When is a Bluegrass Festival not a Bluegrass Festival?

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival's poster came onto our radar today by way of Facebook...

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival: It's that time! Check out the full stage and set time schedule for all 3 days of #HSB13! What stage will you be spending the most time at this year?

Déjà vu, we have yet another festival whose name misleads the public. We saw the same thing this Summer with the Philadelphia and Newport "Folk" Festivals, read notloB Music: When is a folk festival not a folk festival?

But in this case it is intentional.

If you are going to Hardly Strictly for bluegrass, you will need to get past most of Hardly Strictly's artists, who come from the worlds of blues, rock, and various forms of pop. Bonnie Raitt, Jesse Dee, Conor Oberst, The Cave Singers, Martha Wainwright, Steve Earle, Elvin Bishop, Patty Griffin, Louden Wainwright III, Boz Scaggs, Dave Alvin, Los Lobos, Nick Lowe, Bette Lavette, Tift Merritt, Pieta Brown, Buddy Miller Chris Isaak, Justin Townes Earle, Billy Bragg and Richard Thompson are hardly bluegrass!

The melodica never was nor ever will be a bluegrass instrument!

Actual bluegrass bands are few and far between. Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Tim O'Brien with Bryan Sutton and Mike Bub, Seldom Scene and Della Mae. 

WITH POP ACTS LIKE THESE...

...HARDLY STRICTLY IS DEFINATELY NOT A BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL!

Grey Fox announces early-early list of bands and artists

From Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival:
Grey Fox is super excited to announce an early-early list of bands and artists who will with us this summer. They are: Tim O'Brien with Bryan Sutton, Casey Driessen and Mike Bub; Gibson Brothers, Jerry Douglas,The Duhks, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Della Mae, and hosted by Dry Branch Fire Squad -- with many more tba. July 18-21 in Oak Hill, NY. http://www.greyfoxbluegrass.com/

Looks impressive, but with all due respect to Casey and Mike, who are top notch players, the downside of Tim's new accompanists in place of Pete Wernick and  Nick Forster is Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers will not be gracing the dance tent stage this year.

I certainly hope the Duhks lineup will include Duncan Wickel, who filled in for them for ten gigs last year, ending at the sister Rhythm and Roots festival.

Video by Fred Robbins.

Grey Fox always delivers. This advance lineup is just the tip of the iceberg.