Story & photos by Jean & Derek Brandon

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All photos © 2003 Derek Brandon. Strictly Bluegrass 2001  2002

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This was our 3rd visit to these wonderful events, providing a wonderful climax to the best and hottest British summer for many years. We were to arrive in San Francisco 3rd October in time to get over the jet lag, so called our daughter in the City:
"Hi Pam - see you Wed night - how's the weather?"
"Fine today," she said, "But the forecast is cold and rain for Friday..."
And so it was - just our luck!

The free event, no tickets needed,  was held as usual on the Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park, but this year there were a few changes. The most obvious was the name had changed. Previously it was Strictly Bluegrass, but many people had complained that too many performers were "Hardly strictly bluegrass, Warren!" so that was that. Equally obvious was that 2003 signalled the change to a three day event, starting on Friday afternoon.

A tribute to Woody Guthrie for students & general public, with The Peasall Sisters and the touring tribute to Woody Guthrie: the Ribbon of Highway/Endless Skyway Tour

Festival organiser and benefactor Warren Hellman had decided to lay on a special Field Trip for the school children of San Francisco, and most City schools had their history lesson here this afternoon. It took the form of a special Tribute to Woody Guthrie and was opened up by the Peasall Sisters (with daddy on bass) who seem to be going from strength to strength. As last year, the girls were appropriately dressed, but this year in heavy jackets and woolly hats to combat the windy, dull and very cold weather, perhaps helped by the high-power fan heaters each side of the stage. Regrettably we arrived only just in time to catch their last song... and no photo.

Woody's own story was narrated by Bob Childers and illustrated and interspersed with Woody's own songs. These included This Train Was Bound For Glory, There Ain't No Body Can Sing Like Me, Pretty Boy Floyd, The Outlaw, 66 Highway, Dustbowl Refugees, Vigilante Man, I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore, Hear The Curfew Blow, It's A Hard World Dead Or Alive, and Worried Man Blues. The musicians included Jimmy LaFave, Joel Rafael, Eliza Gilkyson, Kevin Welch and Michael Fracasso.

Warren (far left)  thanks the Woody Guthrie performers

"Oh boy, It's cold!" Not a song title, just my comment on the weather which couldn't be more different than last year. Speedway Meadow (AKA Hellman's Hollow!) looked a bit grey and eerie with wisps of ocean fog hanging in the trees but this didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the performers or the kids (and their teachers) who joined in the final song This Land Is Your Land, belting it out joyously. Of course the copious and free 'help yourself' supply of sodas, hot dogs, fruit, chips/crisps, etc., provided for them may have helped a little but there was no doubt that they had a great afternoon.

It was all thanks to Warren Hellman, who also arranged (and provided for free) the seemingly endless line of 'deluxe' tour bus transport for them to and from their schools. One teacher told me, "We no longer have field trips due to lack of funds so this is their school outing for the year. Who is paying for all this?" I pointed out Warren and off she went like a shot to thank him.

Some Saturday concerts (7 hours)

Saturday started off cool and overcast. Initially there seemed to be fewer people than last year on the meadow but as the day wore on the weather improved and the crowd increased.

The Crooked Jades

Our VIP passes were late arriving but Marion was organising everything in her usual super-efficient style. So we had an excellent FOC cappuccino in the enclosure, listening to San Francisco band The Crooked Jades (including a clogger!) kicking off the concert in fine style with a good mix of material. Amongst their offerings were Shady Grove, a couple of Gospel Songs and some Sea Shanties, including a lovely version of Shallo Brown.

Alison Brown

The next act was Alison Brown, who explained that she used to be an Investment Banker but is now a banjo player, whereas Warren used to play the banjo and is now an Investment Banker! (There's got to be a "What's the difference between..."-type joke in there somewhere...)

The Alison Brown band is superb but the music is not to my taste, being more BluesJazz than BlueGrass. They even have a piano for goodness sake! This definitely belonged to the 'Hardly Bluegrass' bit of the festival.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

There were three stages operating: On the Blue Stage later that morning was Gillian Welch ('O Brother' star) and David Rawlings. With Gillian's songs and gritty voice and David's sensitive backing and harmonies they were very together and a class act in my opinion, drawing a bigger crowd than Tim O'Brien on the main stage!

By this time the sun was out, the air was warm and the music superb! My view of Gillian was obscured by a tall potted bamboo on the stage (planners take note!), but the sound was perfect! Her songs included No One in The World Knows My Name and I Wanna Sing That Rock And Roll and some gospel songs with powerful harmonies by David. A song by Doc Watson and finished with (as Gillian put it herself) "A good killing song 'cos we think you're starting to enjoy yourselves!"

Photo  below: In the freezing mist from the nearby Pacific Ocean

Of course the crowd wouldn't let them go without an encore so they sang I'll Fly Away from the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou. I think the mood was summed up by a nearby cyclist wearing a bright red and yellow baseball cap complete with a propeller on top. He was whistling and cheering! Well done guys, a very good job.

