'What hath Warren Hellman wrought' from here on out will pretty much be the mantra when one speaks of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Held each year in Golden Gate Park as free community event, it has already achieved an infamous status given its shotgun booking and utter disregard for genre conventions. With Mr. Hellman's passing, the show, however bittersweet, does go on.
This year was no exception, and just the taste I got on Saturday is enough to draw out the big picture. The action began with the Dirty Three, leading into Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, turning up the volume for the Heartless Bastards, before heading to the Porch stage for an appointment with Robyn Hitchcock. Hitchcock, although billed solo, never seems to walk alone, and today's treat was John Paul Jones, (Led Zeppelin), joining in on mandolin. Good things always seem to happen in the proximity of the Kara's Cupcakes van.
Seems hard to top, but for sheer gravitas, all it takes is a few moments in the company of the Chieftains, who served as a one band testament to the spirit of the festival. An uncharacteristically flat set by Steve Earle was redeemed by his crackerjack band, the Dukes and Duchesses. Rounding off the day was a rare stateside appearance by Oakland expat turned European son: Seasick Steve, who was also treated to some help from Mr. Jones, who manned a bass for much of his set. Seasick Steve was well received, and came back out to greet the crowd, sounding geniunely touched by the crowd's rabid affection.
On a closing note, it was reported that Mr. Jones worked overtime, appearing multiple times the following day, including sitting in with Tucson heroes Giant Sand.
Dirty Three
Dirty Three
Dirty Three
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones
Dave Alvin
Lisa Pankratz, powerhouse drummer hiding behind Dave's Fender amp
Nothing makes a crisp fall Sunday like a road trip, and on this particular one, the end result was a preview performance of tracks from Earlimart's forthcoming LP, System Preferences, due out 16 October. The LA-by-way-of-Fresno Indie vets ran through an energetic set with the high points including the duet of "97 Heart Attack" and closing rave up "Internet Summer". They just finished a set of California warm-ups, and have some Texas dates slated around the record's release.
The gig was part of an Rdio Live event, and it was the LA debut of Rdio's live events outreach, after shows in the
Bay Area. Other cool things bubbling up with them include the Rdio Artist Program. It was held at Hollywood's own The Cat and Fiddle Pub, celebrating its 30th Anniversary. The intimate pub is a quiet oasis off of Sunset Blvd, and was the perfect host for the day.
