One of the upsides of festivals is the opportunities presented for collaboration. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a three-day festival held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on the first weekend in October. For a number of years Conor Oberst curated a day on the Rooster Stage featuring a selection of acts he liked. In 2017 the line-up included Mega Bog, Big Thief, First Aid Kit and The Felice Brothers as well as Oberst himself.
As the sun started its drop into the Pacific and the shadows grew longer Oberst played his headline set accompanied by James Felice on keyboards and accordion. Partway through he called up Klara and Johanna Söderberg to join them on Bright Eyes’ ‘Lua”. Framed by the warmth of the evening sun and the backdrop of the tall trees, the comfortable interplay of the musicians, the harmonies – both the sisters’ themselves and together with Oberst – and Felice’s accordion make for a magical musical moment.
