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Building the perfect bluegrass festival, one year at a time
MP3.com News speaks with the backer, benefactor, and booster of San Francisco's thriving, always-free, and continually record-setting Strictly Bluegrass Fest: 72-year-old Warren Hellman.
SAN FRANCISCO--This city's Strictly Bluegrass Festival first took flight in 2001 after a three-year fantasy by its founder, Warren Hellman. The then one-day, two-stage affair in expansive Golden Gate Park has grown steadily since its realization.
Two years back, the event--which then featured Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, and Willie Nelson (among many others) on three stages--was rechristened as the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. This year, during its fifth anniversary, Hardly Strictly's five stages held more than 60 musical acts over the course of three full days, attracting an audience which the San Francisco Police Department estimated at 200,000 strong.
The festival has become so large now that its founder travels around from stage to stage in a golf cart, catching partial performances by as many acts as he can take in. But don't picture Hellman zipping with ease throughout the green meadows of the urban park. Some attractions this year--notably a late afternoon Sunday set by Dolly Parton--overflowed from the ample viewing areas, with concertgoers even clogging the park's JFK Drive, a paved parkway connecting the scattered stages.
Many folks, especially out-of-towners, are astounded that a bluegrass-based bash on the West Coast is capable of drawing such voluminous crowds. And here's the peculiar aspect about Hardly Strictly that puzzles people the most: This annual festival is, for the amassed audience, completely free-of-charge. Warren Hellman, bluegrass buff and banjo student, foots the bill entirely by himself.
Regarding the founder's generosity, a persistent rumor spreads around the festival that Hardly Strictly's money is made out of mayonnaise: Hellmann's. A quick click on Google should dispel such tongue-wagging, as 72-year-old Hellman himself points out, "I'm an 'n' too short for that."
Far outside the condiment kingdom, Hellman's family's wealth is more accurately connected to Wells Fargo. Not that he's banking on family funds: Hellmann spent 18 years with Lehman Brothers in New York before founding his own firm, Hellman & Friedman, LLC (of which he is chairman) in San Francisco. His move to the West Coast was a return home, as his Barbary Coast roots run deep.
Hellman's great grandfather arrived in the Bay Area as a 17-year-old with little more than his name. His grandfather and father worked in the investment business in San Francisco, and, Hellman, a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard Business School, followed suit after his return from New York.
In part, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival serves to thank the city and region that have provided prosperity for his family. "But I keep saying it's a selfish gift," Hellman said. "The love of the music came first. I have no desire to collect sculpture or Lamborghinis. We did purchase a really expensive painting once. It hung on a wall, and I never looked at it. So, sure, the festival is my gift to the city, but what could be better for me--to have a weekend of music I love to listen to, and to get to share it with tens of thousands of people."
And apparently the gift will continue to be offered without a price tag, as Hellman recently rejected an offer to sell his beloved event. "It's free," Hellman replied, when contacted by the prospective buyer. "Well, it wouldn't be if you sold it to me," was what he heard in response. That's not the only occasion on which Hellman has heard dissenting voices regarding his festival and funds.
Some critics have charged that since Hardly Strictly is free to the public, the performers should donate their time and talents to the event. Hellman strongly disagrees with that outlook, saying that the performers have been compensated from day one and will continue to be.
"Being a musician is an awfully hard way to earn a living," Hellman said. "But, funnily enough, I had one fellow call up and offer to pay me to have his band included in the festival."
But that's not how Hardly Strictly performers are chosen. Hellman may be the only one left holding the check, but an informal committee helps him select and book the bands for the festival. The small group keeps its ears tuned to radio stations (NPR was mentioned) and passes around CDs of music by likely candidates.
One committee member, Dawn Holiday (the general manager of Slim's nightclub in San Francisco), brought back ideas from attending another festival. She returned from the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, this year excited about the South Austin Jug Band, and that new addition to Hardy Strictly played to an enthusiastic crowd last weekend.
Along with the new attractions are many returning performers, some of whom Hellman says he insists upon having included. He mentioned Emmylou Harris, whose performance of the song "Red Dirt Girl" is a highlight for him each year. Appalachian singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens is another performer on the must-have list.
Hellman said having the regulars in the lineup has helped foster a community feeling at the festival. "It's a wonderful aspect. Gillian Welch, after her first time here, finished her set, and once off the stage, immediately asked, 'Is there anybody else you'd like me to sing with?'"
That's the kind of question that the founder of Hardly Strictly loves to hear.
In fact, the candid and genial Hellman will provide an earnest answer to just about any inquiry. Even his chosen political party is fair game, as this year his Republican affiliation was announced onstage before a living ocean of concertgoers mostly leaning toward the other end of the spectrum. But the one question Hellman will not answer is probably the one he hears most often: How much does it cost him to produce the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival? "I won't say how much money this takes. I don't want my children to know."
[This concert report was written by Matt Kramer. The photo of Hellman is courtesy of Pamela Brandon.]
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