Dobro, mandolin, guitar, musical exaltations and vocal flourishes – and much more – lilted through the autumn-painted trees and into the ears and souls of some colorful attendees at the fairgrounds in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Placerville, California, at the ninth annual Hangtown Music Festival (formerly the Hangtown Halloween Ball).

The sad passing on October 12 of Andy Goessling, founding member of Railroad Earth, the ongoing host band for the Hangtown Music Festival (Oct. 25-28), was a unifying thread at this year’s fest, prompting outspoken love, respect, and admiration. In the end, the shared loss sparked a like-minded cause for life celebration and a shared process of moving forward amid a backdrop of fabulous music, Halloween costumes, and community.

On the weekend preceding Halloween, a tie-dye-colored witches’ brew of imaginative seasonal costumes worn by attendees and musicians, vibrant autumn hues, and a couple of dozen improvisational bands of psychedelic rock, progressive bluegrass, funk, and more defined the 2017 version of the Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, California.

Sitting at the base of the mountains in Placerville, California, High Sierra’s sister festival Hangtown Music Festival covered 4 days of festivities which included beer tasting, meditation, yoga, costumes, but most of all, for the rock solid line up of diverse musicians. El Dorado County Fairgrounds opened its door with a freshly titled, Hangtown Music Festival. They may have dropped the Halloween Ball from their name, but that certainly didn’t slow down the party of twirling costumes under sunny skies and cool mountain air all weekend long.

Colorful costumes, joyous carousing, comfortable camping, and kick-ass jammy music of many genres came together nicely at the fifth annual Railroad Earth-hosted Hangtown Halloween Ball Music Festival.

The following artists have been added to the lineup for the 5^th Annual Hangtown Halloween Ball Featuring Railroad Earth:

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
The Travelin' McCourys
Break Science
Joe Craven and The Sometimers
The Z3 Funky Takes on Frank [Zappa]
Tracorum
World's Finest
Tubaluba
Ideateam
The Kitchen Dwellers
Mind X
Joe Craven (festival emcee)

Summer is coming to a simmer while plans at Hangtown Halloween Ball are just heating up.

Grab your costumes and your dancing shoes; Railroad Earth’s Hangtown Halloween Ball is just around the corner. Featuring three nights of killer music, workshops and Halloween themed programming, the 2nd annual event will offer a unique Halloween festival experience for music lovers young and old.

Just as the summer’s bustle is coming to a close, the heat is turning up for the folks at Railroad Earth’s Hangtown Halloween Ball.

Railroad Earth’s Hangtown Halloween Ball is excited to announce a host of new artist additions, including: Delta Spirit, ALO, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers,