Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010- Day 3

It is rather appalling I am writing this post on the 5th day after the event but what a week it's been friends. However, there is so much happening this weekend I knew I had to write it tonight or forget about it and there was so much fantastic music on display last Sunday in Golden Gate Park I would feel as if I was doing a grave disservice to the Beast if I left out the final day of HSB.

The scene in Friends and Family

Penelope and I arrived in time to catch the last 2/3 of Hazel Dickens' set. Hazel is still doing what she's always done and that's why she was one of the inspirations to launch this festival to begin with ten years ago. It's why she's performed every year and it's why you can't really say you went to HSB if you didn't see Hazel. Now some would argue that the same thing is true of Emmylou Harris' now-traditional closing set and I wouldn't argue against that point but I also wouldn't support it. Hazel's another story. A woman  who is the real deal that many people are only aware of because of her prominence at this festival and I'm glad she's still with us and I have a feeling she'll be returning as long as she wants to (and can). Long live Hazel!


Hazel Dickens

We stuck around after Hazel's set to check Earl Scruggs, one the preeminent banjo players in the world. Scruggs is as old as dirt (well, he's in his 80s) and while he doesn't say much anymore and let's the band do a lot of filling in, he can still play one mean banjo. Sitting on a chair expressionless for most of the set, when he finally turned his head and smiled wryly after a few numbers, the small gesture lit the stage up. Scruggs is backed by a crack band and they delivered an hour's worth of traditional bluegrass played a well as anyone could possibly hope for. I'd never caught him before and his set was a definite highlight of the weekend. Hellman sat in with them, playing the banjo "clawhammer style" while Scruggs kept on demonstrating the three-finger picking technique that's come to bear his name. In a word- fantastic.
 

Earl Scruggs

 Now came the hard part of the day, and the most difficult decision of who to go check out. Appearing at the same time across the park were Roseanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women, Randy Newman and Doc Watson doing a set with David Holt. Truly an embarrassment of riches and a ridiculous position to be in. However the main thing for me was that we make it all the way over to the other side of the festival in time to get a good seat for Patti Smith, who was going on the Tower stage at 4:00.

We decided to stick around and hear perhaps bluegrass' best guitar player, Doc Watson. It was a good choice. Everyone else we could have seen we could see again pretty easily. Doc Watson isn't that easy. Like Scruggs, it was pretty much another masterclass in how to play and perform American music at its highest level. Watson and Holt were marvelous and I can't ever recall being so impressed with someone picking an acoustic guitar that way.



David Holt (L), Doc Watson (C)

We left about halfway through the set to make it over to see Patti. When we got there we found a good spot at the front of Friends and Family and settled in. In a nice turn of events, Costello, who was playing at the Star stage which backs up to the Tower, was drawing a huge crowd and they were piping the set through the speakers of the Tower stage while that crowd waited for Patti. A twofer in a way, though I'm not a Costello fan. Some of his set did sound pretty good though, and The Sugarcanes sounded like a superb back-up band for him.

And then it was time for what was for me the most anticipated set of the weekend. News just broke through the crowd that Giants had won the pennant so there was a huge roar of delight and as it reached its apex Patti strode onstage and it was hard to tell where the joy of the Giants making clinching the West ended and the excitement an audience knowing they were about to see one the most compelling rock performers of any era began. She just waved,smiled and started singing.

Starting with "Dancing Barefoot," an irony since the Femme Fatale had just sent me the lyrics to that particular song to me the day before with a note saying "this song reminds me of your life," I had to smile. Smith was a little more chatty than the last couple of times she rolled into town, taking advantage of the huge crowd to make some pleas for peace, understanding and clemency for John Walker Lind, who she said was just searching- an American ideal. Her band, especially the fantastic Lenny Kaye, were in top form and also seemed invigorated by the size of the crowd. Among the highlights of the set were an especially dark version of the Stones' "Play With Fire" which really felt like a threat in her hands, "Pissing in a River,"  "In My Blakean Year," a rousing "People Have the Power" and the set's highlight- "Beneath the Southern Cross." This song erupted into an extended wall of metallic, thunderous sound at the end for about two minutes, becoming one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen and heard. When it was over Penelope, who had never seen Patti Smith before, turned to me with this look on her face, beaming, that said "WOW. What the fuck was that?!" It was incredible. But then again, you can expect that from Patti Smith and somehow she always delivers. If you have never seen her, please- you owe it to yourself- check her out the next time she comes through your town. No one else is quite like her.



Patti Smith

So what does one see after that? Emmylou Harris was set to close the whole thing down at the Banjo stage, or there was Mondo Cane, or there was Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. We had to go see Sharon and the D.K.s because the set they did at the first Outside Lands in this very park two years ago was great and I think anything else would have been a huge comedown and it wasn't time to go home yet.



Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

So we went over to the Rooster stage, where Nick Lowe was wrapping up a set for a large and enthusiastic audience. The last three songs sounded good, and then we waited. And waited, which was unusual because one the signs this gig is so well run is that many of the sets started early- that's how much the HSB people have it together- it runs like clockwork. The Dap Kings took the stage maybe 15 minutes late, and as expected, did a couple of warm-up numbers before Jones hit the stage. You know who else used to do it like this? The JBs- James Brown's band. Three tunes later, Jones hits the stage and you know what? Sharon Jones and the 10 member Dap Kings have taken what was already a formidable live show and upped it to 11. She's firmly doing a James Brown 60's era show, complete with the dancing, powerful, give-it-all-you've-got-and then-give-some-more singing,  tight, tight arrangements by the band, and music lifted straight from classic early funk and soul. Really the only thing missing is Bobby Ray and a cape. If the show hadn't been forced to end because the park had grown dark we may have gotten that too- and it would have totally fit. The crowd loved every minute of it and though she was working her ass off, Jones looked like she was loving every moment of it too. If we hadn't seen Smith, I would say Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were the best band we saw at HSB this year. They killed it.



It was a fantastic weekend. Thank you, Penelope.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010- Day 2

John Doe and John Marcher

We made it to Day 2 of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass later than we wanted,  missing the set by the Wronglers, of which Warren Hellman is a member, but still managing to get to the Banjo stage in time to catch some of the Dry Branch Fire Squad's fun set. Then we had a dilemma, because Penelope heard good things about the Carolina Chocolate Drops but I wanted to head over to the Porch stage to hear what Exene was up to. Thankfully someone else Penelope knew said she was going over to hear Exene as well and that persuaded Penelope to give up the Chocolate Drops. Returning to the F&F area to fetch a blanket, I ran into John Doe- Exene's ex-husband, actor, and bass-player/vocalist for the legendary X. I introduced myself and we exchanged a few pleasantries, snapped a photo and during our conversation he mentioned my dear friend Mr. Bitchen' sold him his very favorite guitar.

On the Porch stage Exene was performing with the California Mothership, which features the superb violinist Jessy Greene. Exene's songs are as dark and lyrically strong as ever, even if she's writing in firmly in a folk/country vein. The set became a revelation that grew stronger with each song, most of which came from her last release Somewhere Gone and her forthcoming album which I believe she said was due in November. Especially stirring were "Surface of the Sun" and "Honest Mistake" from Somewhere Gone I chatted with Exene later on that afternoon and she gave me a copy of the cd. I've listened to it a few times over the past few days and strongly recommend it.

Exene and the California Mothership

After Exene we made our way to the Songwriter's Circle at the Rooster Stage. This year's circle was comprised of David Olney, the aforementioned John Doe, Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle. Taking turns and going down the line, each singer sang a song and then turned it over to the guy on his right. Penelope noted that past versions of this format had a lot more talking and interaction between the singers- something almost completely absent while we were there. We stayed to hear everyone sing two songs apiece and while everyone was good (and Doe's song about California was really great) it was Olney who impressed me the most with his understated but complex songs with great lyrics. It was also nice to hear Doe do an acoustic version of X's "Burning House of Love."

L to R: David Olney, John Doe, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle

We then returned to the Banjo Stage to hear Penelope's favorite, Joan Baez. At almost 70 years old, Baez can only be labeled amazing. Standing alone with just her guitar onstage, she mesmerized a crowd of tens of thousands of people with her beautiful that shows no signs of age and a fantastic selection of songs. She tweaked the last line of "Diamonds and Rust" with an aside saying she'll take the diamonds and the crowd roared. I'll to admit to being ambivalent about seeing Baez at this point in her career but I was wrong. This was a bold performance that not many performers would brave- nothing but a woman, her voice and a guitar alone onstage- and she killed it.

Joan Baez

After Baez we made our way over the opposite end of the festival to catch Richard Thompson at the Towers of Gold  stage. Thompson is one of those musicians I've always known of but he's always ended up on a back burner as far as my actively discovering what he was about on his own and I thought this would be a great opportunity to remedy that. I knew some of the music he recorded with his ex-wife Linda but nothing that came later. He also often plays two blocks away from where I live and I've walked by and seen very enthusiastic crowds waiting to get into his gigs. Now I know why. If Patti Smith wasn't on the bill, Thompson's set would be the highlight of the festival for me. With a crack band behind him he played everything- and I mean every kind of rock and roll music and he was fantastic. The crowd loved it, most seemed familiar with the songs and even though I'm coming to this party very late, I am now a huge fan of Richard Thompson based on this performance and can't wait to see him again, hopefully down the street at the Great American Music Hall. Do check him out. Best of Saturday.

