Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announced the full lineup for the 2024 festival Tuesday, adding the legendary Patti Smith to the mix of artists set to draw crowds to Golden Gate Park October 4 to 6. This year’s lineup also includes Oakland Rising ft MeloDious & Friends, a supergroup of young, up-and-coming musicians from the East Bay. Curated in partnership with the emerging artist coalition known as Follow the Music, the special performance will give a spotlight to the homegrown talent of the Bay Area.
Oakland Rising is made up of MeloDious, a sibling duo who have headlined shows across the Bay Area, together with 17-year-old sax player Ayo Brame, August Lee Stevens, B Deveaux, and 14-year-old NAIMA. Between them, they have played sold out shows at Yoshi’s, opened for a Tiny Desk Contest winner, and played at BottleRock festival, though Hardly Strictly, which draws a crowd of hundreds of thousands, may be their biggest audience yet.
The young performers are supported by Follow the Music, which aims to create opportunities for young musicians and explore ways to uplift the Bay Area music community. The coalition is made up of seven leading youth programs, including the Oakland School for the Arts, SFJAZZ, and GLIDE Memorial Church, who joined forces in order to build a robust local music ecosystem.
“The Bay has an amazing cultural legacy, but Oakland has always been at the forefront of developing artists,” said Oakland musical legend and Follow the Music supporter Sheila E. “We hear about all the challenges Oakland is facing, but there’s also a lot of hope, and a lot to be proud of.”
The young supergroup is set to shine alongside a top notch set of performers on the iconic Hardly Strictly stage. This year’s lineup includes Cat Power, Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Ibibio Sound Machine, and Sleater-Kinney, just to name a few. Check out the full list of performers at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.