Mike Patton to play Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival as Mondo Cane, then to disappear for a while again

Mike Patton to play Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival as Mondo Cane, then to disappear for a while again

Mike Patton found a strange equilibrium when he decided earlier this year to release an Italian-pop tribute album under the title Mondo Cane (TMT Review). The melodrama of Ennio Morricone plus Patton’s general weirdness plus a lot of hair grease all converged to give the album a certain nostalgic intrigue, both for fans of Danger Diabolik and Faith No More — a combination not often brought to light.

This October, Mike Patton is showing that delightful mug of his at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco (October 1 - 3). This is the festival’s 10th year, still free and still in Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. For those unfamiliar with the festival, it’s not strictly bluegrass (if the addition of Patton didn’t give that away); other performers include Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Conor Oberst, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Jonathan Richman, Joan Baez, Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang, and (curiously) Fountains of Wayne, to name just a very few, and to emphasize how incredible it is that it’s gratuit.

Patton/Mondo Cane is scheduled to perform on the 3rd, 5:20 PM, Star Stage. Other artists sharing the festival stages that day are Randy Newman and Umphree’s McGee, in addition to Elvis Costello, who comes right before Patton on the lineup.

Check out the rest of the lineup here, and prepare to wish you lived in the Bay.

• Mike Patton: http://myspace.com/mikepattonofficial
• Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: http://www.strictlybluegrass.com

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