Celebrating its 19th year in 2019, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will return to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on October 4-6. The festival, founded by Warren Hellman in 2001 as a musical gift to the people of San Francisco and the world, celebrates American “roots” music and its many outgrowths. Each year, hundreds of thousands of music fans from around the globe flock to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to do exactly that—celebrate.
Keeping with their traditional “artist medley” teases, fans were treated to a sneak-peek audio clip of unannounced artists on their social media accounts earlier this week. The medley and subsequent lineup announce included the bluegrass gospel of Dry Branch Fire Squad, the first lady of outlaw country Tanya Tucker, prolific Swedish singer-songwriter Daniel Norgren, the powerhouse grouping of Buddy Miller & Dirk Powell with Stuart Duncan, rising folk star John Craigie, Bay Area string band favorites Hot Buttered Rum, Mdou Moctar’s Tuareg pop stylings, the Austin soul and funk of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull, and Americana highway queen Nikki Lane.
In addition to celebrating our country’s rich musical heritage, the 19th year of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass coincides with the 100th anniversary of our constitution’s 19th Amendment. The amendment, which both guarantees and protects women’s right to vote, is being commemorated as one of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’s 2019 logos. The banjo-wielding suffragette can be seen below and on the festival’s social media accounts.
The ten artists listed above join an already stacked lineup including the previously announced The Milk Carton Kids, Calexico and Iron & Wine, Dakhabrakha, Hayes Carll, Jackie Greene, Meat Puppets, Bettye LaVette, Margo Price, Steve Earle, and The Waterboys.
Several announced performers are also participating in Hardly Strictly Out of the Park—a series of evening shows at a number of local venues in which $1.00 per ticket goes to Music in the Schools Today. Jackie Greene, Meat Puppets, Hayes Carll, Calexico and Iron & Wine, and The Waterboys will each perform one of these Out of the Park shows surrounding Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. A partial list of Out of the Park performances is below, with more shows to be announced in the coming weeks.
Please visit www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com and download the app (compatible with Apple and Android devices) for more information.
Hardly Strictly Out of the Park Schedule:
September 21 – Jackie Greene – Sweetwater in the Sun – Novato, CA
October 5 – Hayes Carll – Sweetwater Music Hall – Mill Valley, CA
October 5 – Meat Puppets – Ivy Room – Albany, CA
October 6 – Calexico and Iron & Wine – Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA
October 8-9 – Dahkabrahka – Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse – Berkeley, CA
October 11 – The Waterboys – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
