HSB 8

This past weekend Golden Gate park was once again the site of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. This is one of the premier music fests in the country (even if you prefer genres other than bluegrass). I attended two days this year, and was able to see some of my favorite musicians (Greg Brown, Richard Thompson, Dave Alvin) and some I was less familiar with. Here are some clips from last year's show. (Old clip of Richard T. doing Vincent Black Lightning - Youtube) (Dave Alvin doing Dry River at last year's HSB.) This year Dave Alvin performed with an all woman band (The Guilty Women) featuring some kick-ass musicians like Amy Farris and Cindy Cashdollar.) Killer chops.
This is a wonderful event, and I would encourage anyone that has a trip to Nor Cal scheduled for the autumn to plan your trip so you'll be here during the first weekend in October so you can catch this show.
If there is a negative aspect of the event it is that it is becoming a victim of its own success. It's getting too crowded. In the past one could set up one's blanket at a stage and wander around to various stages to catch a variety of acts. This year it was difficult to do that due to the size of the crowds at every stage. Nevertheless, it is still a wonderful time and I look forward to returning next year.