Nearly a year after Sophia van der Harst moved her Poekie Nook children's sewing and crafts hub to Tam Junction – and strengthened ties among the bevy of kid-centric businesses around her in the process – she's ready to throw a big ol' three-year-old birthday party.

The celebration, set for Saturday March 18 (1-5pm) promises the chance for free Poekie-making, pizza, cake and music.

​Poekie Nook is the "nook" revolving around the Poekie (rhymes with “spooky”) – a cute, pillowy stuffed animal that has inspired children to “create, craft and imagine” is the central piece of a sewing system that teaches kids a variety of skills. 

The Waldorf-trained Van der Harst created the Poekie, named for a Dutch term of endearment used by many moms in Holland for their babies, in 1998 as one of the founders of The Planet, the children’s drop-in day camp and activity center along Richardson Bay near Seaplane Adventures and the office buildings that house Glassdoor. 

Poekie Nook has become a mini-community center of sorts in Tam Junction, as van der Harst has again arranged with Roco Dance nearby a four-week, dual camp called "Dance in the Morning, Sew in the Afternoon." Van Der Harst's experience with doing that program in 2016 led her to expand the idea to offer to work with the other kid-friendly businesses in the area like Mojo Dojo Karate, Mathnasium, Studio4Art and Proof Lab to allow kids to connect with more than one of them in a day.

The move has been a hit with parents in search of giving their kids more than one option for the fun day while knowing that their transition form one to the other would be supervised.

"It worked very well, and it was easy for me to do," van der Harst says. "We're definitely looking to expand on that concept this summer."

The 411: Poekie Nook is hosting a three-year-old birthday party on Saturday March 18 (1-5pm) with free Poekie-making, pizza, cake and music. 247 Shoreline Highway.

For the past decade, pianist Sara Daneshpour has been racking up awards and prizes around the world and embarking on European tours that have taken her to Russia, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden.
 
On Sunday, March, Daneshpour is set to touch down here in the 94941, as the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society's Marin Chamber Performances concert series continues with a performance by Daneshpour. The concert, set for 5pm at the Mt. Tam United Methodist Church, will include Rameau, Suite; Ravel, Gaspard; Boulez, Incises; Chopin, Barcarolle; and Prokofiev, Toccata. 

Daneshpour is a Laureate of the 2014 Seoul International Music Competition and a 2013 Laureate of the ProLiance Energy Classical Fellowship Awards of the American Pianists Association. She earned her Master’s degree from the Juilliard School and has won first prizes at the 2012 Concours International de Musique du Maroc (Morocco), the 2007 International Russian Music Piano Competition and the 2003 Beethoven Society of America Competition. She is one of only two pianists to be accepted to the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 2013.

The non-profit, all-volunteer Mill Valley Chamber Music Society was founded in 1973 to present exceptional classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices. For its 2016-17 season, the organization has also unveiled a new wrinkle: offering free admission for young adults 18-years old and under (audiences members 15 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult).

​The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents pianist Sara Daneshpour on Sunday, March 12 at 5pm at the Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. Tix $35 for general admission, under 18 free. MORE INFO & TIX.

Dr. Lonny Shavelson returns to the Community Church of Mill Valley on March 12 for his second appearance as part of its free "Who Is Your Neighbor?" forum. In a discussion on end of life options, Shavelson, who wrote the 1995 tome A Chosen Death: The Dying Confront Assisted Suicide, will give a presentation and lead discussion of the California End of Life Option Act.

Shavelson heads the Bay Area End of Life Options team of consultants and patient advocates. He worked for 29 years as an emergency department physician, then seven as a primary care physician in a clinic for immigrants and refugees. He is now a consultant, educator and advocate for patients at the end of their lives who are considering various options, including physician aid-in-dying. He also consults with physicians who have patients requesting aid-in-dying as one possible route to their death. 
 
Shavelson is also a journalist, photographer and filmmaker, and in that capacity, he screened his documentary film on gender identity, "Three to Infinity: Beyond Two Genders," at the Community Church in November 2016.
 
The 411: The Community Church of Mill Valley continues its "Who Is Your Neighbor" series with a presentation by Dr. Lonny Shavelson on "End of Life Options: Understanding the California End of Life Options Act." Sunday, March 12, 4-5:30 p.m. Community Church, 8 Olive Street at Throckmorton Avenue. Admission is free, Donations welcome. Refreshments served.

