Posted on 10/01/2009 2:09:23 PM PDT by GSWarrior
This weekend's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass — the name changed in 2003 to reflect the inclusion of multiple music genres — is expected to draw upward of 500,000 people to Golden Gate Park's Speedway Meadow, about what it did last fall.
Beyond the size of the crowd, the scope of this event is just enormous. The 2009 lineup will include some 80 acts, ranging from bluegrass titans Ralph Stanley and Del McCoury to banjo-playing comedian Steve Martin and '60s rock icon Marianne Faithfull, performing on six stages this Friday through Sunday.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Billy Joe Shaver is doing some great shows.
And Steve Martin has a new album out of banjo music with some vocalists (also some instrumentals).
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys do my favorite version of “Amazing Grace.”
I had to choose between Shaver and Old 97s, whom I have never seen. But they tour constantly. Who knows when I'll have a chance to see Shaver again?
And just ran across this:
Musician Amy Farris found dead
By Michael Corcoran | Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 04:04 PM
The sad news spread through Austin Wednesday that talented fiddle player Amy Farris, an Austin native living in Los Angeles, was found dead. In her Twitter account Kelly Willis posted “My dear sweet friend Amy Farris died over the weekend. Together we weren’t exactly fearless..but we did it anyway. I’m devastated.” Farris was 40.
Farris was found at her residence. Suicide is suspected, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, though the investigation has not been completed and there’s not yet an official cause of death.
A graduate of Crockett High, Farris was a member of Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women, who played Antone’s Sept. 18. Her credits include backing everyone from local luminaries Willis, Bruce Robison and Alejandro Escovedo to musical giants Ray Price and Brian Wilson. Farris performed on two Lillith Fair tours in Willis’ band.
Her lone solo LP “Anyway,” was produced by Alvin in 2003.
Farris was scheduled to play Friday with the Guilty Women at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in her honor to Hungry For Music, Inc, a nonprofit effort to provide musical instruments to at risk children.
Don’t want to hijack, but bluegrass doesn’t come up much on Freerepublic. Here’s Amazing Grace I recorded a couple of weeks ago.
www.youtube.com/docandthelady
That’s very sad.
Looks like everyone bill be there: Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Richie Havens, Ricky Skaggs, Robert Earl Keen, The Flatlanders (Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock), Emmy Lou, Mavis Staples.... Just wow!!
I’ll be at the Rosine Bluegrass Festival this weekend. The Bill Monroe homeplace. It will be ALL Bluegrass. ;)
Gotta agree with you. That lineup is awesome!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmayes3
Anyone into jazz?
I’m going to the Medford Jazz Jubilee next weekend, great show...I’ve been to most of them.
It always includes my favorite jazz band, Cornet Chop Suey, out of St. Louis.
Ed
Thanks for the link! For some reason the auto-link didn’t work for me either, and I’m HTML deficient. Make sure you make it to “Ashokan Farewell”. That is definitely the fan favorite on the page.
Oh, you can bet I will hear them all. I so love the violin. My son has been playing the “fiddle” since age 3. He still plays with the staff band for the Ohio Valley Opry, which is the best live music show in the Ohio Valley. He plays both fiddle and Mandolin and can fill in on guitar, drums, or bass if needed. He has perfect pitch according to his college prof. in his music theory class. I’m not a bit proud of course.
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmayes3
I don’t know why it didn’t work in your post, but it’s working here.
I wish we discussed music more often here.
Sorry to hear about the woman who died tho.
Thank you. I’m listening now, and yer gittar ain’t bad either. I quite like steel string, which is what it sounds like.
My son and a friend are flying out to SF from DC tonight for this! Helluva RT flight in one weekend, but it helps to be young.
I am fortunate that this festival is held in my back yard!
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