High Sierra Music Festival Promises Live Experimentation with Playshops, Everyone Orchestra and More (Exclusive Discount Code)
High Sierra Music Festival, photo by Michael Pegram
From July 3-6, High Sierra Music Festival will return to its longtime home of the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds in Quincy, Calif., for another unforgettable weekend of music, camping and more in the heart of Plumas National Forest. Lock in your 4-Day Pass for 15% off with code 15RELIX.
With its 33rd annual staging, the beloved event will uphold its tradition of carefully curated lineups blurring the lines between jam, bluegrass, Americana, alternative and global music, welcoming a total of 58 acts led by headliners like Andy Frasco & The U.N., Daniel Donato, Molly Tuttle and Amy Helm Band’s Midnight Ramble. Many of these performers will renew another of High Sierra’s longstanding customs of improvisation, experimentation and exploration through the festival’s Playshops and Everyone Orchestra grand finale.
Playshops have long been a hallmark of High Sierra and one of the ways that the festival invites performers and attendees alike to join in a musical community. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, artists will lead a total of 15 freeform, inventive stagings that fall somewhere between rehearsals, superjams, and masterclasses, bringing unprecedented collaborations and rare artist encounters to intimate spaces. Among the most exciting Playshops planned are Old Friends – A Simon and Garfunkel Celebration (with Handmade Moments, members of ALO, John Craigie, Rainbow Girls, Steve Poltz, Tom Quell of The Heeters and more), Mescalito’s Abbey Road Classic Albums Hour (with Ron Artis II, members of ALO, Zach Alder (Diggin Dirt), Holly Bowling, Steve Poltz, Coffis Brothers and more) and LaMP’s Groove Lab (featuring special guests like Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, Scott Pemberton and more).
On Sunday, High Sierra will culminate in the Grandstand Stage closing set with the Everyone Orchestra, conducted by Matt Butler. At the 1993 event, Butler brought on one of the festival’s most memorable moments with a legendary jam session featuring members of Jambay and JJ Cale; 32 years later, he’s determined to renew that electric energy with a collective assembled from the lineup’s biggest names.
“High Sierra truly is a musical playground,” artist-at-large Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz shared. “The musicians know this, and that’s why they looooove being part of it! From the epic sets on the big stages to the pin-drop intimacy of the troubadour sessions, to the once-in-a-lifetime collaboration of the Playshops, it’s so much more than just a great music festival. It’s a convergence point from which fruitful lifelong relationships are born, both on stage and off! Viva High Sierra!”
High Sierra’s surprises don’t stop there. The festival’s imminent return reaches out beyond the stage to offer a wealth of top-tier audience experiences with its troubadour sessions, late-night shows and much more. Secure your tickets at highsierramusic.com.