Artists seeking to synthesize their work around a specific theme often do so implicitly or explicitly.

In her "The Sustainability of Beauty" exhibit at the Throckmorton Theatre from March 7-April 2, San Francisco artist Marlene Sinicki is doing both, turning the principles of sustainability and life-affirming stories about green living into drawings, paintings and digital illustrations AND "green framing" that artwork in sustainably grown American walnut wood by the Artisans of San Francisco.

"The art is centered on the ideals of sustainability as a force that has the potential to challenge the course of environmental crises," Sinicki says. "Just like the scent of the earth after a rain awakens our senses and our innate connection to nature, I want to inspire a desire in people to adopt a socially responsible, generative and positive future."

The "Sustainability of Beauty" series contains both abstract and representational imagery arranged as a journey, from the molecule to the home, with Sinicki using vibrant colors and sensual organic forms using ink, watercolors and pastels. Inspired by the words of Emily Dickenson, Sinicki seeks ‘that phosphorescence, that light within’ in her art.

“I often simplify the complexity of the natural world in order to inspire empathy as well as deepen my understanding of underlying patterns and systems," Sinicki says. "My work is a celebration of the aesthetic that is found in the chaos of nature. In a culture that prizes technology and data, I create visual haikus that make sensual connections with ecology.”

Sinicki has had a diverse career in the arts, including more than 12 years as an art director, storyteller and designer, as well as stints as a documentary and a portrait, editorial, fashion and fine art photographer. Her artwork has garnered her exhibits in San Francisco, Berlin, Munich and Mexico City.

Deeply interested in environmental concerns and climate change, Sinicki creates art that illuminates the wisdom of nature as well as global sustainability opportunities and challenges. She believes that creative expression provides a lens and an opportunity to connect more deeply with complex ideas, to “make the invisible visible” in order to create layers of meaning.

The 411: Marlene Sinicki's "The Sustainability of Beauty" exhibit at the Throckmorton Theatre runs from March 7-April 2. The March 7th opening reception if from 5-7pm, with a second reception set for Saturday, March 25, from 3-5pm. 142 Throckmorton Avenue. Free. The Throckmorton gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 2-6pm. Additional viewing hours during shows or by appointment.

The O'Hanlon Center for the Arts debuted its Art Film Friday series this year, and for its March edition, the center takes a look at the life and work of a British artist who left a deep imprint on the Bay Area.

The Art Film Fridays screening of ​Doug Walker and Regina O'Connell's "RHAG" – the acronym that artist Roy Henry Alexander Gover used for himself – is set for March 10 @ 7pm at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts. It features a post-screening discussion of the film with O'Connell and popcorn and beverages by donation.

Gover was born in London and moved to the Bay Area in 1958. In the years that followed, he landed exhibits at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, alongside Rembrandt, as well as a five-year retrospective at San Francisco MOMA. His art has been collected throughout the United States and Europe.

Gover was also celebrated for producing his own "at home music tapes," which have become underground treasures to some and served as "the music on tour buses, late at night, by many bands in the 1990s as they traveled from gig to gig. He is a  folk hero to many who have listened to him expound about Life – as only Roy could do," according to the Barefoot Art Gallery in San Francisco, which showcases his work. 

“The art of Roy Gover defies simple classification," said Joseph Baird of the North Point Gallery in San Francisco, at an exhibit of Gover’s work there in 1981. "It blends elements of Surrealism, of fantasy, and autobiography with roots that lie in the spare draftsmanship and luminescent washes of several European masters. It is an intensely personal art, closely mirroring the emotional highs and lows of everyday life, yet always disciplined by a strict technical finesse that gives his paintings and drawings their taut order.”

Gover died in October, 2003. "He was truly a modern master," the Barefoot Gallery says.

The 411: The Art Film Fridays screening of ​Doug Walker and Regina O'Connell's "RHAG" is set for March 10 @ 7pm at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Ave. Admission $5. 

Climate change is one of myriad issues on the minds of environmentalists in 2017, and the Outdoor Art Club has lined up two local experts on the subject for "Climate Change: From Local to National Issues," a free event on March 2 at 1pm.

​The event features Huey Johnson, the founder of the Mill Valley-based Resource Renewal Institute – a 32-year-old nonprofit organization that "advances innovative solutions to environmental challenges," as well as Diana L. Moskovitz, the organization's president. Moskovitz oversees RRI's Fish in the Fields Project and Methane Capture Initiative, while Johnson is widely known for his pioneering Investing for Prosperity policy.
​
The 411: "Climate Change: From Local to National Issues" is at 1pm on Thursday, March 2 at the Outdoor Art Club, 1 West Blithedale Avenue. Free.

