Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2019

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Nineteen. 

There would be big changes at the Nineteenth Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. For the first time the entire festival grounds in Golden Gate Park were fenced off. The festival increased security after the recent shootings across the nation. The incident at Gilroy had been particularly troubling. It took a while, but today’s crazy world finally caught up with Hardly Strictly.

  There will be four entrances. Bags would be searched at security checkpoints. The HSB web site explained the new restrictions. Bags should be clear plastic. No more coolers! (More on that later.) No glass containers would be allowed in. No one would be admitted until 9 a.m. There would be no more coming in the middle of the night and setting up tarps.  

That was OK with me. Over the years I had come to hate the tarp people. So, the new rules around that sure didn’t bother me, but fencing off and restricting areas inside the festival would affect me. 
Had there been threats? Did insurance companies demand additional security? I knew Hardly Strictly would be different. It has been changing over the years. How bad could it be?  

The weather was fantastic. It almost always is for HSB weekend. There’s some kind of Hardly Strictly karma at work. I bussed to 30th and walked over to the Fulton Street entrance.    

The bag search at the entrance was well organized and painless. There were three lines: No Bags, Small Bags and Large Bags. It took less than five minutes to walk through.

Large areas are now fenced off. They had started fencing off areas like Lloyd Lake years ago. Maybe they were trying to protect the park more. HSB spends a large amount of money to repair any damage to Golden Gate Park. Large areas are resod. 

Friday is still the best day. Four stages are going. There would be six stages on Saturday and Sunday. There are less people and the atmosphere and vibe is different. The first act of the weekend is Dry Branch Fire Squad at The Banjo Stage. The opening rotation. 

The day started abruptly with some poetry recited by Ron Thomason. The leader of Dry Branch Fire Squad told us that last year someone gave him a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson. At least they didn’t start with the dread public service announcement. This year it would be read before and after every set on every stage. This was a statement from the Warren Hellman Foundation asking for our help and cooperation in keeping the festival safe.

Without further ado Dry Branch Fire Squad took off with a fast, ripping traditional Bluegrass number. “Banjo in the Hills.” They’re the real deal. They still wear shirts and ties!   

Half of the Dry Branch Fire Squad show is Thomason’s homespun humor. He can tell a story. “How many Californians are there out there?” Many hands go up. Thomason says the band is surprised. They had expected “horns and tails.” “I’m not talking too fast for you, am I?”

They do a Townes Van Zandt song.  

Thomason says, “This is a true story. I just got an iPhone last week.” He knows this will shock most of the crowd here. He says he put some blue dye in his hair and was going to “hang out” and be cool.

Their set at HSB this year has “a bit of a theme.” Each song will honor a long time performer at HSB. Next is a Hazel Dickens song about “Home West Virginia.”  

Thomason says she looks young, but Gillian Welch has been performing at Hardly Strictly for years. They play her song: “Miner’s Refrain.” 

They start an accapella Gospel song. I still enjoy Dry Branch Fire Squad, but it’s time to wander and see what else is out there. 

A group of high school students are on the smaller Bandwagon Stage. Most of the crowd look like they are proud parents. It’s The Letterboxers & Model Studentz. They are playing Bluegrass, but a black teenager at the mike sings Rap style lyrics. 

The Bandwagon Stage is right next to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival Museum. The large white tent is full of the festival’s history and artifacts. All nineteen of the HSB posters with lineups are here. I missed the first Hardly Strictly in 2001. I’ll guess I’ve been to seventeen of them since.  

Warren Hellman's sequined jacket is in a case just inside the entrance. The Stars of David and Hebrew letters on it are still impressive. He will be thanked many times today by performers on the stages. He once cracked that creating the festival was better than, “Buying another painting.” He created a foundation to keep the festival going after his passing. It is still quite a gift to the city of San Francisco. 

 

I walked towards the Polo Fields. Was my not so secret way to the Swan Stage still open? There were more cyclone fences. Few people walked on the trail, but we could get through. 

Today’s priority was Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express. I headed to the Swan Stage for their 1:35 set. The last couple of years Prophet had led a Bluegrass version of The Who’s Tommy. That had been entertaining and stirring, but this year we’d hear some of his songs.

