Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announces the fourth round of musicians in this year’s Let The Music Play On, with Boz Scaggs, Jim Lauderdale, Fantastic Negrito, Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, and Robert Earl Keen. Let the Music Play On is a celebration of roots music, honoring the 20th Anniversary of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, airing Saturday featuring new performance footage, archival sets, and fans’ festival memories from previous years. The broadcast will air Saturday, October 3rd at 2 pm pt / 5 pm et on Circle TV, home of the legendary Grand Ole Opry, and online at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. Circle TV's rich vision of entertaining audiences around the world by honoring legends from the past and showcasing new live performances is in perfect alignment with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, making them the ideal broadcast partner for Let the Music Play On.
Over the past 20 years Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has become a pilgrimage for musicians and music fans alike. “Hardly Strictly bluegrass is definitely unique,” says Rhiannon Giddens. “The way it was started, the energy it has, there is this incredible warmth that pervades since it’s open to everyone. There’s the air of discovery for a lot of people. There are folks on stage playing to folks that they wouldn’t be playing to who don’t listen to their kind of music. It’s a gathering which is really cool. I feel like Hardly Strictly is really more about the vibe and the heart of the music.” Founded in 2001 Warren and Chris Hellman to share the music they loved from their favorite artists with the city of San Francisco has grown into one of the largest national music festivals. With over 80 bands across six stages, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass attracts over 750,000 attendees annually to Golden Gate Park. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park, one of San Francisco’s most treasured and historic recreational, cultural and environmental resources. The park has always been the silent crew member of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass since the festival’s inception. Its natural awe, beauty, fog, and sunshine could never be scripted. It was given a starring role in Let the Music Play On, which will be revealed during the broadcast next month. “It doesn't get more beautiful than Golden Gate Park,” says veteran HSB performer Carrie Rodriguez. “There's so much magic in the setting and then the fact that it is free and open to every music lover who wants to make the trek down there, it just blows my mind. It's the most generous beautiful gift to mankind. It's very moving when you realize the impact of that. I can't think of another festival that comes close to that kind of generosity in that magical place.”
More information on the broadcast and lineup will be announced in the coming weeks at www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. To stay up-to-date, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and follow HSB on social media.
