Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
QUINCY, CALIFORNA – Every year High Sierra Music Festival concertgoers discover a great new band. For folks at the Big Meadow, that occurred when the very first group took the stage.
The Accidentals are Savannah Buist and Katie Larsen, a couple of Michiganders who recently graduated from high school. In their first High Sierra appearance, the girls warmed up the crowd just as the early afternoon sun began to bake.
The Accidentals played acoustic guitar and cello with rock star poses, thrilling the arriving crowd. When the band busted out a Rush cover, the stage manager shouted: “This is now my favorite band.”
The stage backdrop, which marked the 26th annual festival, appeared to glow.
“See my lavender backlighting,” Tom Sloger said from the side of the stage. “I’m the lighting guy for a daytime show. Nobody notices,” he joked.
The mood on the first day of the festival is euphoria, when everyone is clean and rested. The Fourth of July will not occur during High Sierra for the first time in at least a half-decade. While the crowd is large, tickets are still available. Many folks are buzzing about Ben Harper, who will play Saturday at the Grandstand. It will be Harper’s first appearance with the Innocent Criminals in seven years.
Meanwhile, another artist made her High Sierra debut. Samantha Fish tore into her set with distorted dirty blues before welcoming the audience with a Kansas City drawl. And more new fans were made.
High Sierra runs from Thursday, June 30, through Sunday, July 3. Bands include Leftover Salmon, JJ Grey and Mofro, Greensky Bluegrass and Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Related story: Girls rule on Day 1. Spencer Kilpatrick reports. LINK
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