There was some rocking music in the air. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what direction sound is coming from in the park. Did I make the wrong decision? Was I missing something? No! It’s coming from the Swan Stage. I get there in time to hear the last couple of songs from Poor Man’s Whiskey. 

I’m not sure if they did the early show for kids. That was always a spectacle. A field full of school kids would be bussed in for a free show. Later in the day I did see school groups in their matching tee shirts. 

Poor Man’s Whiskey dedicated their next song to a deceased friend: “Whiskey in Heaven.” “Like a River.” They closed the set with a rocker: “Three Years Gone”

Yes, sometimes this will read like a list. 

I checked out the Merchandise Tent and the food concessions in the back of the Swan Stage. The festival was going to ban all coolers, but there was enough public outcry that they lightened up on that. Bringing larger coolers was discouraged, but things became lax as the weekend went on. To fill the gap there were more food options offered this year, especially food trucks. 

Chuck Prophet is a friendly sort onstage. He makes it look easy. Many of his songs celebrate San Francisco history. 

I was able to get close for a side view. Large parts of the Swan Stage area are fenced off. There is a short hill to the right of the stage. That used to be a great spot. More of it is fenced off for family and friends now. I went for the side view on the left of the stage.  

They start with “Summertime Thing.” “Bangkok.” “Wish Me Luck (Even if you don’t mean it.)”  

2016 was “A Bad Year for Rock and Roll.” It was the year we lost David Bowie, Prince, Leon Russell and many others in a stunning election year. 

Stephanie Fitch on accordion for “I Love You Still.” 

It is Friday. A school day. Chuck asks the crowd: “Don’t you people have jobs? I know I don’t.” 

  Chuck Prophet reminds me of Ray Davies. He sings like him and some of lyrics remind me of Davies. “Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins” is a “Caifornia Noir song.”

Then the big hit: “Who Put the Bomp.” Who put the “ram” in the rama lama ding dong? “You did!”   

  “Mausoleum.” 

  A large Red Tail Hawk hovers over JFK Drive. The crowds at the festival never seem to bother them. It was a smaller than usual crowd for an HSB Friday. Did some decide to wait a day and see how the “enhanced security” worked out?

The Waterboys came highly recommended so I just stayed at the Swan Stage. I thought they were all Irish, but the members are from Scotland, Ireland and England. At least they’re all Celts.   

“When Ye Go Away” “Fisherman’s Blues.”

I got a text from Jack Stuber, founding member of the band Corn Bread Willie. He was at The Towers of Gold Stage with his wife Tree and daughter Jackie. They were waiting for “Live From Here” which would be taping a radio broadcast that would air later. Chris Thile, Grace Potter & J.S. Ondara would be performing.

We met by the concession stands and compared notes. HSB has been changing over the years. We knew it would never be the same.  

I recognized the song while they were tuning up. “They’re playing my song.” The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers!” “I won’t forget to put roses on your grave!” One of those HSB moments for me. 

“Still Awake.” “London Mick.” It’s not about Mick Jagger. 

A particularly determined woman in a wheelchair pushed her way around the fringes of the crowd. She had a basket full of soft drinks and an HSB tee shirt on. Nothing was going to stop her from enjoying an afternoon at HSB. She would run them over if she had to.  

We were introduced to the band. Paul is the keyboard player: “The Cosmic Commander.” He whipped his shirt off during “The Greatest organ solo in Rock history” during “Brother.” He later stalked the stage playing a keytar.  

“Nashville, Tennessee.” “Medicine Bow.”

“Things are not looking good for the Orange Defiler.” Everyone knew who that was.  

“You Married the Wrong Guy.” “The Whole of the Moon.” “My Time on Earth.” The Waterboys are a great live band!  

I was close to the 30th Avenue exit. It was decision time. Should I do another lap around the festival grounds? If I did I’d have to get back to the exit at 30th Avenue. I took the easy route and left. As I left I got another look at the Bag Search area at the entrance. It was still very easy to get in. The real test would be tomorrow.

I went home and watched Bettye Lavette online. She put on a powerful R&B performance.

