Elvis playing Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Oct. 5 '08

[johnfoyle]

This item lists E.C. -


http://breakfastontour.com/drupal/hardl ... unced#jump

Thu, 07/24/2008

The lineup for for the eighth annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass was announced earlier today. The festival is set to take place October 3-5, 2008 in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and will feature many bands that fall under the bluegrass tag, including Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Earl Scruggs, The Del McCoury Band, and Steve Earle & the Bluegrass Dukes. The "Hardly Strictly" part of the line-up offers some interesting additions as well, including indie-folksters Iron & Wine, gypsy-punks Gogol Bordello, pop-hipster Ben Kweller, and across-the-pond transplants Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.


However , the official site -

http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/

does not.

[MOJO]

Cool. This show is going to be a blow out. Ben Kweller - cute! He has some skillz... Sha, Sha is fun record.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 1280B5.DTL

Plant, Krauss set for 8th Hardly Strictly fest

Joel Selvin, Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic

Sunday, August 10, 2008


Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Asleep At the Wheel and Earl Scruggs will be among the more than 60 acts appearing at the free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 8 festival Oct. 3-5 in Golden Gate Park, a gift to the city by billionaire financier and semipro bluegrass banjo player Warren Hellman.

What started as a modest day in the park with eight bands has grown into a world-renowned event, a landmark on the country, folk and acoustic music circuits and one of the most extraordinary free concert series ever.

Among the performers making their Hardly Strictly debut this year will be the Desert Rose Band, Iron & Wine, Pegi Young (whose husband, Neil Young, frequently plays guitar in her band), Odetta, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart (with Zakir Hussein) and Bonnie Prince Billy. Among the Hardly Strictly regulars returning this year will be Hazel Dickens, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, Robert Allen Keen, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Ricky Skaggs.

Hellman's bluegrass band, the Wronglers, will also appear.

The festival is set over five stages across Speedway, Lindley and Marx meadows. For the third consecutive year, it will open with a Friday afternoon show, this year featuring Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with the T-Bone Burnett Band (which happens to include another Hardly Strictly regular, guitarist Buddy Miller).

Starting in 2004, the festival expanded to include Friday morning programs for local schoolchildren. This year's 10:30 a.m. educational program will take place as part of the Daniel Pearl Foundation Music Days. Entertainment will be provided by MC Hammer, whose gospel performance will feature 30 singers and dancers.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 8: 2:30-7 p.m. Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 4-5. Free. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.

[johnfoyle]

Elvis is now listed as "Elvis Costello's High Whines and Spirits" . Perhaps it's related too or a play on Down Among The Wines And Spirits, the song from the Dylan support slots.


http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... nd_Spirits

[johnfoyle]

Austin de Lone e-mails me to say he is playing with Elvis in this festival on 'Sunday the 5th'.

[jmm]

Planning to make the trip out for HSB based on EC's high praise while talking after the NOLA show.

Looks like it'll be even more interesting than I'd hoped!!

[johnfoyle]

A couple of dates ???


http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/entertain ... -0030.html
Thursday, Sep 04, 2008

(extract)

In addition to his own shows,Bill Kirchen heads to California in October for a couple of dates as part of Elvis Costello's band.

[ahawkman]

Nick Lowe is playing San Diego the next day, 10/6. The ad says Nick Lowe and Special Guest... could it be??!! However, I just checked the website and Paul Cebar is listed as the opener, no mention of a Special Guest.

http://www.bellyup.com/show/detail/16694

Not likely to see Elvis it seems, but if anyone hears differently please be sure to post it, thanks!

[Dr. Luther]

I know that this is almost too obvious to be possible, but:

Same venue, same benefit as the Clover/MAIT show last year.

http://www.gamh.com/artist_pages/ry_cooder_100208.htm

[johnfoyle]

Schedule ( of sorts) now posted -

http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/

Same venue, same benefit as the Clover/MAIT show last year.

see
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... f=2&t=7388

[Dr. Luther]

Same venue, same benefit as the Clover/MAIT show last year.

see
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... f=2&t=7388

Sorry, John.

( You're way too organized...)

