Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
During the first weekend of October, Golden Gate Park will be taken over by thousands of concertgoers, as the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival brings music to the masses. Spread out over six stages on the Speedway, Lindley, and Marx Meadows, respectively, the annual festival once again brings to San Francisco a wide range of bluegrass styles, from country-tinged to blues to soul music-influenced. And it is ALL free.
Multimillionaire Warren Hellman's gift to the city of San Francisco, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is known for, as the name implies, stretching the boundaries of what is traditionally considered bluegrass. So what is considered traditional bluegrass? Saturday afternoon performer Earl Scruggs is considered the granddaddy of 20th century bluegrass. This is the native music of the Appalachian region of the U.S., and its influence has been felt in various genres. As evidence of this, performers also include Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Gillian Welch, Chris Isaak, Devotchka, and even MC Hammer. If it has chords and is sung in a plaintive tone, it seems, it's bluegrass (not strictly, at least).
Details:
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
Friday September 30th,11:00am-7:00pm
Saturday and Sunday October 1st and 2nd 11:00-7:00pm
Speedway, Lindley, and Marx Meadows, Golden Gate Park
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