Saturday, October 5, 2013

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 FestivalIt'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!


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