[johnfoyle]

http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/2008/artists.shtml

Sun Oct 5 (11am - 7pm)

Star Stage

* 11:00am Bill Kirchen
* 12:00pm Riders in the Sky
* 1pm Ben Kweller
* 2:30pm Elvis Costello's High Whines & Spirits
* 4:15pm Gogol Bordello
* 5:45pm Heavy Trash

...which would leave time for -

Sun Oct 5 (11am - 7pm)

Banjo Stage

* 11:20am Darrell Scott Band
* 12:20pm Hazel Dickens
* 1:45pm Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
* 2:55pm Earl Scruggs
* 4:15pm Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
* 5:45pm Emmylou Harris


.........and the day before who knows who may join Nick Lowe or Carlene Carter -

Sat Oct 4 (10:45am - 7:15pm)

Rooster Stage

* 11:15am Carlene Carter
* 12:40pm Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson
* 1:30pm From The Jayhawks: Mark Olson & Gary Louris
* 2:45pm Nick Lowe
* 4:05pm Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women (Christy McWilson, Amy Farris, Laurie Lewis, Sarah Brown, Lisa Pankratz, Nina Gerber, Cindy Cashdollar)
* 5:45pm Robert Earl Keen

[johnfoyle]

A blogger at yesterday's festival opener ' Robert Plant and Alison Krauss featuring T Bone Burnett' -


http://lord-kook.livejournal.com/216963.html

16:53 Robert Plant and Elvis Costello are having a very animated conversation together in the dining tent.

[johnfoyle]

http://brawerguitarrepair.blogspot.com/ ... ncoln.html



Saturday, October 4, 2008

Posted by Gary Brawer, Guitar Repair

Bill Kirchen, one of the Fathers of Tone in our Universe of Guitar, stopped by prior to sitting in with Elvis Costello at the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass concerts in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park. He brought with him his current favorite, a Big Tex tele- style relic for some maintenance. We shielded the guitar, replaced the two potentiometers (note reversed control plate - he likes to swell with his pinkie!) and plekked (computerized fretmill) the frets along with a full set-up. He's very happy.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 13BNJJ.DTL



40,000 enjoy top acts at Hardly Strictly

Joel Selvin, Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic

Saturday, October 4, 2008


Financier Warren Hellman opened his eighth annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival Saturday in Golden Gate Park on the main stage, telling a story about recovering a prized banjo 30 years after he lost it, and then picking some with a few other musicians.


"Warren's a big hit," said one observer. "Last year, he was just a Porch Stage act."

His bluegrass outfit, the Wronglers, actually does play today at the tiny Porch Stage, reserved for up and coming talent on the five-stage, three-day free acoustic music festival Hellman funds. Police estimated Saturday's crowd crawling along John F. Kennedy Drive in that end of the park around 40,000, but nobody had a better time than Hellman.

The billionaire bluegrass benefactor kept his usual golf cart driver standing by, while he tried to keep up with his own frantic schedule of acts he wanted to see. Saturday he planned to stay close to the festival's main stage at the east end of Speedway Meadow, Banjo Stage, where Hellman favorites such as Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Steve Earle would be performing after he told his banjo story.

"It's a great lineup," he said, "after a shaky start."

Hellman, the San Francisco investment banker who was a legend on Wall Street before he was 40 years old, announced on the KFOG Morning Show, broadcasting live from the festival site Friday morning, that he has talked it over with his children (and heirs), and he has endowed the festival with enough money to continue at least 15 years after his death ("after I croak" were his exact words).

There is certainly nothing to compare with his clambake anywhere else in the music world. After eight years, word of this festival has spread. Musicians from all over the world love to play the wacky event. Elvis Costello, who appears today, and his longtime associate Nick Lowe, were chatting about the festival backstage Saturday at the Rooster Stage in leafy Marx Meadow just before Lowe's set.

Local fans have become regulars, settling on their favored places, keeping parking secrets close to the vest, and practicing all kinds of rituals and routines. A large number of people arrive before the morning fog burns off to lay down blankets, claiming prized real estate long before the crowds come. People compare past performances by the Hardly Strictly cast, which tends to feature many returning acts, like sports fans talking about previous seasons.

