Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Bonds' Steroids Satire Prompts Laughs, Snarls: New Stories Published

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival Keeps Piling It On

IAMINDUST Fest Brings Experimental Sounds to Oakland

Gogol Bordello Adds Post-HSBF Benefit Show at Slim's

Another Planet/Superfly Will Host Outside Lands V.2

Photo by Christopher VictorioBack in December there was something of a bureaucratic struggle over hosting a big festival in Golden Gate Park as Another Planet (and their promotion partner Superfly) attempted to start work on year two of Outside Lands. The city put the promoters through a big to-do ( ... More >>

Carolina Chocolate Drops: A Treat from S.F.'s Bluegrass & Old-Time Fest

Photo by Christopher VictorioBack in December there was something of a bureaucratic struggle over hosting a big festival in Golden Gate Park as Another Planet (and their promotion partner Superfly) attempted to start work on year two of Outside Lands. The city put the promoters through a big to-do ( ... More >>

Bluegrass Philanthropy

Warren Hellman takes S.F.'s free roots music festival into its sixth year

Shades of Bluegrass

Gillian Welch and Split Lip Rayfield celebrate -- and upend -- tradition at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

Bluegrass Alfresco

Hello Emmylou, goodbye heart

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass '09: Steve Martin, Neko Case, and more

Steve Martin is a wild and crazy guy...who happens to dig bluegrass. The above video is from a performance he had last September with The Steep Canyon Rangers in that band's home state of North Carolina, with the white-haired comedian plucking away on the banjo. Martin will bring these boys and the ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Pools Together Roots Music Enthusiasts

Steve Martin is a wild and crazy guy...who happens to dig bluegrass. The above video is from a performance he had last September with The Steep Canyon Rangers in that band's home state of North Carolina, with the white-haired comedian plucking away on the banjo. Martin will bring these boys and the ... More >>

Chron Disses, Praises Outside Lands

"Richmond then divulges that she herself has used Porta Potties at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass..."

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Family Tree

"Richmond then divulges that she herself has used Porta Potties at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass..."

10 Things To Do This Weekend For Under $10

Caroliner @ the Lab (Sat. and Sun.)​Hardly Strictly Bluegrass @ Golden Gate Park (Fri.-Sun.)Wait, what? Steve Martin and MC Hammer and Neko Case and Steve Earle? Yeah, it's the city's biggest free hootenanny with a cross section of roots music fans. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass kicks off today at 10: ... More >>

Last Night: John Prine at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Chrissy Loader​John PrineHardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate ParkFriday, Oct. 2, 2009Better than: Listening to John Prine indoors, minus a box of cold beers and the scent of funnel cakes around you. Golden Gate Park has played host to numerous music events over the summer, from the gigantic Out ... More >>

Look At Me, I'm As Helpless As a ... Doggie Up a Tree?

Sam Hamady​This tree, which offered a view of the Star Stage at last weekend's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, was usually stocked with hippies. But at one point it was occupied by a nimble Border Collie (we think.) While the dog seemed not at all freaked out, prancing around the branch and th ... More >>

Frank Chu: Hardest Working Proselytizer in Show Business Recruits Bluegrass Fans

​Warren Hellman may have fancied himself opening up America's hearts to music with his bigger-than-ever, three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. He also helped famed San Francisco eccentric Frank Chu open city visitors' minds to opaque theories about an alleged intergalactic political co ... More >>

10 Things To Do For Under $10: EpiscoDisco, Bluegrass BBQ & Surf Art

Chuck Foxen Barn Owl at Grace Cathedral? Religious experience. ​Here it is, my final list of cheap trouble for you to get into this weekend (after this week, Emily Savage is going to take over 10 Things for a while). So I expect all of you to follow every one of these recommendations, twice. Espec ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010: A Sneak-Peak at This Year's Lineup

​The lineup for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival -- the free, three-day mega-bash that brings great artists of all sorts to Golden Gate Park -- hasn't yet been announced. Rumors have been swooshing through the tubes about this year's bill, with no official confirmation. But we heard ... More >>

Official Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Lineup: Elvis Costello, Conor Oberst, Patti Smith, Joan Baez

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band​A few weeks back we posted a sneak-peek at the lineup for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, which looked pretty cool. Today, the official lineup for the festival's 10th anniversary was released and, well, it looks even better than we were ... More >>

Not Really Only Punk

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band​A few weeks back we posted a sneak-peek at the lineup for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, which looked pretty cool. Today, the official lineup for the festival's 10th anniversary was released and, well, it looks even better than we were ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: 10 Bands You Should Not Miss