I had seen St. Paul and the Broken Bones open for The Stones in June. That is always a difficult gig, but they did deliver while people searched for their seats. The singer wore the long black robe again.  Another great live party band.    

Friday is stil the best day at HSB. It’s less crowded and has a different laid back  atmosphere.  

Saturday. October 5. 

My stategy was to go later than I usually do. Saturday is the big party night for Hardly Strictly. Many who live nearby decide to go at the last minute and join the throngs. Would the “enhanced security” discourage them this year?  

Sometimes I still forget about the technology. While I waited at home I had a flash of inspiration: I can watch some of it online before I go. So, I went to the web site and watched some of Buddy Miller’s Cavalcade of Stars. Travis Meadows was the featured artist. He looked like a young guy. One of his songs was about “Waiting on Springsteen.”  

“Unfinished Business.” “Pushing Down Comes Out Sideways.”

Watched online for a while, but it was another beautiful day and I took off for the real thing. 

I took the bus to 25th. Today I would try the entrance at John F. Kennedy and Transverse Drive. This was the closest entrance from my apartment as the crow flies, but we were herded to an entrance east of the Festival that was almost all the way to the DeYoung museum. An aggravation, but it would serve well for future reference.  

The bag search line went quickly again. I could hear the Flatlanders as I entered. I see them every year, so I had planned to skip them this year, but I was drawn to their sound like a moth to the flame. “Have you ever seen Dallas from a DC10 at night?”

The gang from Lubbock, Texas was rocking onstage: Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Got there in time for “Standing at the Station” and the familiar voice of Jimmie Dale Gilmore. They did a tribute to Robert Hunter, who had passed away about a week ago. “Ripple.” Deadheads swirled. “Julia.” “Borderless Love.”” 

The Public Service Announcement by the Warren Hellman Foundation was read again. It was starting to get old, but there were people arriving for their first time of the new era.  

This is the weekend to get your best tee shirt out of the drawer. Among the shirts: An ancient looking “Zappa for President.” Frank in the patriotic red, white and blue top hat.

“Popovich/Kerr 2020.” A potential campaign logo for the Democratic party?

I loved: “Volunteer for Psychedelic Research.”  

Time to wander. Caught some more of Buddy Miller’s Cavalcade: Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley. “World Full of Blues.” It was odd to see the stage I had been watching online just this morning.

I went to the back of the jammed Swan Stage area. It was early and it was already packed. I could hear Tank The Bangas in the distance. They were at The Towers of Gold and it sounded like they were tearing it up. They got an ovation and cheers from the crowd.  

For years Robert Earl Keen closed the Saturday show at The Rooster Stage. It would be the rowdy end to a day at HSB. The Rooster Stage would be a convenient stop for me as I left the festival. This year Keen would play earlier at 3 p.m. at the much larger Swan Stage. Keen had not played at HSB in a couple of years. 

In years past the crowd at the Swan Stage would overflow and people could go across JFK Drive. That wasn’t a bad spot really. You couldn’t see much, but you could hear and there was some breathing room. Now it was all fenced off.

There was a huge crowd that stretched to the back of Lindley Meadow. It was hotter today and people tried to get spots under what little shade there was. One side of the field would have people camped out under the trees all the way to the back. There was more room on the hot, sunny side. 

“What I Really Mean.” “Feelin’ Good Again.” “Gringo Honeymoon.” “Shades of Gray.” “The Traveling Storm.” “Beats the Devil.” “The Man Behind the Drums.” “Sinner Man.” The crowd whooped it up on the grand finale: “The Road Goes on Forever.” 

His voice really does sound like Bob Dylan.   

Robert Plant & The Sensational Shape Shifters would be playing at The Towers of Gold stage, which is a huge area with two sloping hills that create an outdoor amphitheater.

It was still early. I’d have to make it through Calexico and Iron & Wine. I already knew Iron & Wine was very popular with younger fans. They had drawn too many fans to the Rooster Stage a couple of years ago.  

I took a look. The Towers of Gold area was packed. Even in the back it looked like there was nowhere to go. I had never seen this area so crowded. There was nowhere to hide. Too much of the area near stage right was fenced off for VIPs, friends and family. That had been one of my usual spots. I started wondering how much it cost to get VIP status.     