"I believe in marriage," said singer Carlene Carter on the Rooster Stage. "This next song comes from my third divorce. He's playing later on the bill." (Indeed, the ex-in-question was Nick Lowe).

If Dawn Holliday, general manager of Slim's and Great American Music Hall, who books the leviathan show, was brave enough to put a divorced couple on the same stage, she also has Greg Brown and Iris DeMent, who are still married, doing their acts a couple of hours apart today on the same stage.

There are secret themes to her bills. The program at Saturday's Arrow Stage was all-Texas, ending with Jerry Jeff Walker and Asleep at the Wheel, a little piece of Austin right in Golden Gate Park. Often the lesser-known performers on the small, less-crowded Porch Stage are the festival's wild cards. Boz Scaggs pulled up a piece of lawn right in front of the stage for burly Arkansas songwriter Joe Purdy.

Emmylou Harris, poster girl of the festival who has closed the show every year since the first, sat down on the main stage with sisters-in-song Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin, joined by guitarist Buddy Miller, who also played on Friday afternoon before a crowd of several thousand with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on the festival's opening day.

The proceedings really began Friday morning when rap artist MC Hammer kept 5,000 students from San Francisco public schools bouncing and shouting with high-energy funk and his acrobatic dance troupe. Appearing before Hammer was the 13-year-old winner of the Daniel Pearl Award, violinist Ruby Jane, who treated her contemporaries to a rousing set of western swing backed by members of Asleep at the Wheel.

"I wrote this song when I was nine years old," she said. "Anybody out there who is nine?" she asked, as many cheered.

Hellman, in khakis and a well-worn denim work shirt, moves easily through the crowds, stopping to accept the occasional encomium. The musicians treat him with the sort of bemused blend of respect and affection one reserves for a favorite screwball uncle. Mandolinist Ron Thomason of Dry Branch Fire Squad introduced Hellman to the crowd, when he brought him onstage to play banjo with the group.

"We found this banjo player," Thomason said, "I know he doesn't look like he knows where his next meal is coming from ... ."

E-mail Joel Selvin at jselvin@sfchronicle.com.

[migdd]

Chris has posted the setlist on listserv:



Just back from SF. Really really really good show.

The Fauxposters kicked off (Steve replaced by Austin deLone) with:

1. Red Shoes
2. Uncomplicated

Then Bill Kirchen and Fats Kaplin
(http://www.deadreckoners.com/artists/fats_kaplin.html) joined the band for

3. Radio Sweetheart with teeny tiny JW Said and the Sequins story
4. Wild Night (Van)

Then Jim Lauderdale (http://www.jimlauderdale.com/?content=about) joined in
with

5. Tonight the bottle let me down (first twins sighting - we did our very
best to hate them, but they are just so darn cute!)
6. Down among the wines and spirits
7. High Timber Line (Jim Lauderdale on lead vocals, Austin on Accordian and
Fats on Mandolin)
8. Fried of the Devil
9. My Three Sons (certain members of the audience burst into tears at this
point! Dexter was dancing at the side of the stage)
10. Sulphur to Sugarcane

Then Emmylou Harris came on for

11. The Crooked Line ("The only song I've written about love without a
get-out clause in the last verse")
12. Love Hurts

Exit EmmyLou

13. Peace Love and Understanding

"Do you want one more?"

The Burlington Welsh Male Voice Choir (and later, Emmylou) come on for

14. Scarlet Tide

Really cool show, a million thanks to Jill and Maria for staking out a front
row at 6:30am.

The Bill Kirchen set earlier was stellar as well! As was Ben Kweller.

[ramalama]

Who knew we'd get the Reet Petite insert ("She's Alright!") in Radio Sweetheart without the Jackie Wilson Said segue, only to wind up with Wild Night as the Van reference?

Hey Mr. Microphone-in-the-trees, did you get anything usable?

[johnfoyle]

Jean on listserv -

Thanks to the hard work of PLU, my amazingly steady-handed video of "Wild Night" is available:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ges69GRMKrA

[ahawkman]

Sounds like a great event, wish I could have made it.