In the midst of its 50th Anniversary season that has been full of productions that have been drawing rave reviews, the Marin Theatre Company has unveiled details for its "Gala 50! On With the Show!" fundraising gala. The event, set for Saturday, March 18, at the Mill Valley Community Center, features dinner courtesy of Stacy Scott Fine Catering, and "moments of delight with MTC artists and luminaries."

The gala features live and silent auction items and experiences up for bid throughout the evening, including tickets to Hamilton and a backstage tour with one of the actors in San Francisco, as well as a curated wine auction.

The 411: The MTC Gala 50! Marin Theatre Company's 50th Anniversary Season Benefit is on Saturday, March 18 at 5:30 pm at Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Tickets: $295 per person; $575 per couple. Sponsorship tables also available for up to 8 guests. MORE INFO & TIX.

Less than four months ago, Strawberry Resident Sherene Chen took the leap of a life time, jumping from running her Style by Sherene fashion consulting firm to becoming the executive director for Bloom, the renamed 17-year-old, San Rafael-based nonprofit Image for Success.

Since that time, Chen has looked to expand Bloom's footprint by spearheading an organization that has a direct, tangible impact on people’s lives at a critical moment, providing free wardrobes and life skills training to men, women and families transitioning to a life of self-reliance and looking for a job, whether it’s a person just released from prison, someone recovering from substance abuse or a victim of domestic abuse seeking independence.

Bloom organized a vivid display of that work last week, when Chen and company visited the pre-K classes of San Pedro Elementary School in San Rafael to deliver much-needed new shoes. Bloom also gave each child a book and stuffed animal compliments of Kohl’s Cares.

"Most importantly, we were looking to put smiles on the children’s faces and allow them to get back to the business of being a child," Chen says.

​San Pedro’s Pre-K students are part of the Pre-K to 3rd Grade Initiative funded by The Marin Community Foundation (MCF), a five-year countywide collaborative effort designed to close the achievement gap by focusing on early literacy, a precursor to academic success in Marin schools. San Pedro Element school officials Ana Becerra and Maria Velarde helped make the project a reality, along with Bloom’s Children’s Boutique Manager Tamra Phillips. Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce's Janelle Jacoban helped to pass out the shoes and read two stories to the classes.

“It was a blessing to be there for them, to see how a small gift could make such a big difference in their day," Jacoban says. "Being a part of their appreciation and joy was a great reward for me."

MORE INFO ABOUT BLOOM.

Bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., is seemingly an endangered species.

But there's one thing that top Democratic and Republican party donors seem to agree on: their love for solar power. According to data compiled by Oakland-based PowerScout of the 1.5 million rooftops in the top 20 solar markets nationwide, Democratic and Republican party donors installed residential solar systems at roughly equal rates – 3.06 percent of Democratic donors and 2.24 percent of Republicans, respectively.

Using proprietary data w/ machine learning and image recognition, the study has garnered widespread attention from the Wall Street Journal and Quartz in recent weeks, largely due to its findings that support the theory that Republican voters actually want more support of renewable energy over fossil fuels, and are willing to spend to make it happen.

PowerScout, for whom Mill Valley resident Chris Bailey serves as chief financial officer, is a marketplace where consumers can shop for the best local solar providers. HERE'S THE FULL STUDY.

By Charlie Reynolds
​
Stephanie Holdenried’s business is atypical.

That’s by design, and it’s exactly the point, and its uniqueness only enhances its ability to impact her clients as a certified nutrition consultant and equine interactive educator. Through experiential learning, Holdenried uses horses to help her clients better understand themselves while staying present in the moment.

“A horse can tell if you are showing up as your true self or not,” Holdenreid explains. “Horses long for connection and they’re judgment-free animals. My work is about discovering if the client is ready for a connection.”

Our connection to horses dates back centuries, giving them a piercing view into who we are as people, she says.

“We share thousands of years of intimate history with horses and up until about 80 years ago, people interacted with horses everyday,” Holdenried says, noting that horses have a “prey instinct” that has them constantly reading their surroundings and checking for danger.  

As social herd animals, horses have a social sense that receives and emanates information, an “energy” they can read.  As a result, horses have a lot to teach us about who we are and how we “show up” in the world around us,” Holdenried says.

