Just a few shots from the excellent Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 8 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. A tip of the hat to investment banker, banjo player and member of the Bluegrass band The Wronglers Warren Hellman, who finances this gift to San Francisco every year and offers some of the greatest roots performers in the country. I don’t know how or why, but I was taught to never look a gift horse too closely in the molars. Thanks!
Tag Archives: The Gourds
8th Annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day 1.5
Yeah day 1.5, I missed Friday’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass featuring Mr. Plant and Ms. Krauss show so on with this one.
Beautiful weather (despite some early afternoon mist), the crowd grew throughout the day into huge throngs of passionate fans. You want crazy hippy dancers still bummed about the Dead’s….er death, yeah they were there too.
The day started for me with Tift Merritt. Tift put on a spirited show with a crack band. Moving to Paris (and losing her record deal) has certainly agreed with her. Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson were next. I’ve never see a full set my Clark (and at one hour sets I still haven’t) but he and Thompson did a great job of covering a lot of Clark ground as well as a couple of Thompson originals.
Austin’s Bad Livers came back from the dead to play a their first show after an 8 year hiatus. They sounded great and glade to be in the thick of all their punk-bluegrass Texas sized gully-washer. The Gourds followed with their Texas brand of hillbilly world music mash-up stew that satisfied just fine. Texas legend Jerry Jeff Walker followed with a raucous show that belied the man’s age. Thankfully Redneck Mother was on he menu and Mr. Bojangles was not.
The blissful gospel sounds of Odetta was next and wooed the crowd with her majestic voice and presence. Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes eneded the night with a great rendition of the 10-year old Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band collaboration The Mountain as well as blugrassed up verions of Earle originals “An American Boy” and the show closer “Cottonhead Road.”
i need to thank my partner in crime (and daughter) Isobel for accompanying me from stage to stage while I covered this.
Carrie Rodriguez’s New Release to Drop 8/5
- Austin-born, Berklee trained violinist-turned-fiddler/singer/song writer, and Chip Taylor protege, Carrie Rodriguez will release her second solo album “She Aint Me.” (8/5) The album is produced Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Kaki King) and wrote with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks as well as Mary Gauthier, Dan Wilson and Jim Boquist
- The 10th Annual Pickathon Roots Music Festival (August 1-3, at Pendarvis Farm on Mt Scott near Portland, OR.) will feature35+ artists appearing on five stages, including two late-night venues. Some artists featured are Justin Townes Earle, a reunited Bad Livers, The Gourds, Hackensaw Boys and Wayne “The Train” Hancock.
- According to Billboard.com ZZ Top has inked a deal with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings imprint through Columbia. The veteran rock trio is planning to hit the studio with Rubin (Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Slayer) producing, for an album more in keeping with “La Grange”-era ZZ Top than its pop-friendly ’80s sound, according to manager Carl Stubner. I can’t begin to express how happy this makes me!
- Since I’ve been here in the scorched shit-hole that is Irving Texas (but hey, it’s my native shit hole) I’ve tuned into the Clear Channel owned Dallas KZPS – Lone Star 92.5 and found it’s almost completely reverted back to it’s classic rock format it had abandoned to experiment in the alt.country/roots format. So much for experimentation and those great Willie Nelson promos they recorded. Nevertheless I found my solice in the excellent KHYI 95.3 The Range. In one sitting I heard Chris Knight, George Jones. Eleven Hundred Springs. Yeah I know I’m a little late to this party but, hell, I’m just tickled to be here.
Twangfest Rides Again – St. Louis, MO
Add to the list of festivals I have yet to attend but want to Saint Louis, MO’s 4-day Twangfest (June 4-7, presented by KDHX 88.1 FM .) Twangfest is on it’s 12th year of providing fine alt.country to the lucky folks that live in the area or can make the trek. This years line up is a doozy.
Wednesday, June 4
The Schlafly Tap Room
2100 Locust Street at 21st
St. Louis, MO 63103
314.241.BEER
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Chuck Prophet
Centro-matic
The Builders & The Butchers
Thursday, June 5
The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
6504 Delmar
St. Louis, MO 63103
314.727.0880
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Friday, June 6
The Gourds
Charles Walker & The Dynamites
Deadstring Brothers
The Pageant
6161 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63112
314.726.6161
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Saturday, June 7
Old 97’s
Hayes Carll
Miles Of Wire
Off Broadway
3511 Lemp Ave
St Louis, MO 63118
314.773.3363
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
The Waco Brothers
Ha Ha Tonka
the everybodyfields
Caleb Travers