourists alike.
Now if we can only get moving on that long awaited (and indefinitely postponed) museum exhibit: Marin Rocks.