Holdenried tells a story to illustrate that connection: “My client and I were standing at the edge of my paddock. Watching the herd, my client was drawn to one horse in particular. Eventually, that horse broke away from the herd and started coming right towards us, closer and closer when all of a sudden, it turned the other direction and walked away. I asked my client, ‘what happened?’ She told me, ‘I guess he just lost interest or something.’”

Holdenried explained to her client the possibility that the horse actually read her change in desire – that she’d wanted the horse to come over but “self-sabotaged” once it happened and changed her mind, this sending the horse away with her energy.

“I see myself as the translator,” Holdenreid says. “The horse is the one with all the answers. I have over 50 exercises I do with my clients that are all about seeing how we show up in different situations. It’s really about the work on the self. Ultimately the horse is just a mirror.”  

Holdenreid has seen her work cultivate leadership and insists, “The best leaders are ones who truly know themselves.”

Join Stephanie Holdenried on a journey into the past, the wild, and yourself as she uses her partnership with her equine beasts of burden to remove the burdens you may be carrying everyday.   

Holdenried runs private and group sessions as well as hosting special events. Starting this week, Holdenried has created GUTS, Girls Utilizing Their Skills, an all-girls group meeting four times through February and March with the mission of “Empowering girls to be leaders in their families, the communities, and their world with the help of horses.”

The 411: Learn more about Guts here and get more on Stephanie Holdenried's business here.

More than 150 people poured into the Seager Gray Gallery in downtown Mill Valley Tuesday evening to get a glimpse at the new Mill Valley logo designed by award-winning graphic designer Michael Schwab and the array of new merchandise bearing that logo. The event, held on February 7 as part of the Arts Commission’s First Tuesday Artwalk, drew art lovers and City, Chamber and civic leaders to see what Schwab had created.

The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center had commissioned Schwab to design the logo, and the project was spearheaded by Chamber Board Member Kathryn Olson, who told the crowd gathered at Seager Gray about the project's inspiration. 

"The most important thing was that we capture the emotion and the pride that we feel living in this community,” Olson said. “Every time you tell someone you live here there is so much pride, and we’re so privileged to call this place home. Michael has this unbelievable ability to capture a place and a brand and to really distill it down into what’s meaningful to people and the connection that people have with what he creates.” 
​
Schwab talked about his first time visiting Mill Valley, a trip in 1975 to see Jules Broussard with his then-girlfriend at the old Sweetwater. “I just thought I had died and gone to heaven,” he said.

“This was a daunting project – Mill Valley is such a special place,” Schwab said. “Mill Valley has that special light and color and coziness and woodsiness, and I tried to capture that. I wanted it to feel like a woodcut and handcrafted. Hopefully this evokes that wonderful romance of Mill Valley.”

Schwab also showcased some of his other Mill Valley-related artwork at Seager Gray, including designs for Peet’s, the 2013 America’s Cup and Muir Woods National Monument, among others. On February 8, all of the artwork moved over to the at the Mill Valley Chamber & Visitor Center at 85 Throckmorton Ave. in the Depot building, where it will remain on display through February. 

In unveiling the logo, the Chamber also debuted an array of merchandise bearing, below, clockwise from top left:

• Light gray/charcoal gray Felt Tote, 20" x 13.5" ($40).
• Black embroidered Baseball Cap ($30).
• Charcoal gray/black Felt Tote, 20" x 13.5" ($40).
• H2GO stainless steel Thermal Bottle with insulated lid, 17-ounce, in white ($35).
• Black Leather Embossed Journal, 5" x 8.5" ($25).
• H2GO stainless steel Thermal Bottle with insulated lid, 17-ounce, in matte gray ($35).
• Mill Valley Logo Print, 21" x 28" ($100).
  
• Framed Mill Valley Logo Print, 21" x 28" ($300).

All items are available for sale at the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, 85 Throckmorton Ave. (Depot Building), Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-4pm. Call 415.388.9700 to order items for pickup. Here are photos of the thermal bottles and baseball cap:

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James Henry’s lifelong dedication to the martial art of karate has its origins in a youthful, friendly sibling rivalry.

The founder and Shihan – aka grandmaster – of Mojo Dojo Karate in Tam Junction recalls taking karate classes as many as six days a week in high school, but having a difficult time with the basics. He remembers hearing a woman in the class calling him “a hopeless case,” a verbal blow that led him to quit karate – until he realized his brother, four years younger, was going to stay with it.