Mr. Lowe is playing in San Diego tonight, did he or Elvis mention it? I am clinging to the wafer-thin hope that EC might make an appearance. Seems that he didn't even join NIck on stage this weekend though, eh?

Any info would be much appreciated, thanks!

[MOJO]

What a great show. Lots of families - young and old. At one point, I was hanging in a wooded area near the Banjo stage and a Latino family came walking down the pathway. The guy had his parents (really old), his wive and kids. Man, that was so cool to see. He asked us if we have beer to sell. Then, he chugged a beer in no time in front of us. After that, I was a bit concerned about the well being of his parents and kids. No doubt, the wife had her hands full.

Anyhow, the party was going down. I love San Francisco. I love Warren Hellman.

Elvis was great as usual. Dexter is clearly a rock n' roller. He was moving the whole time on stage. And Frank, he rushed the stage, arms outstretched wanting his daddy. I think Frank might have done a bit of air guitar, too. They also had a sword fight going down with the drum sticks. Classic. Cute kids. Scarlet Tide was awesome. Warren Hellman was on stage, trying to blend in with the choir.

Overall, there are way too many highlights to recap here. Best vendor: The guy selling his "special" chocolate truffles. Downlight - SF Bike Coalition for not having it together at their new location. They had no lights, so they closed bike parking early - 7pm. The show was over at 7pm! Come on, man, it's a once a year event. Get it together. Borrow a light from HSB or something.

Mellow crowd, great event! Looking forward to the next 15 years!

[Dr. Luther]

Seems that he didn't even join NIck on stage this weekend though, eh?

Yeah -- that was strange.
Costello walked along the pathway to backstage a few minutes before Nick's set started.
And then didn't join him.
I think I saw Nick look off-stage as he was beginning PL&U to get some kind of indication.
So I'm speculating throat crankiness for EC -- as he sounded a bit rough at times during his own set.

[johnfoyle]

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/1 ... -bordello/

Posted by Shay Quillen on October 6th, 2008

(extract)


There had been no official announcement on who would be part of Costello’s High Whines & Whispers, but it turned out the band had more than a passing resemblance to the Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods band that backed him up at the fest two years ago. Like that band, this one featured drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher from the Imposters, Austin de Lone on keyboards, Bill Kirchen on his Telecaster, and Fats Kaplin on everything else, plus a guest appearance from Emmylou Harris. As last time, he performed a Dead cover (”Friend of the Devil,” this time) and a Van Morrison cover (”Wild Night,” this time) and sang “Love Hurts” with Emmylou (much stronger than what I remembered from last time) and ended the proceedings with “Peace, Love and Understanding” and “The Scarlet Tide” (this time with an assist from the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus). New wrinkles: Jim Lauderdale in band, some new songs from his upcoming collaboration with T Bone Burnett, a much shorter time on stage. Anyway, despite all the hassles it was still pretty great, and I even bought the T-shirt. Who knows when we can expect another “High Whines & Spirits” show?

Here’s the set list: The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes / Uncomplicated / Radio Sweetheart / Wild Night / Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down / Down Among the Wines and Spirits / High Timberline (Lauderdale vocal) / Friend of the Devil / My Three Sons / From Sulfur to Sugarcane / The Crooked Line (I called it “Life’s Companion” last time, but he announced it with this title) / Love Hurts / Peace, Love and Understanding / The Scarlet Tide

[johnfoyle]

http://chrisberk.spaces.live.com/blog/c ... !938.entry

Christopher blogs -

(extract)

I got to the Star Stage at around 1:30, right in the middle of Ben Kweller’s set. I took a seat and ate my hamburger and read my newspaper. Some weird guy was walking around selling cans of Budweiser beer for five dollars each. I felt better after eating, but I didn’t really start listening to any music until Elvis Costello took the stage.

The Elvis Costello set started with the songs “Red Shoes,” “Uncomplicated,” “Radio Sweetheart,” Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” and Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down.” The music sounded pretty good, if not as compelling as in the 1980’s. I was annoyed that all the people talked louder and louder as the afternoon wore on. They are really terrible music fans who don’t know how to listen or pay attention. Emmylou Harris paid a visit, and I got up and walked over to the trees on the hill to get a closer look. I was barely able to see Elvis and Emmylou as they sang the Everly Brothers’ “Love Hurts.” That song was also a hit for Nazareth, and even though I’m too young to remember the Everlys’ heyday, I can’t associate the song with Nazareth. A crowd-pleasing song near the end of the set was “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace. Love and Understanding?”

