Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Returns: A Quarter-Century of Musical Magic in Golden Gate Park
The beloved Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) festival is set to transform San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park once again from October 3rd – 5th, marking an incredible 25 years of free musical performances. This amazing celebration of American roots music brings thousands of fans to Golden Gate Park’s sprawling meadows where they’ll enjoy traditional bluegrass, rock, country, folk, and more.
With their initial silver anniversary lineup drop, the organizers of HSB have revealed that this year’s performing artists include: singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, Australian alterative act Courtney Barnett, jazz singer Samara Joy, jam band The String Cheese Incident, rockabilly and psychobilly trio Reverend Horton Heat, folk duo Watchhouse, instrumental rockers Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, bluegrass act Dan Tyminski Band, Americana group Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, and alt-country rock blended with the Latin-roots Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes. Additional performers will be announced soon and we’ll share them the moment they’re announced.
August 6 Update: 10 more artists have been announced as performing this year. They are Low frontman Alan Sparhawk performing with bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles, folk trio I’m With Her, Chicano rocker the Altons, singer-songwriter William Prince, Sudanese American pop-funk act Sinkane, Bay Area jam band ALO, San Francisco singer-songwriter Kelly McFarling, blues guitarist Jontavious Willis, Texas country musician Jimmie Dale Gilmore with the West Texas Exiles, and indie-folk duo the Watson Twins.
August 20 Update: Even more artists performing this year have been revealed, including rock band Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy, Cuban funk and hip-hop act Cimafunk, folk group Paper Wings, Canadian singer-songwriter Kaia Kater, Colombian psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS, bluegrass musician Peter Rowan with Sam Grisman Project Playing Old & In the Way & More, psychedelic rockers Evolfo, singer-songwriter Rosie Flores from Asleep at the Wheel, and pop folk singer Anderson East.
September 3 Update: The list of artists performing this year continues to grow, with the announcement of Americana band The Devil Makes Three, folk pop act Amos Lee, guitarist and composer Marc Ribot, Canadian folk duo Ocie Elliott, country singers Robert Earl Keen and Olivia Wolf, singer-songwriter Madeline Hawthorne, psych rock band Dengue Fever, folk group TopHouse, and blues-reggae musician Corey Harris.
Septemeber 10 Update: The complete lineup has been revelead, and new performers include country icon Emmylou Harris, lead vocalist and guitarist of rock band Wilco Jeff Tweedy, country singer-songwriter Margo Price, indie pop duo Hovvdy, San Francisco singer Hannah Cohen, folk musician Patty Griffin, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Dougie Poole, husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty, daughter of legendary singer-songwriter Johnny Cash Rosanne Cash, Americana act Steve Earle & The Hardly Strictly Dukes, Concord singer-songwriter Cass McCombs, and many more. See the festival website for the full lineup.
HSB kicks off its landmark 25th anniversary weekend celebration this year with a very special festival eve benefit concert honoring legendary singer and songwriter Emmylou Harris – the only artist to perform at each and every edition of the free music festival. On Thursday, October 2nd “A Tribute to Emmylou Harris & 25 Years of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass” will see the 14-time Grammy Award-winner joined by some of her closest friends and collaborators at The Masonic. All proceeds will benefit the foster-based, 501(c)3 nonprofit dog rescue organization Bonaparte’s Retreat. Tickets are currently available on the resale market. 🤑🤑🤑
Founded in 2001, what originated as a modest one-day event has evolved into an internationally acclaimed three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival draws hundreds of thousands of people. The free music showcase is carefully curated to balance emerging talent with perennial favorites like Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle.
LINEUP (more to be announced)
Lucinda Williams
Samara Joy
Courtney Barnett
Reverend Horton Heat
Watchhouse
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets
Dan Tyminski Band
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band
The String Cheese Incident
Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes
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