Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

How amazing is Dolly Parton? From "9 To 5" to "I Will Always Love You" and beyond, the woman has written a zillion classic songs and has sung them in a voice sweeter than any bird we've ever heard. Maybe it's her laugh, her over-the-top persona or just that she's been around so long, but Dolly is woven into the fabric of our musical memory.

So what's better than a chance to see her perform for free? We all get that chance this weekend when the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival returns to Speedway Meadown in Golden Gate Park. The appropriately-named festival is hardly strictly limited to bluegrass, in fact, Americana, folk and country are all well-represented. The list of performers is almost overwhelming. Many of these acts probably charge $30 and up for tickets to their performances, but Hardly Strictly is presenting 50 acts for FREE. (SFist would love to know who's paying for all this, so if you have any tips, please leave them in the comments.)

We want you to take home some music from the festival. Enter to win a copy of The Knitters' new record The Modern Sounds of the Knitters plus Split Lip Rayfield's Should Have Seen It Coming CD. (Contest ends Wednesday 10/5).

Our Hardly Strictly picks after the jump. (Got picks? Leave them in the comments.)