[scielle]

Twins' on-stage debut immortalised on flickr:

Elvis Costello's twin boys, Dexter and Frank, were supercute as they wandered onstage dressed in tiny "Elvis Costello High Whines and Spirits" shirts, earmuffs and drumstics. He said this was their first show and they came to see what daddy does at work. He sang them his new song, "My Three Sons"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artolog/2919483242/

[migdd]

Jill's account from listserv:



Okay so I wake up at 5:18 to get to the venue as early as I thought
would really work best.

I drive to the venue in record time. Get there and find parking after
driving around a bit.

I get to the Star Stage and start to put my stuff down to keep a place at least.

I call two listers and beg for backup.

One by one they show up and come to help me get the place I wanted
down front and center!

Yay!

We play a game of Apples to Apples amongst lots of talk between fans

We wait five plus hours for the first band to take the stage.

We are treated to many, many great, awesomely great performers:

Star Stage

11:00am Bill Kirchen

12:00pm Riders in the Sky

1pm Ben Kweller

2:30pm Elvis Costello's High Whines & Spirits

4:15pm Gogol Bordello

So, Bill was awesome!! Auddie and his band mate were sooooooooo
great! I was amazed by them every minute. What can I say? My
goodness. Go see them.

Riders in the Sky were also sooooooo great! I was very happy for the
family entertainment from them. They were so aweome it's so hard to
describe. It was like I was back in the great old days where people
were nice and sweet and had the best stage schtick from which to
entertain. They were so on top of stuff that they could even bring in
events that were happening around them like the Sheriff's posse
showing up on horses. They were strictly family fare, addressing the
horses and constantly referring to the Disney folks that probably got
them where they are. The best thing was that when you look at them,
you actually feel like you are at Disneyland and watching very high
quality entertainment. Not to mention that they won a Grammy for
their work with Disney. I LOVED
THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo funny, great
entertainers and superb musicians and they really took me back to the
days when life was simple and clean and fun!! I had such a grand time
watching them!!!! Such professional people and superb performers.

Ben Kweller was also soooooooo great. What a cutie red headed son of
Texas. He was so connected with his music as it was very
auto-biographical sounding, and you could see his connection with the
performance. I think he got a few fans from our small group of
four/five!! He was soooo great.

Elvis' set...was sooo transcendental...is that the word? I was teary
eyed during "My Three Sons" and "Love Hurts"...the rest of it I could
not stop smiling...even during parts of "Love Hurts"...only because
they sounded so great together, he and Emmylou!!!! Elvis was very
political, speaking about his sons' right to run for President(s)
since they are American citizens. I was so happy with everything EC
had to say to the audience. He started and I was focused on him.
Then I look to the right and the cutest blondy-blonde twins are there
with protective ear-gear and I have to knock next door to my neighbors
and say "THE TWINS ARE THERE". They were the cutest things I've ever
seen!!! I had a hard time watching EC because those boys were *so*
upstaging him...well, to my barren womb so far ...I should say he
did pretty freaking well...okay he was soooooo great! It was a slice
of heaven being there for the people that graced that stage that day.
You must listen to a recording if any surfaces.

Okay, so after EC, Gogol Bordello tookl the stage. I went to the loo
to take a break. Long lines were...well, long. Then on my way back
to my spot I run into Davey and get a very warm greeting from him and
then go fight my way back to front and center.

Gogol Bordello were awesome!!! That is until our side of the audience
decided to start mosh pitting it all...so we left...with our
belongings thank goodness...I only have a few bruises I wished I
could've held out longer.

So on to food and then Emmylou's set. Awesome ending to a very
looooooooooooooooooooooooong day. Look at my facebook photos if you
would like to see the light changes from the day.

EC's set was sooooooo great, and I was so thrilled to be there. Many
thanks to my cohorts for helping us make the day so much more
special!! Love y'all!!

Jill