With the destination on my GPS set for the Plumas County fairgrounds in Quincy, California the excitement for High Sierra Music Festival is just off the charts and I am ready to get straight down to boogie town. The skies will be sunny and blue, and the scenery—as I explained last year, is so picturesque it makes you feel like you are in a dream world or even your favorite picture book. The locals are welcoming as all of the festival folk flock to their separate corners of the grounds. There’s the FestivALL VIP’s, Lee Road-ers, Sierra Skies RV’s, Camp Panorama, and finally, all of those Shady Grovers. With the music set to start on Thursday and end late Sunday evening. The preparation for this 4-Day music and art festival is well under way and carefully planned out and packed for.
Feast your eyes on this line up that is unlike any other on the West Coast, or any coast for that matter. Two nights of The String Cheese Incident, Sturgil Simpson, Grace Potter, Christ Robinson Brotherhood, Lettuce, The Wood Brothers, Foundation Of Funk(ft. Zigaboo Modeliste, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, and Tony Hall), Lotus, The Floozies, Margo Price, Turkuaz, The Motet, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle, Spafford, Lebo & Friends, The Barr Brothers, Billy Strings, Rising Appalachia, Fruition, The Nth Power presenting a “Rebel Music” Bob Marley tribute set, Jazz is Phish, Jon Stickley Trio, John Craigie, Grateful Bluegrass Boys, The Russ Liquid Test, The Family Crest, Pixie & the Partygrass Boys—PLUS many more.
Among all of the talented musicians at High Sierra, you will find there are a plethora of other activities planned for the weekend. Feel free to meet up with Ismay on
Thursday or Ben and Alex from The Brothers Comatose, and get your stretch on in the Mineral Building for some free-form stretching and yoga. On Friday feel free to start your day with an Open Mic breakfast, or join other workshops where you can learn about song writing, the techniques of drumming, and have the chance to interact with guest performers and artists as they sit alongside you learning and interacting with the festival goers at the same time. Saturday is packed full of Lebo’s High Sierra Ramble, explore your “Guilty Pleasure” tunes, celebrate the songs of Bob Dylan, and hit up some improv if you’ve got the itch to make some tunes yourself. Start your Sunday with the Sunday Blues and then head over to the Gospel In The Hall or get your stretch on with Lebo and guests.
Another piece of High Sierra magic that is unlike any other festival are the late-night Troubadour Sessions where the show starts at Midnight and goes on late into the mornings. Troubadour sessions usually consist of large artists collaborations and sit in’s by the artist at large. Notably some of the greatest performances of the weekend by far.
With all of these activities, music, workshops, and fun this is one music festival that is not to be missed. Some of the greatest memories are made along the mountain side at High Sierra Music Festival, so come join in on the fun at this festival where everything happens and anything can happen. Tickets can still be purchased here.