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men played old songs in a new Western Rock style. They did a great version of Woody Guthrie's Do-Ray-Me in which the electric piano rocked into space! And Marie Marie was loud, loud, loud. All real Honky-Tonk Rock and Roll!

The dynamic FOB 4

The brilliant Tim O'Brien Band on the Main Stage

About now the  mist cleared, the sun came out, stayed out and the crowd doubled.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

A screaming fiddle sound check heralded Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, featuring Ricky Skaggs (mandolin/lead vocals), Andy Lefowitz (fiddle/harmony vocals), Cody Kilby (lead guitar/vocals), Darren Vincent (guitar/harmony vocals), Mark Fayne (bass), Paul Brewster (guitar/tenor vocals) and Banjo Player of the Year 2003 Jim Mills.

This red-hot band slammed off with a rip-roaring Black-eyed Suzy followed by How Mountain Girls Can Love in overdrive. Ricky Skaggs, one of the best high lonesome bluegrass voices, has a real way with songs, particularly the few slow ballads with Kentucky Thunder providing fabulous harmonies. Other offerings included I'm Riding On That Midnight Train, Rank Strangers, I Live A Simple Life and self-penned mandolin tune Crossville (with great flat-picking on the guitar from Cody Kilby). Jim Mills is typical of good banjo players: he chews his way through all his solo breaks! They finished to a standing ovation with Pig In A Pen, followed by a Shady Grove encore. This was all high octane stuff, mostly high speed,with great harmonies and superb vocals.

Bluesy Duo Keiran Kane & Kevin Welch were very good, but Stage 3 needed visiting. There Matt Lax & Nearly Beloved played Texas Swing. A good band, with pedal steel, mouth harp, guitar and double bass.

Over at the Blue Stage we saw Joe Ely (right) - a good Country singer, playing slide steel guitar. In fact all the performers seemed to be very professional, class acts.

Back at the Main Stage Warren, introducing Steve Earl, quipped, "It should be the other way round - every one had heard of Steve but no one had heard of me!" [I'll fix that - Ed.]

Steve Earl & The Bluegrass Dukes were Steve Earl (guitar/lead vocals), Tim O'Brien (mandolin/vocals), Dennis Crouch (bass), Daryl Scott (banjo) and Casey Dreeson (fiddle). Steve Earl gave a solid account of himself with a good Bluegrass sound and content to his performance plus excellent backing from The Dukes. By the time they played their final number, Nothing Brings You Down Like Your Home Town, people were standing 6-deep at the front of the stage and we couldn't see a thing.

Steve Earl & The Bluegrass Dukes on Main Stage

Saturday Night Party at Slim's Night Club

Saturday Night saw the Performers & VIPs Party at Slim's in the City. The facilities and reception were exactly as last year - they couldn't be better - and lots of people were amazed at who they shared tables with!

True Blue (right)

There were several star-studded jam sessions, but Bluegrass quartet True Blue, with Del Williams (guitar/lead vocals), Avram Seagal (banjo/baritone vocals), Ed Neff (mandolin/tenor vocals) and Alison Fisher (acoustic bass), opened the evening. A good old-fashioned real Bluegrass band with a great sound (CD Review). They looked the part too, with the men in suits and the bass player in a pretty dress. They treated us to some superb trio singing with a spine-tingling high, lonesome sound. Though stalwarts of the Bluegrass scene for many years it's the first time I've heard True Blue and it definitely will not be the last! Hazel Dickens stood nearby, listening intently and obviously delighted! Derek (your Editor) was shouting "Don't you dare get off that stage!"

Lynne and Marshall

The Lynne Morris Band performed without Lynne, who was resting side-stage. Her husband Marshall Willbourne assured us that she's improving steadily after her serious stroke. The line up was Dudley Connell (vocals/guitar), Jesse Brock (mandolin), Marshall Willbourne (bass), Ron Stewart (banjo/fiddle) with Michael Cleveland (fiddle) guesting. The ensemble worked well and Dudley was in fine voice. Marshall also has a great way with a song as he demonstrated on The Engineers Don't Wave From The Trains Anymore. The banjo player is no slouch either as he proved with the red-hot Bluegrass tune Adams County Breakdown.

The evening wouldn't have been complete for Warren without Hazel Dickens, who closed the concert - see 2002 report for general comments.

Hazel Dickens with Dudley Connell (right)

It was an wonderful evening all round with the music, food drink and rubbing shoulders with the people who had entertained us during the day. My friend Gayle Schmitt was thrilled to be able to chat and have a photo taken with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (Gayle's story).

Despite the 'open bar' the evening finished around midnight as I guess most people (including us) wanted to be up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the Sunday concerts...

Continued... Click for Part 2 (the Sunday Concerts)

Jean Brandon, Chester, England Write to Jean

Click for more photos 1 | more photos 2 | Strictly Bluegrass 2002 | 2001

8 Jan 2004. Modified 31 Jan 08