It could be two hours before Plant and the Shape Shifters started playing. People were still pouring in. The cyclone fences funneled the crowd along JFK Drive.  

In previous years I would have just walked around to less crowded areas. I would check out other stages, but even this looked hard to do. When I looked up JFK Drive it already looked impassable.    

It looked like it could be an ordeal to wait for Plant. I was right near the 30th Street entrance. I decided to go home and watch what I could online. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. 

The lines for bag search still didn’t look long. The Saturday night crowd would be the big test. Ragged entrepeneurs were carrying cases of canned beer in. 

Everything isn’t streamed on the web site. I should have figured that there would be copyright issues with the Zeppelin songs. (Somewhere Peter Grant is smiling.)

Watched some of Calexico with Iron & Wine. I can understand why they’re so popular, but I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t stay.

I was glad to be watching from a chair. A couple of years ago they started removing any bench or table that someone could sit at. There was nowhere to take a break from sitting on the grass.  

Watched the last act of Buddy Miller’s Cavalcade of Stars online. Buddy Miller & Dirk Powell with Stuart Duncan. “Shelter Me Lord Under Your Wings.”   

Dirk Powell on keyboards. Some sound problems. It may have been the wind. A microphone went out and Buddy cracked, “It doesn’t mean as much without the lyrics.”  

“Hear That Whistle Blow.” “Wide River to Cross.” “Rollin’ Round This Town.” 

Maria Muldaur joined for “I’m A Woman.” “Honey Baby Blues.” “My Old Tennessee Home.” The young beauty from the Seventies was aging, but she can still belt out the old songs!  

Steve Earle and the Dukes. They started with songs from their new album, “Guy.” It’s a tribute to Guy Clark. “Texas 1947.” “Riat Ballou.” “Heartbroke.” “Desperadoes Waiting for a Train.” Earle talked about the reclusive Guy Clark. He rarely played live but loved being at The Songwriter’s Circle at The Rooster Stage.

Steve Earle was great, as usual, but I couldn’t resist switching to Hot Tuna. They  were playing at The Rooster Stage. Originals from the Summer of Love were playing in Golden Gate Park again! “Been So Long.” “Hesitation Blues.” “Come Back Baby.”   

Sunday. October 6.

It was back to “come early, leave early” for me. Arrived at 10:30. Seeing Bill Kirchen was the priority today. He would start things off at the Banjo Stage at 11. I had an excellent Verde Empanada from one of the food trucks.

Bill Kirchen is another act I see almost every year, but I’ve learned Kirchen is always worth it. “Get a Little Goner.” Another tribute to Hazel Dickens: “West Virginia My Home.” 

“This is my tribute to the Telecaster:” “Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods.”

Austin DeLone is on keyboards. His daughter joins for the Rhythm and Blues classic: “That’s How Strong My Love Is.” 

Kirchen introduces “My science song... It’s sad these things have to be said.” “Rocks in the Sand.”

The piece de resistance: “Hot Rod Lincoln.” Kirchen does an incredible medley of short guitar riffs in tribute to Rock and Roll icons from Elvis to Iggy Pop and almost anyone you can think of in between! Duane Eddy, Link Wray, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who. Kirchen does the Townsend windmill. They’re all represented. The Jimi Hendrix riff gets a big cheer. 

Kirchen went to high school with Iggy Pop! There have to be some stories there. 

A song that is a botanical anachronism. Kirchen tells us, “I didn’t write it, but I wish I had.” “Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues.” “Pot doesn’t have seeds or stems anymore.” Not only that, there’s at least one generation that finds it hard to believe that marijuana ever had seeds. It’s an old Commander Cody song. “We played it here.” In Golden Gate Park in the Sixties. Someone in the band asks, “Were we in the Grateful Dead?” Kirchen: “No, no, no.”   

Kirchen says he’ll be at The Bandwagon Stage to join Nancy and the Lambchops at 1:25.

A song that is always relevant. “The Times They Are A Changing.” A chorus including Jimmie Dale Gilmore comes onstage to help out.

A large formation of Canada Geese flew right over the crowd. They seemed to be oblivious to the festivities below. The migrants get some applause. 

