Mill Valley’s storied Sweetwater Music Hall fosters community, offers opportunities for all 

Transforming an iconic local music venue toward sustainability cannot be an easy task. Yet, when circumstances change, and supporters find themselves in a “do or die” situation, they get moving. This is the case with the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.  

Operating as a nonprofit organization since 2021, the Sweetwater’s calendar features acts from Karla Bonoff to Jeff Beck and Taylor Swift tributes to the Bread & Roses 2026 Spring Benefit Concert featuring Ron Artis II and Rainbow Girls on May 14. There also are events for all ages, all supporting a mission to build community.  

Describing the offerings, Sweetwater Executive Director Maria Hoppe says, “There are so many! It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. Our Sunday Brunch free community jams come to mind because they are accessible, for all ages, and enable musicians and fans of live music to gather.”   

Open Mic Night, a 50-plus year Sweetwater tradition, with free admission, also supports the mission of providing musicians of every age and skill level access to the stage.  

The Sweetwater, with its in-house restaurant Rock & Rye, is funded primarily through grants, fundraisers and memberships today. It also can be rented for private events. Despite financial challenges including increasing costs, particularly operational, Hoppe, head of the nonprofit’s board of directors, says, “We are committed to paying both our employees and the musicians that perform here a fair wage.”  

The Sweetwater’s rich history began in the summer of 1972, when Fred Martin purchased The Office, a watering hole at 153 Throckmorton Ave. Martin renovated the space to accommodate live performances with seating for 100. On Nov. 17, 1972, a line stretched around the corner on opening night as acoustic folk‐rock group An Exchange took the stage, beginning a legacy of remarkable performances, including numerous big-name acts and plentiful impromptu jams.

In 1979, Jeanie Patterson and her then-husband Jay acquired the club. Following her divorce in 1985, Jeanie took it over entirely. Before her retirement in 1998 and death in 2019, she transformed it into one of the country’s most respected showcases, booking the likes of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costello, John Lee Hooker, Richie Havens, Clarence Clemons, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Van Morrison and Sammy Hagar.  

In the 1980s, the Times of London hailed it as one of the best nightclubs in America. Among its many notable events were the annual Christmas parties (with the Paramount Gospel Singers, Charles Brown, Freddie Roulette, David Grisman and Pete Sears) that John Goddard, owner of the beloved record store Village Music, staged with Patterson’s help.   

The Mill Valley Public Library today houses an amazing collection of artifacts from Patterson’s time as the Sweetwater’s owner. It includes 71 scrapbooks, 400 photographs, more than 100 audio and video recordings, posters, performer contracts and personal letters and postcards documenting her friendships with musicians who appeared at the club.  

When Patterson retired, the venue was a few days short of closing, prompting a 1998 article in the San Francisco Chronicle with the headline, “11th hour reprieve for Sweetwater.” Two days before the deadline, the Sweetwater was sold to Thomas and Becky Steere, who operated it until failed lease negotiations in September 2007 forced a closure.  

In 2012, a group of dedicated investors and supporters converted the historic Masonic Lodge No. 356 at 19 Corte Madera Ave. into the Sweetwater Music Hall to provide a new generation the opportunity to experience live music and the sense of community the original spot offered.   

On Jan. 27, 2012, the new Sweetwater, with a capacity of 300, opened, with The Outlaws headlining. Investors in the state-of-the-art club and full-service restaurant included Weir, Michael Klein, Dennis Fisco, Maggie O’Donnell, Paul Winston and Ged Roberston.   

Notable events throughout the years include a 2017 fundraiser featuring Huey Lewis and the News on the 40th anniversary of the Mill Valley Film Festival to support restoration of the Sequoia Theater. A benefit concert was held in 2018 for songwriter Bernie Dalton who was battling ALS. When Rosalie Howarth lost her Acoustic Sunrise radio program after 27 years on KFOG, friends packed the house for a send-off in 2018.   

During the pandemic, the Sweetwater closed but was kept afloat by devoted supporters. It reopened on Sept. 3, 2021 as a nonprofit with a nine-person board of directors and executive director Hoppe, who had years of music industry experience.   

Recently, cultural educational programming, including music for children, families and Marin’s underserved population, as well as partnerships, have taken center stage. Hoppe says, “Throughout the year, we host many fundraising events for groups including Bread & Roses, Music Heals International, Sweet Relief, Marin School of the Arts, Kiddo!, SF-Marin Food Bank, California Bluegrass Association, and many more.” 

The Sweetwater Music Hall is at 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley; visit sweetwatermusichall.org.