​San Francisco's annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure novel. You could pick any number of themes to select the acts you want to see -- old punk pioneers, roots music up-and-comers, etc.-- and follow one through all three day's lineups. You coul ... More >>

In Print: What Warren Hellman Pays for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Adam Stephens' Solo Debut

Adam Stephens​In SF Weekly's print music section this week:Hardly Strictly Bluegrass founder (and banjo picker) Warren Hellman tell us what his 10-year-old free festival really costs, why it didn't end up moving to Oakland, and what the annual shindig means to him: "I wonder sometimes how the comm ... More >>

Harldly Strictly Bluegrass, AIDS Wolf, World Veg Fest, Castro Street Fair and More

Autumn De WildeJenny and Johnny are among 80 acts at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010​Hardly Strictly is here! But before you blow your figurative load over the biggest free concert of the year, keep in mind that there are plenty of other fun and cheap events in the city this weekend. Here's our lis ... More >>

Missing From this Year's Bluegrass Festival: Hundreds of Bikes Hanging From Trees

This year, no pick-your-own bike farm ​The San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks has taken steps to prevent a repeat of one of the most distinctive features of the 2009 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival: Tree branches festooned with hundreds and hundreds of bicycles left by concertgoin ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day 1: This Is About Coming Together

​Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day 1Oct. 2, 2010 @ Golden Gate ParkBetter than: chasing a fox out the hen house.  San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
festival sings America. The annual outdoor concert is about coming together:
scores of rootsy musicians, a half-million or more conc ... More >>

Warren Hellman's Hebrew Jacket Explained

Jim HerdDefinitely not last year's model...​When Elvis Costello's in town, people can be forgiven for missing some peripheral details and focusing on the artist formerly known as Declan McManus. That being said, it was hard to miss Hardly Strictly Bluegrass impresario Warren Hellman's Semitic Serg ... More >>

So What Did Warren Hellman's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Jacket Say?

Jim HerdIt ain't last year's model...​Maybe you saw the rather wild, sequined jacket that the free-music-festival-wearing Warren Hellman was wearing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass this weekend.Maybe you thought it looked cool, and wondered what exactly the Hebrew writing on the back meant.Maybe you' ... More >>

You Saw It Here First: Pole-Climbing Bike Harness to Solve S.F. Bicycle Parking Problems

Easy parking is, more often than not, one of the advantages of using a bicycle as your primary form of transportation. But that's not always the case. San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival has become notorious for its lack of adequate bike parking. Even the office buildings of SOMA, fil ... More >>

Turns Out Songbirds Can't Fly: Joan Baez Falls Out of A Treehouse

Sleeping in trees is nice (yes, we've tried it!); falling out of them is not. Joan Baez discovered that songbirds can't fly earlier this week, when she fell 20 feet out of a treehouse at her Woodside (Peninsula) home, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Watch Billionaire Warren Hellman Play the Banjo at Slim's This Weekend

The Wronglers, with Warren Hellman on banjo.​Perhaps it's unfortunate for Warren Hellman, the wealthy San Franciscan who puts on the free, three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival in Golden Gate Park every year, that the words "billionaire" and "banjo" begin with the same big, beautiful ... More >>

R.I.P. Hazel Dickens, American Legend, Feminist Folk Singer, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fixture

Jay BlakesbergHazel Dickens with Dolly Parton and Warren Hellman​Hazel Dickens, a bluegrass singer who played every Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival since the free event began in 2001, died today at age 75.Described by the Washington Post as "a living legend of American music," Dickens use ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Jay BlakesbergHazel Dickens with Dolly Parton and Warren Hellman​Hazel Dickens, a bluegrass singer who played every Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival since the free event began in 2001, died today at age 75.Described by the Washington Post as "a living legend of American music," Dickens use ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011: Robert Plant, Thurston Moore, Broken Social Scene, and More

Broken Social Scene is one of more than 90 acts playing Hardly Strictly Bluegrass this year.​ The lineup for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is out, and good luck figuring out whom to call the "headliner." For the festival's 11th year, organizers have put together another insane ... More >>

Music Links: Local Jazz Legend Eddie Marshall Dies at 73, Stream the New Girls Album, and More

Curtis ThomsonJazz drummer Eddie Marshall passed away this week.​ Bay Area jazz legend Eddie Marshall dies at 73. [SJ Mercury News] 10 great local songs from August. [The Bay Bridged]