  After the set the MC commented. Sometimes Hardly Strictly is on the same weekend as Fleet Week, which means screaming jets “and all it represents” buzzing the festival. This year we get the opposite. Canada Geese in perfect V formation. Geese rotate leaders. They take turns at the front of the formation. So should we. “We can do it!” 

Golden Gate Park is the perfect setting for the psychedelic nostalgia of Moonalice. I could still walk up to a good vantage point left of the Swan Stage. They start with a medley that ends with “Uncle John’s Band.” The “T Sisters” (Tietjen) added vocal accompanient. A couple of Grateful Dead songs: A slow “Bird Song.” “Attics of My Life.” Moonalice sounds like they just stepped out of the Sixties. 

Roger McNamee is the singer. Psychedelic veterans incude Pete Sears of Jefferson Airplane and Starship fame. Barry Sless. John Molo. 

Moonalice arranges the live stream on the Hardly Strictly web site. They should be commended for this public service that is becoming more important every year.    

There’s a pause while a few things are rearranged onstage. A stool is set up and an old black man sits on it. It’s Lester Chambers and his nephew Jerry Warner Chambers. The New Chambers Brothers! Lester has one request. “Do me a favor... Don’t get old!” I get what he means but what’s the alternative? They do the classic Sixties song: “Love Peace and Happiness.” “This is one we played here back then.” 

The cowbell beat announces “Time Has Come Today.” An epic song that jolts the memory banks. This song recharged many house parties. The crowd was into Moonalice from the start. Everyone claps along to this one.

Sadly the “other” Chambers Brother passed away later that week. "Time!"      

     

The Pimps of Joytime were playing at the nearby Towers of Gold Stage. I gave them a chance for three songs. They were good, but certainly not my thing.

There’s just too much territory fenced off for VIP family and friends. 

  

It was a much different scene at The Towers of Gold Stage today. Less than half the area was full. I climbed up a steep path to the Polo Fields. Then I walked over to the Bandwagon and Banjo Stage areas.

Bill Kirchen posed for photos in front of the Bandwagon Stage, so I knew he really was there. I could hear Liz Cooper & The Stampede tearing it up on the Banjo Stage. They sounded rocking. It was tempting to wander over there but I knew their set was almost over. 

Nancy and the Lambchops feature some of the Hellman family. Warren’s sister Nancy Hellman Bechtle sings with her nieces. The band seems to struggle a bit. I decided not to wait for Kirchen.   

A golf cart with four guys in SWAT team gear came down JFK Drive and slowly turned into the Bandwagon Stage area. They were all in black and carried machine guns. It was SFPD’s “Tactical Unit.” It was kind of strange, but they looked relaxed. Regular uniformed police were a rare sight at HSB.    

   

Rayland Baxter was playing at the Rooster Stage. He’s a surprise HSB discovery. He rocked out on the two songs I got to hear.  

I guess I had to see it to believe it. For years I had entered HSB at the back of The Rooster Stage. It was usually my first and last look at the festival for the year. I went up the path, but it was obvious that the old exit was fenced off. A few extra security guards wandered the back. It just doesn’t seem to be right. Don’t Fence Me In!

It was getting easier to leave. I got home in time to watch The Meat Puppets online. I didn’t know much about these guys, except that they had a cool name. They look like grunge geezers. One thing about watching online is that you can see what’s going on onstage. I could see Steve Earle lurking in the background backstage.  

Lebo and Friends. An exciting live act. They covered Bob Dylan’s “Serve Somebody” from his controversial evangelical Christian days. 

I wanted to see Mike Nesmith and the First National Band. After his Monkee days Nesmith did some Americana albums, but I have to admit the real draw for me would have been to see a Monkee. He was at The Rooster Stage that was again plagued by sound problems. I lost patience and pressed the button to go to Banjo Stage for The Punch Brothers. They were entertaining and Chris Thile does have star power.  

Hardly Strictly is still an amazing, fantastic event. “Enhanced security” is the new reality, but the cyclone fences are a drag. Maybe I dwelled too much on the negative this year. The changes certainly don’t ruin Hardly Strictly. Golden Gate Park is still the perfect setting. It’s a miracle The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival still happens. Maybe it’s a miracle it ever happened.