They are part of the third wave of artists announced for the free three-day concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from October 4 to 6. Other participants include alternative folk artist Cunningham Bird, Ethiopian jazz group Combo Tezeta, singer-songwriter trio Wonder Women of Country, Americana artist Matt the Electrician, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, country singer Carlene Carter, eclectic folk singer Jessica Pratt and roots rock band Wreckless Strangers.
“I love Hardly Strictly – it’s one of our favorite places in the world to play,” Staples, who last performed at the festival in 2021, said in a statement. “I can’t wait to go back there this fall.”
The new additions were confirmed on Wednesday, August 21, after a medley of song snippets was streamed on the festival’s website and app.
Cat Power, the stage name of Chan Marshall, plans to perform material from her latest album with a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert.
The festival is also partnering with local venues for its first Out of the Park evening concerts, with proceeds benefiting the Sweet Relief Bay Area Musicians Fund. These ticketed shows include Hansard and Greensky Bluegrass at the Fillmore in San Francisco; Hitchcock, Fruition and the Bones of JR Jones at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley; Hayley Heynderickx at the Guild Theater in Menlo Park; and a special tribute concert at the Great American Music Hall celebrating the 50th anniversary of Big Star’s groundbreaking album, “Radio City.”
“For many of us, the HSB is the biggest festival of the year, a small window into what we want the rest of reality to be,” said Mick Hellman, son of the late festival founder Warren Hellman, in a statement
The final teaser medley of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is scheduled to be released on September 3rd.
