CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM >> CASSANDRA LEWIS >>
The Clarksdale, Mississippi, native delivered the single best set that we saw at this year's BottleRock Napa Valley, a three-day festival that also featured such well-known headliners as Duran Duran, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lizzo.
The 24-year-old bluesman proved to be an absolute force of nature during his hour-long set in Napa, sounding great on the microphone and delivering some of the most impressive electric guitar work that we've seen in years.
Put Kingfish down as the No. 1 act to catch at the 2023 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, which means getting to Golden Gate Park early on Friday afternoon. DETAILS >> 2:30 p.m.; Towers of Gold Stage
Some people apparently have a hard time finding a fitting musical label for this Nashville-based singer-songwriter's mix of classic country and psychedelic soul.
Well, heck, let's just ask her.
“When people ask, I just tell them I create Cosmic Americana. Dolly Parton on acid. Janis Joplin on Jesus,” Lewis says on her website. “I think people are starting to get what that means.”
Actually, we're more confused than ever after reading that description. But we're still intrigued enough by what we've heard to want to check Lewis out in concert. DETAILS >> 2:35 p.m.; Horseshoe Hill Stage
JOHN CRAIGIE >> Sure, he originally hails from Los Angeles. But Northern California should take at least partial credit for this talented troubadour, who attended UC Santa Cruz and really saw his musical career take off while living in the area.
Over the course of several acclaimed albums, Craigie has drawn comparisons to Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Pete Seeger, which tells you more about this singer-songwriter then we ever could. DETAILS >> 3:20 p.m.; Swan Stage