The weekend. Ahhhh! Saturday. The word alone makes me happy. Pro football on Sunday, and all is right with the world. Even though the summer season has yet to turn in Texas, I am watching the weather maps for the impending changes, with the inexorable march of fronts dipping ever southerly, starting to cool things off elsewhere in the country. Yes, the slant of the sun already feels different, a harbinger of cooling in the south one of these weeks, or months. And lest we forget, it's hurricane season; Hermine, Karl, Igor, Julia. They come from the pea shooter of the Atlantic and the warm water of the Caribbean. Those of us that are in the path hold our collective breath, actually until December 1st, when "the season" is over for the year, and we can exhale. I lived on the beach in Florida, and felt the mark of the "X" on our backs. It was a major reason for moving out of the clime, though I love that lifestyle. Hearing the ocean, tasting salty air, or as they say, "having sand between your toes." Irresistible.
But on to today's video. Though it's been calling my name for years, I have not yet attended the also irresistible Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival! This year is the 10th anniversary of the magical three-day event in Speedway Meadow, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This is an absolutely free, non-ticketed event, a gift to the citizens of San Francisco and beyond. Its musical lineup is a shrine built to salute Americana music. Just reading who all will be performing makes me giddy. It is where I am hoping to be October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! We invited the gracious benefactor of HS, Warren Hellman, and his band The Wronglers, to visit us on the stage of the back room at Threadgill's during SXSW 2010. The song here is an instrumental called, "Hurricane Creek." Batten down the hatches. Stay out of those gullies. Be prepared not to drive into standing water. Seek shelter when you must. Plan ahead. See you at Hardly Strictly!
- Jessie Scott