Hello sunshine, hello summer concerts! It’s June, and as the days get longer, the amplifiers get moved outside. Of the concerts coming to Marin this June, they’re heavy on the guitars, and performers range from young artists to masters of their craft.
We’ve also got more than one outdoor concert on this list. For even more outdoor concerts, be sure to check out our calendar for June events, which includes a list of free and local summer concert series all across Marin.
Peri’s Tavern
Our pick: Fairfax Festival after-party, June 8 @ 6 p.m.
See Peri’s full calendar for live music here.
You know what they say: if it ain’t broke, keep it coming! According to our records, this lineup has graced the Peri’s Tavern stage before — just about one year ago at last year’s Fairfax Festival after-party. Well it’s time for another festival, and these four gems of the Marin music scene return for a whole night of music. Start things off on the patio with the Michael Brown Band, who can deliver both bluesy folk and jump-around rock performances (for proof, see the above photo of him performing at last year’s Fairfax Festival after-party). The night continues, amping up with each act: first DJ Eldon the K.I.D., then the high-energy and horn-filled Soul Ska and lastly The Crooked Stuff, playing their edgy electro-disco to finish off the night.
Peri’s is showing off with great rock acts this month. More concerts to look out for include June 13 by the Dans of Steel (the Bay Area’s favorite Steely Dan tribute band), plus a free double-feature on June 9 from groups Le Minivans and Stonefish.
HopMonk Novato
Our pick: Bill Frisell Trio, June 9 @ 6 p.m.
See HopMonk’s full live music calendar here.
HopMonk’s Cookout Concert Series enters its 11th year this summer, and booker KC Turner always creates an impeccable lineup for these joyful al fresco shows. You’ll be seeing me at the performance by the Bill Frisell Trio, helmed by the revered jazz guitarist Frisell. Expect inventive, emotive music that challenges your preconceptions of melody and genre.
… Okay one more from HopMonk
Sue Foley + Danny Click, June 22 @ 8 p.m., $25
See HopMonk’s full live music calendar here.
For an indoor concert at HopMonk, turn out for blues guitarist Sue Foley as she trades in her pink paisley Telecaster for a special acoustic set. The concert program is dedicated to women pioneers of guitar. There should be some good fingerpicking à la Elizabeth Cotten. Foley will be joined by Danny Click, another talented blues guitarist and a regular performer around Marin.
Sausalito Jazz and Blues by the Bay
Our pick: Maria Muldaur, June 14 @ 6:30 p.m.
See Jazz and Blues by the Bay’s full live music calendar here.
Singer Maria Muldaur made waves on the records charts with the 1973 hit “Midnight at the Oasis,” a soft jazzy tune which surely appears on more than a few ‘70s throwback playlists. In her 55+ year career, she has toured all over the world, won numerous awards and has released countless Americana tracks, especially leaning into blues stylings. We even interviewed her in 2011. Muldaur graces Gabrielson Park with her Red Hot Bluesiana Band, who will be playing New Orleans-influenced blues.
Can’t make it to see Maria? Sausalito Jazz and Blues by the Bay has three other concerts in June, as well as a full calendar of weekly performances that run through mid-September.
Trek Winery
Our pick: Isaiah Tyrelle Boyd, June 21 @ 7 p.m.
See Trek Winery’s full live music calendar here.
Isaiah Tyrelle Boyd made his Broadway debut in the 2021 production of The Book of Mormon, but he has also starred in a host of Bay Area companies. Berkeley Playhouse, Center Rep Theatre in Walnut Creek, Beach Blanket Babylon (may it rest in peace) — he has my vote of confidence. Boyd’s voice has serious range, and he’ll be singing a program of tunes by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Why not “Walk On By” to this Friday night show at Novato’s Trek Winery?
Smiley’s Saloon
Our pick: ¿Qiensave? June 28 @ 8:30 p.m.
See Smiley’s full live music calendar here.
For something a little bit different, head over to Smiley’s for cumbia from ¿Qiensave? A bit of a play on palabras (words), “Qiensave” is a homophone for the Spanish phrase that translates to “Who knows?” Add in a reference to founding member Carlos L. Cortez, who according to the band’s website also goes by Qien, and you’ve got the Salinas urban cumbia group. Get ready to dance to their high-energy music and relish the fun of cumbia, the traditionally Colombian dance genre that has found offshoots across Latin America (including Michoacán, Mexico, where the group traces its roots).
Still more is coming to Smiley’s. For Americana straight out of West Marin, check out LoWatters on June 23.
Sweetwater Music Hall
Our pick: Asher Belsky, June 28 @ 8 p.m.
See Sweetwater’s full live music calendar here.
Seeing Asher Belsky perform at Mill Valley Music Festival this year convinced me to add his June concert to this article. On the festival’s Sweetwater stage, the San Francisco guitarist shredded through Hendrix like a disciple, while the crowd alternated between staring in amazement and bobbing wildly. I recall Belsky quoting the melody to “My Favorite Things” at one point. All the while, the phenomenal Thomas Pridgen hammered away on drums. Belsky will appear at the Sweetwater with his Gibson in hand (he is, of course, endorsed by the guitar company), and singer-songwriter Rachel Barton opens.
This month at Sweetwater, you can also see tenor sax talent Jules Broussard, who has played with artists like Santana, Alice Coltrane, Ray Charles and many more. He dominated as a recording saxophonist in the ‘70s, appearing on records like Betty Davis by Betty Davis, the track “Gypsy” and album Hard Nose the Highway by Van Morrison — just to name a couple. You might see him playing with a tenor sax in one hand and an alto sax in the other. Two-way sax: it’s more than a party trick.
