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All photos by Sammy Braxton-Haney – @sammyeventphotos
Jessica Pratt started the 2024 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park by bringing a hushed sound palette to the Swan Stage. With a five-piece band fleshing out her spectral songs, Pratt’s yearning vocal seemed to float down from the eucalyptus trees. Featuring songs from her most recent release, Here In The Pitch, it was a great way to begin three days of free music in the park.
Led by vibrant lead singer Eno Williams, Ibibio Sound Machine got the crowd dancing at the Tower Stage with a blend of afrobeat and electronic elements. Williams led the audience in chants, and at times, her exhortations were reminiscent of Fela Kuti. The London-based band also featured some scintillating rock guitar from Alfred Kari Bannerman; he especially shone on the track “Fire” from their 2024 release Pull the Rope.
Wonder Women of Country blended guitar, bass, and pedal steel with three-part harmonies to create a layered mix of sorrow, humor, and longing. Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh each took turns singing lead; highlights included the gentle sway of “Fools Paradise” and the ribald “Boxers on Backwards”. Even as the day was already starting to warm up, WWOC won over many new fans in the hot afternoon sun.
Grammy-winning Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway hit hard on the Banjo stage, mixing traditional bluegrass with Eastern modalities. Tuttle, who hails from the Bay Area, reminisced about coming to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass as a kid with her mom, and with that, they launched into Jefferson Airplane‘s “White Rabbit”. In their capable hands, it sounded like a natural fit for a bluegrass band, and came complete with a psychedelic violin solo.
As the sun began its descent, Sleater-Kinney took to the Swan Stage to an enthusiastic crowd. Opening with “Hell”, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein found their groove and never let up. Whether it was the modular choppy rhythms of “Center Won’t Hold” or the charging drive of “Needlessly Wild”, Sleater-Kinney were focused and locked in and they were a great way to end the first day of the festival.