“I couldn’t let him get ahead of me, so I got right back in there,” he says with a laugh.

Henry says he actually contacted the woman many years later and “she had no recollection of saying that and couldn’t imagine that she ever would,” he adds. Real or imagined, the moment sparked a fire in Henry and his love for karate. Henry Shihan James Henry is a Master Instructor of Beikoku Wado-ryu, a Japanese style of karate. He earned his 1st degree black belt as a teen and was ranked in the yop 10 in the Northeast region, winning more than 300 trophies and competing in the USA Open Karate Championship and USA Karate Junior Olympics.

That fire continues to burn today at Mojo Dojo, where Henry can be found presiding over classes every day.

​Step inside Mojo Dojo Karate and Henry’s roots, and his deep connection to them, are immediately apparent. Above one of the mirror-lined walls are photos that pay homage to the late Shihan Isaac Henry Jr., Henry’s father and the founder and 10th Degree Grandmaster of Beikoku Wado-ryu, the form of karate taught at Mojo. Beikoku translates to "American" and Wado-ryu means "The Way of Peace and Harmony."

Henry’s brother, Shihan Fred, also earned the rank of Judan, 10th degree black belt, and runs the “headquarters dojo” for Beikoku Karate-do Goyukai (BKG) in Long Branch, New Jersey, the Henry family dojo for decades. Henry’s mother, 87-year-old Shihan Katsuko Suzuki Henry (aka Mrs. Shihan), often assists classes at the BKG Dojo to this day.

On a weekday afternoon, a new group of dedicated karate students cycles through Mojo Dojo approximately every 45 minutes, starting with preschoolers and kindergartners and aging up as the afternoon progresses. They each begin the same way: by reciting the Mojo Dojo’s student creed: “I am developing myself in a positive manner, avoiding anything that reduces my mental growth or my physical health. I am developing self-discipline, bringing out the best in myself and others. I am using what I learn in class constructively and defensively, helping myself and my fellow human beings, and never being abusive or offensive. Osu!”

Henry was born in Massachusetts into a military family – an African-American father and a Japanese mother – that lived all over, from New York and Florida to Japan and Pacific Grove, California. Shihan Isaac Henry Jr. first began practicing karate, according to family history, when he fell so deeply for his wife’s date walnut cookies that he found himself putting on way too many pounds. What began as an exercise in losing weight became a practice he stayed with until he passed away seven years ago at the age of 82.

“He was still out on the floor right to the end,” Henry says.
​
James Henry started practicing karate in grade school on Governor’s Island, where the family lived at the time. “I can still remember learning some of our forms and walking home in the dark practicing, as kids do when they learn something new,” Henry says. “I remember really liking what I was doing – it was fun.”

Henry got a job right out of high school at Bell Labs and then earned a degree at Monmouth University while doing so. He worked for a variety of telecom providers for nearly 30 years, tiring of East Coast weather and relocating first to the Los Angeles area and then to the Bay Area in 1993.

All the while, Henry maintained his love for karate and a desire to teach it. He did just that in 2000, leading after-school classes at Marin Country Day School, where his kids attended and where he continues to teach. He then taught at the former Zenergy and later Mojo Fitness space – now the home of Endurance – on Madrona Street in downtown Mill Valley, as well as ad hoc classes at Scout Hall, the Homestead Valley Community Center, the Strawberry Recreation Center and Stagedoor Dance in Sausalito.

​Over the span of six-plus years, Henry had taught enough students that he knew he was ready to open his own dojo in the Beikoku Wado-ryu tradition of his family. In 2007, he did just that, opening Mojo Dojo Karate in Tam Junction on the foundation he’d built. “I had students that started with me at Mojo Fitness and followed me all the way,” Henry says.

Mojo Dojo has grown steadily ever since – 2016 was its best year on record – and Henry, who runs the business with his wife Linda, says he’s been able to expand it from him being the only instructor. That includes Adam Korn, a fifth degree black belt in the Shotokan style of karate who Henry calls “a wonderful instructor.”

“Like anything else, the teachers are everything,” Henry says. “Each has their own personality. A student might walk in and really enjoy karate from this instructor but had they trained under a different one, they might not have had the same connection.”

Since Mojo Dojo largely uses its space on weekday afternoons and evenings, Henry has also added a pair of subletters to maximize the use of the space: Jake and JT Peterson’s workout business Ripped Body Fitness, and Mill Valley Aikido, Jason Yim and Rob Okun’s practice that focuses on aikido, the martial art that has similarities with jujitsu and judo. Henry is also a student at Mill Valley Aikido.