Richard Thompson

After Thompson we stopped in to hear some Bonnie Prince Billy and the Cairo Gang. Billy has a very good voice and writes songs that reminded me of what a young Billy Joel may have written if he were only cooler and perhaps more talented. Not quite Leonard Cohen, certainly not Elton John, but a weird Billy Joel vibe. So despite the trendy updating of this kind of material and Billy's decidedly quirky delivery and good voice, we grew weary of it quickly and left so that we could catch all of Steve Earle and the Dukes.

Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang

 Earle and the Dukes were in strictly electric, hardly bluegrass mode and they rocked it pretty hard. But they day was winding down, it was getting really cold, and for rocking it electric, Thompson's set couldn't be beat. The songs were well played, but we left about 1/2 an hour before the scheduled end time. All in all, it was fantastic day of music.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010- Day 1

Not the only way to do it, but certainly the best way to experience HSB

The 10th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival rolled into Golden Gate Park this past weekend and though the weather hardly cooperated, it was a glorious weekend of free music for hundreds of thousands of people. With dozens of bands appearing over eight hours on six stages each day, no one experienced the event in the same way- there were simply too many different things going on and this year there was truly something for everyone. I came away from it thinking hundreds of thousands of people has a wonderful time even though it was a very large, diverse, but always calm crowd. People came from far and wide to hear a line-up that was amazingly wide and deep with serious talents from many genres of music. I completely lucked out this year and was able to see it from the "Friends and family" sections of the various stages which made the entire event a relaxing joy, courtesy of Penelope. A big thanks to Warren Hellman for putting it on and to the good folks at Slim's who organized and booked such a great event. Best of all, I found out Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is going to keep going through at least 2025- there's your inside scoop, folks.

For Day 1 I took off work early and even though Friday afternoon featured only three of the six stages and started at 2:00 PM, we were stunned by how many people were already there- the crowd wasn't as large as it would be on Saturday and Sunday, but a lot of people obviously blew off work that afternoon to enjoy the show.

By the time we packed a picnic and made it to Golden Gate Park we were just in time to catch Blue Highway, a straightforward contemporary bluegrass band, who've played the festival many times and record for Rounder Records. Tim Stafford on guitar, Jason Burleson on banjo, Rob Ickes on dobro, bassist Wayne Taylor and fiddler/vocalist Shawn Lane set the weekend off right with a set that dazzled with easy virtuosity and sophisticated playing. They'll be appearing in Northern California four times in November- check out their website for details. I would definitely go hear this band again.

Next up came one of the three must-see acts for me- Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. Like a lot of people, I'd never heard of Stanley until "O Brother Where Art Thou?" came out. He's held my interest ever since and next to Johnny Cash, there's Ralph Stanley and that's pretty much it if you want to listen to a singer who sounds like they've been to hell and back and lived to sing about it. Both singers also share the unique distinction of becoming more interesting to listen to in their later years- at least to my ears.

Stanley came out and and delivered a solid set without having to resort to "A Man of Constant Sorrow," which speaks volumes not only about the depth of his songbook but also to his refusal to rest on his laurels. Well into his 80's, he's intent on delivering a real performance and on this he delivered handsomely- giving the receptive crowd an hour long set that dug deep into the darker side of bluegrass and gospel. He's hosting his own three-day bluegrass festival in Virginia in the spring of 2011. It may well be worth making your plans now for attending it.

Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys

Stanley's a tough act to follow and it could be imagined that a "supergroup" headed by Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald would be up to the challenge. I usually blanch at the idea of these

ad-hoc groups, but I was rooting for this one to succeed because why not? It's not like they're The Eagles, who just tour the country to empty the pockets of baby-boomer suckers in the most cynical way imaginable.

Still, it became evident early on The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue was nothing special, certainly not any better than most bands you could hear at the Saloon in North Beach on any given night. The song selection seemed to be based on the leaders' favorite songs from their youth, which were given a big-band, but ain't we funky, we're rich rock stars who can still get down in a blue-eyed soul kind of way. No doubt these guys can play and sing, but whatever real gifts they brought to this material were mired in a sound mix that left any nuance buried beneath a loud, shiny surface. They sounded like a big bar band, nothing better, nothing worse, but certainly not worth sticking around for an entire set and then having to deal with traffic afterwards so we did what any rational person would do and left to grab some dinner and make the 8:00 curtain for the opera. And we did.