Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival - Various Locations : 3rd October 2020
Those of us who were lucky enough to be able to tune in to watch the online special version of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2020 Let the Music Play On were treated to a riveting three-hour documentary exploring some of the best of contemporary American roots music. This was the 20th anniversary of the festival which was set up by the late billionaire Warren Hellman and, thanks to his philanthropy, it has continued annually since his passing in 2011. Uniquely, the festival is completely free to attend, and attracts crowds of hundreds of thousands to the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco every October.
The pre-recorded documentary film, thanks to the well-funded organisation left behind by Hellman and involving many of his family, boasted very high production values. The musical performances were pre-recorded in various locations in the US (both indoor and outdoor) and indeed Ireland (Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi) and consisted of beautifully lit themed sets. The pieces were stitched together by tongue in cheek links from Californian musicians Chuck Prophet and Tre Burt, filmed on location in Golden Gate Park.
The proceedings kicked off with an affectionate portrayal of Warren Hellman himself from family and musician friends, and a chronicle of his unlikely friendship with Hazel Dickens. Hazel, who passed away herself not long before Hellman, was a much admired pioneering bluegrass musician who was also a champion of worker’s rights and of feminism. What began as a ‘strictly’ bluegrass festival evolved within a few years to become the ‘hardly strictly’ celebration that it is today.
Importantly, the aim of the festival this year was to raise much needed funds for Artist Relief, a philanthropic organisation that is providing much needed help for musicians (in the US) who are, of course, struggling more than most during the pandemic. The HSB company itself has donated $1m to the fund, and during the documentary funds came tumbling in from the appreciative audience.
The running theme that stitched the whole event together was the evolution of the 5-string banjo music and its sociopolitical significance since its arrival in the US with African slaves in the nineteenth century. Parallel with this ran the clear anti-racism message of equality for all, regardless of ethnicity.
Also notable was the strict adherence to social distancing and mask wearing (by all except the singers).
The traditional Country music of artists like Emmylou Harris & Buddy Miller, Jimmy Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle was played with both passion and purpose, while new artists such as Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tré Burt, Amythyst Kiah and Yola delivered a mix of Folk, Blues and new Country with a gritty edge to complement their more contemporary sound.
Sierra Ferrell gave an arresting performance and Steve Earle & the half-grass Dukes (with Tim O’Brien & Dennis Crouch) played with great energy and verve (“Ladies & Gentlemen, notice at no time do our fingers leave our hands.”)
Rhiannon Giddens appeared with Francesco Turrisi for a fiddle & percussion masterclass and she also spoke about the traditions of the Banjo at various points, interspersed with performances from Alison Brown and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, also masters of the instrument and its place in the roots of musical communities and ethnic identity.
Los Coast were one of my favourite ‘unknown’ discoveries with strummed electric guitar and cello lifting a rendition of the classic, A Change Is Gonna Come, along with the soulful vocal delivery. Gospel trio The Sons of the Soul Revivers were also an interesting act, as indeed was the funky soul performance of Fantastic Negrito. The wonderful fiddle playing of Carrie Rodriguez was highlighted on the traditional, Frío En El Alma, a Mexican ballad and Bonnie Raitt delivered a sublime Blues performance on Shadow Of A Doubt.
Birds of Chicago delivered American Flowers with gentle power but the highlights for me were the heartfelt tribute to John Prine, when a variety of artists sung Paradise, with its references to the Peabody Coal Company and strip mining, together with the final rendition of Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land based around an existing Carter Family tune and including an additional verse from Steve Earle that called out Mr Trump.
Other standout performances included Buddy Miller’s curated performances from his Nashville home, including Kieran Kane with Rayna Gellert, The McCrary Sisters and (of course!) Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou.
Festival founder, Warren Hellman, had a vision and a deep passion for bringing people together and this uniquely FREE Festival, with no corporate sponsors, delivered a 20th Anniversary that did his memory proud and honoured his generosity of spirit.
Never before has it been more important to reach out to each other and the format of this online festival was completely successful in achieving this feeling across the 3 hours of archive footage, varied insights from assembled interviewees and lots of wonderfully diverse music.
The 3 hours went by quickly, which is always a good sign of enjoyment levels, the themes of Daybreak, Day and Dusk were well co-ordinated and with pledges in excess of €250,000 received from the virtual audience, it was an unqualified success on all levels. Congratulations to the event organisers and all the hard work from the technical staff behind the scenes.
The documentary is available to stream until Oct 11 - do not miss it!
Review by the Lonesome Highway Team.