Hardly Strictly Acoustic—Snapshots From San Francisco’s Favorite Festival 

The sun was out in full force this past weekend, and as thousands of festival goers filed into San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025, all I could think was: I need to find some shade.

But as the vast musical world of the free annual festival unfolded—80 acts on six stages, drawing nearly 750,000 fans over three days—the bright light didn’t just come down, it emanated outward from every stage.

There is a cliché about shining the light on darkness, and a refrain heard over and over from artists like Lucinda Williams, the Mekons, and Margo Price came through loud and clear: We are living in dark times. And while Hardly Strictly Bluegrass isn’t going to fix the laundry list of serious issues we are facing, well, it ain’t making things worse. The festival’s radical spirit of community, inclusive of all creative expression, is something that should inspire us. With that being said, please enjoy a few snapshots from our time at HSB 2025.

Margaret Glaspy played a rocking electric set. You can learn more about her approach to acoustic guitar in this lesson.

Corey Harris performs “Special Rider Blues.”

Margo Price with her Signature Gibson J-45, learn more about this guitar and Price’s approach to songwriting in this interview.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the evocative folk music of Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran (The Singer & The Songwriter), watch their AG Session here. And don’t miss Thu’s insightful lessons as part of the Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artists on Patreon.

Sally Timms, Jon Langford, and violinist Susie Honeyman of The Mekons rock a morning set with their signature sneering British punk. “Oh, I’ve just read…there is some good news,” Langford announced between songs, “Margaret Thatcher is still dead!”

I’m With Her continues to radiate folk beauty. Read our review of their latest album, Wild and Clear and Blue.

Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donavan, and Sarah Watkins.

Lucinda Williams dedicates a performance of “You Can’t Rule Me” to the current administration.

Mario Cortez, Chuck Prophet, and Alejandro Gomez of Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes.

Prophet, Cortez, and friend of AG and longtime Chuck sideman James DePrato. Below, DePrato recognizes me shooting from the photo pit.

Of course this is just a small sampling of a long weekend full of incredible artists. I had a much more ambitious shooting list, and there are so many sets I sadly missed. Huge shout out to everyone involved in the festival! Let’s wrap things up with a nice hawk in flight.