Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2012 Announces Lineup: Warren Hellman’s Free Concert Is In Good Hands

I’ve been watching with interest as Dawn Holliday and her crew pieced together the lineup for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2012 after the loss of Warren Hellman, the event’s inspiration,  last year.  The Hardly Strictly Facebook page posted four weeks of recorded medleys that challenged the listener to guess the artists who had been invited to play Hardly Strictly 2012. The event will be held on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, October 5th, 6th + 7th in Hellman’s Hollow in Golden Gate Park.

I would argue that the artists who have signed on this year are every bit as eclectic and outstanding as those who have appeared in previous years – if not better.  When I spoke with Dawn last year for a blog I wrote about the Hellman Memorial she emphasized that Warren had always had suggestions but basically stayed out of the way and let Dawn and her staff take care of the logistics and bookings.  It shows and I’m confident that Warren would have been ecstatic about this years lineup.  Warren will certainly be there in spirit. His own group, the Wronglers, are playing again along with  several tribute bands.  Here’s the line up for this year.  If you’ve  never attended this free concert it’s worth the effort no matter where you live on this planet.  I plan on filing reports on my blog during this years event.   Here’s the lineup.

Alison Brown Quartet with Stuart Duncan
Allison Moorer
ALO
Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys
Bill Kirchen and Texicalli
Boz Scaggs: Tribute to Doug Sahm
Buddy Miller
Chris Carrabba
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys
Chuck Ragan
Conor Brings Friends for Friday featuring: Simon Felice, Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express, Beachwood Sparks, Ben Kweller, Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst
Cowboy Junkies
Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones
Dirty Three
Dry Branch Fire Squad
Dwight Yoakam
Elvis Costello Solo
Emmylou Harris
Giant Giant Sand
Glen Hansard
Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson
Heartless Bastards
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jesse Winchester
Jim Lauderdale
Joe Pug
John Reilly and Friends (featuring Becky Stark & Tom Brosseau)
Jon Langford & His Sadies
Jonny Two Bags & Salvation Town
Justin Townes Earle
Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth featuring Bernie Worrell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess
Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin
Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands
Les Claypool Duo De Twang
Little Green Cars
Lloyd Cole
Lucero
Luther Dickinson & the Wandering
Moonalice
Nick Lowe
O’Brien Party of 7
Patterson Hood & the Downtown Rumblers
Patti Smith and her band
Patty Griffin
Peter Rowan
Pickwick
Poor Man’s Whiskey
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Reckless Kelly
Red Baraat
Reignwolf
Robert Earl Keen
Robyn Hitchcock
Roger Knox & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Rubblebucket
Sara Watkins
Seasick Steve
Sierra Hull
Son Volt
Steve Earle & the Dukes (and Duchesses)
The Barr Brothers
The Chieftains
The Civil Wars
The Del McCoury Band
The Flatlanders featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock
The Go to Hell Man Clan with Special Guests the Wronglers featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore
The Heart & the Heart
The Jerry Douglas Band
The Knitters
The Lumineers
The Milk Carton Kids
The New Orleans Bingo! Show
The Soul Rebels
The Time Jumpers (Vince Gill, Dennis Crouch, Paul Franklin, Larry Franklin, Andre Reiss, Dawn Sears, Kenneth Sears, Joe Spivey, Jeff Taylor & Billy Thomas)
The Trishas
The White Buffalo
Tiny Television
Todd Snider
Tribute to the Founding Fathers: Warren Hellman, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson
Walter Salas-Humara
World Famous Headliners