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Curtis ThomsonJazz drummer Eddie Marshall passed away this week.​ Bay Area jazz legend Eddie Marshall dies at 73. [SJ Mercury News] 10 great local songs from August. [The Bay Bridged]

Set Times for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Treasure Island Music Festival Are Out Now

The crowd at Hardly Strictly​ Hey everyone, it's set-time-o'-clock: The point at which you can start planning which acts you'll see (along with every other mobile human on the planet) at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (Sept. 30 to Oct. 2) and Treasure Island Music Festival (Oct. 15 and 16). Often ... More >>

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: 10 Bands to See for Free

The crowd at Hardly Strictly​ Hey everyone, it's set-time-o'-clock: The point at which you can start planning which acts you'll see (along with every other mobile human on the planet) at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (Sept. 30 to Oct. 2) and Treasure Island Music Festival (Oct. 15 and 16). Often ... More >>

Robyn Hitchcock Looks Back on Looking Back on San Francisco

Nathan Gallagher​ This Saturday, Robyn Hitchcock plays a solo acoustic set at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. (Look for him at 12:25 p.m. on the Rooster Stage.) Since 1976, Hitchcock has been writing and performing top-flight psychedelic pop, first with the Soft Boys and then as a solo artist of ... More >>

10 Bands You Should See at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and More

From SF Weekly's latest print music section: ​ Your Guide to Hardly Strictly: For its 11th year, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass got even bigger, adding a full Friday lineup and pushing the usual pre-weekend festivities back to Thursday. That means you'll face an even more difficult time deciding wh ... More >>

Saturday at Hardly Strictly: Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson Become the Great HSB Unifiers

Christopher VictorioMerle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Merle Haggard & Kris Kristofferson A.A. Bondy Robyn Hitchcock Hugh Laurie October 1, 2011 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Better than: Seeing Neil Young after he released Greendale, that's for sure. A man dresse ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Christopher VictorioMerle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Merle Haggard & Kris Kristofferson A.A. Bondy Robyn Hitchcock Hugh Laurie October 1, 2011 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Better than: Seeing Neil Young after he released Greendale, that's for sure. A man dresse ... More >>

Suzanne Took Us Down

Christopher VictorioMerle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Merle Haggard & Kris Kristofferson A.A. Bondy Robyn Hitchcock Hugh Laurie October 1, 2011 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Better than: Seeing Neil Young after he released Greendale, that's for sure. A man dresse ... More >>

Warren Hellman, Founder of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Dies

RIP Warren Hellman ​The indelible Warren Hellman, founder of the popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and the Bay Citizen, has died. His family told reporters that the 77-year-old San Francisco icon died Sunday from complications of leukemia. Public services are planned for Wednesday at Cong ... More >>

R.I.P. Warren Hellman, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Founder and Eccentric Banjo Player

Jay BlakesbergWarren Hellman at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Warren Hellman, the billionaire banjo-picker and eccentric who founded the free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, lost his battle with leukemia on Sunday. He was 77. Hellman was a successful investment banker a beloved philant ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Jay BlakesbergWarren Hellman at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Warren Hellman, the billionaire banjo-picker and eccentric who founded the free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, lost his battle with leukemia on Sunday. He was 77. Hellman was a successful investment banker a beloved philant ... More >>

One Last Spin: A Look Back at the Year in Bay Area Music

Jay BlakesbergWarren Hellman at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Warren Hellman, the billionaire banjo-picker and eccentric who founded the free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, lost his battle with leukemia on Sunday. He was 77. Hellman was a successful investment banker a beloved philant ... More >>

Warren Hellman Tribute Concert Will Feature Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch, and More

Jay BlakesbergWarren Hellman at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass founder Warren Hellman passed away at the end of last year, but the sprawling free music festival he started will continue. And on Feb. 19, Hellman's family and the festival's organizers will hold a sort of mi ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Jay BlakesbergWarren Hellman at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass​ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass founder Warren Hellman passed away at the end of last year, but the sprawling free music festival he started will continue. And on Feb. 19, Hellman's family and the festival's organizers will hold a sort of mi ... More >>

Warren Hellman Tribute Concert Planned for Feb. 19 at Ocean Beach

Ron BakerWarren Hellman and his banjo​Some weeks ago, we told you about a concert planned to honor the memory of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass founder Warren Hellman, who passed away in December. The show will feature performances by Emmylou Harris, Robert Earl Keen, Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, an ... More >>