“I’ve always had a fascination with aikido, and to have it right in my dojo, I can’t let this opportunity go by,” Henry says.

Since opening in 2007, Henry’s Mojo Dojo Karate has promoted more than 30 students to black belts. But it’s clear that Henry draws joy from the small moments of teaching every day, from preschoolers to teens. And whether it was fact or fiction, it all comes back to that “hopeless” moment.

“It’s important to really understand how kids’ brains work,” Henry says. “The patience and love that is displayed on the floor is the key. The screaming sensei you see in the Karate Kid movies – we don’t do that. I love the relationships built with our students and their parents. Karate is in my blood, and teaching it is my calling.”

The 411: Mojo Dojo Karate is at 247 Shoreline Hwy. In Tam Junction. MORE INFO. NOTE: Mojo Dojo is seeking part-time instructor for its youth program. "Love of kids is mandatory, patience is required and knowledge of karate is helpful, but can be learned," Henry says. Email if interested.

Mill Valley Historical Society event pairs former California Poet Laureate with founding member of the Beat movement for an in-depth conversation. 

San Francisco's place in the historical canon of the Beat Generation is well documented. But did you know that a pair of small houses on Montford Avenue in Homestead Valley once served as a nexus for major writers of that era?

The Mill Valley Historical Society did, and the organization drew a fantastic turnout to a Feb. 1 event that delved into it at the Mill Valley Public Library. They invited prolific author and former California Poet Laureate Al Young to interview author Locke McCorkle, who in 1955 moved to Mill Valley with the poet Gary Snyder – the two had become friends while attending Alan Watts' lectures on eastern spirituality at the California Institute of Asian Studies – and rented a property with two small houses on Montford Avenue for $25 a month.

The dwellings would draw the likes of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, among many others. Young and McCorkle explored this bohemian period in Mill Valley history and the literature, art, friendships, and adventures that came out of it, and local filmmaker Gary Yost filmed it all. Here it is:

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Two shows into its 2016-17 season, the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society comes back with its first show of 2017 as the Daedalus Quartet, hailed by the New Yorker as “a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets,” comes to Mill Valley on Feb. 26.

The non-profit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1973 to present exceptional classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices has also unveiled a new wrinkle: offering free admission for young adults 18-years old and under (audiences members 15 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult).

The Daedalus Quartet, which includes Min-Young Kim and Matilda Kaul, violin; Jessica Thompson, viola and Thomas Kraines, cello, won the top prize in the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2001, impressing critics and listeners alike with the security, technical finish, interpretive unity, and sheer gusto of its performances. The New York Times has praised the Daedalus Quartet’s “insightful and vibrant” Haydn, the “impressive intensity” of their Beethoven, their “luminous” Berg, and the “riveting focus” of their Dutilleux. 
  
The Daedalus Quartet concert program will include Haydn, Quartet, op. 1, # 3, Bartok, S.Q. # 3 and Beethoven, Quartet in C# minor, op. 131.

​The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents the Daedalus Quartet, on Sunday, Feb. 26. at 5pm at the Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. Tix $35 for general admission, under 18 free. MORE INFO & TIX.

Mill Valley Music owner Gary Scheuenstuhl never lets an anniversary for his fabled Miller Avenue record shop go by without gathering his stable of musician friends for a raucous concert to celebrate the occasion.

That tradition continues on Feb. 18, when Scheuenstuhl and the Mill Valley Music All-Stars celebrate Mill Valley Music’s 9th anniversary with a Throckmorton Theatre performance of The Band's The Last Waltz, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' milestone final concert in 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The show was immortalized by director Martin Scorsese in the documentary of the same name.

The All-Stars include Scheuenstuhl on drums along with local stalwarts Austin DeLone, Cole Tate, Jesse Lee Kincaid, Don Zimmer and Neal McDonald. Scheuenstuhl's band The Marinfidels will open the show, and he's promising additional special guests.

"Join us for this epic live music show with incredible musicians, killer jams and the best company," Scheuenstuhl says.

The 411: Mill Valley Music celebrates its 9th anniversary with a Mill Valley Music All-Stars tribute to the Band's The Last Waltz. The show is at the Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Avenue. Doors open at 7pm, show is at 8pm. MORE INFO & TIX.