This piece takes you inside Josh Zee’s year-long revival of a Marin music cornerstone: his monthly Sunday residency at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. It’s about how this Marin native’s roots, collaborations, and family legacy are shaping the wider Bay Area sound.
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Josh Zee’s Marin Residency at Sweetwater Music Hall
Since it started, Zee’s Sunday nights at Sweetwater have become a locals’ favorite. Crowds turn up from all over Marin County—from San Rafael to Sausalito—hoping for that kind of intimate, unpredictable show Marin musicians love.
Mill Valley’s own guitar virtuoso just got booked for another year. That’s a real nod from the venue’s leadership, showing they want Zee’s eclectic style to have a lasting home.
The monthly residency, designed by Sweetwater Executive Director Maria Hoppe, doesn’t really feel like a typical concert series. It’s more like a living salon where Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan rub elbows with Judas Priest and Frank Sinatra.
Zee often invites guests from the local scene—musicians who, like him, call Marin County home. These nights end up feeling both freshly improvised and warmly familiar to fans from Mill Valley, Tiburon, and San Anselmo.
A Marin-Native Guitarist with Deep Roots
Beneath the bluegrass-tinged fireworks, Zee’s show weaves together a bunch of styles that reflect the Bay Area’s wide-ranging musical tastes. One recent night saw a fiery guitar duel with James Nash.
Jonathan Korty brought lively keyboards and harmonica, while Zee’s partner, Teal Collins, delivered a standout vocal turn. The onstage chemistry really mirrors how Marin musicians push each other while keeping that sense of community alive in places like Larkspur and Corte Madera.
The house band keeps things anchored: Angeline Saris on bass, Louie Senor on drums, and Jordan Feinstein on keys. Zee always opens with his own original, “Sweetwater Sunday Night Jam.”
The club has even floated the idea of releasing that jam on a new label. That’d give Marin’s soundscape something tangible and homegrown.
Family Bonds and a Broad Marin Footprint
One of the most Marin things about this story is the intergenerational thread. Zee’s 82-year-old father, Larry Zee, played at Sweetwater’s original incarnation some 45 years ago and recently joined his son onstage.
The scene in Mill Valley gets personal in a way that resonates across Tam Valley and San Rafael. It’s not just a gig—it’s a family tradition woven into the club’s history.
Zee’s influence goes way beyond the Sweetwater stage. He’s the lead guitarist for the AC/DC tribute band AZ/DZ and once fronted a Bon Scott tribute with Bill Burr and Gene Simmons.
Earlier in his career, he played with the post‑grunge band Protein, which put out two major-label albums and toured all over in the 1990s. He and Teal Collins spent two decades leading Mother Truckers, including a memorable stint in Austin to fund their return to Marin.
Maybe that’s why the Marin music scene feels so tightly knit with the wider Bay Area.
What the Marin Community Wins
Josh Zee’s residency is more than just entertainment. It’s become a spark for the Marin County music ecosystem.
- A permanent home for a celebrated guitarist who draws crowds from San Rafael to Sausalito and beyond.
- Mentorship for younger players, like 15-year-old guitarist Julian Nelson, showing that Marin clubs can nurture the next wave.
- Collaborations and guest appearances from Marin musicians, keeping that sense of community strong from Fairfax to Mill Valley.
- Deep local roots with a national edge, thanks to Zee’s Austin years and the Bay Area’s openness to blending rock, roots, and pop standards.
- Plans for new releases tied to Sweetwater Sundays, hinting at more homegrown Marin sounds reaching a wider audience.
From Mill Valley to Terra Linda and Back Again
Marin County’s towns—Mill Valley, San Rafael, Tiburon, San Anselmo, and Terra Linda—keep shaping Zee’s musical story. He’s got strong ties to School of Rock in Terra Linda, where he steps into the mentor role pretty naturally.
Zee’s performances wind their way through the little clusters of venues scattered along the Marin coastline. If you’ve ever lived here, you probably know the weekly pulse of Venice-like foghorns and the sunlit hills around Corte Madera.
Honestly, Zee’s Sunday nights at Sweetwater feel like a true slice of Marin: there’s a sense of home, plenty of heart, and this open-ended feeling about what local artists might pull off next.
Here is the source article for this story: Masterful Marin guitarist gets his own night at Sweetwater Music Hall
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