Hops & Harvest Festival feat Keller Williams

Name: Hops & Harvest Festival feat Keller Williams
Start: 2025-09-10T17:00:00-04:00
Location: Empire State Plaza

Schedule

Wed, 10 Sep, 2025 at 05:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Empire State Plaza | Albany, NY

Time: 5:00pm-
Featuring Bluegrass Legends
Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass

With Old Hat Stringband and The Slocan Ramblers
September 10, 2025 | 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. | FREE

Event Schedule
5:30 p.m. Old Hat Stringband Main Stage
6:30 p.m. The Slocan Ramblers B Stage, East Patio
7:30 p.m. Pie Eating Contest with Steve Barnes West Patio
7:45 p.m. Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass Main Stage
Anything-But-Traditional Bluegrass
Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass
Keller’s Grateful Grass delivers anything-but-traditional bluegrass versions of Grateful Dead favorites. Grateful Grass has a rotating lineup and so far has included collaborations with The Keels, Keith Moseley (SCI), Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band), Michael Kang (SCI), Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green, Mark Benevento Trio) Bill Nershi (SCI), Allie Kral, Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Sam Grisman, Love Canon, The Infamous Stringdusters, and the Hillbenders.
In 2008, the original Grateful Grass members (Keller Williams, Jeff Austin, and Keith Moseley) recorded a live performance at The Fillmore in Denver. The proceeds from REX (Live at the Fillmore) went to benefit The Rex Foundation, the charitable non-profit started by the Grateful Dead.
In 2010, Grateful Grass took the stage at Delfest for the first live appearance since 2008. In 2013, Grateful Grass featuring Keller, Jeff Austin, Keith Moseley and Michael Kang, reunited to benefit the Rex Foundation once again at The Fillmore in San Francisco for the event, Nightfall of Diamonds. Once again this performance was recorded. All proceeds continue to benefit the Rex Foundation.
Vocal Harmonies and Driving Acoustic Rhythm
Old Hat Stringband
Based out of Southern Maine, Old Hat fuses tight vocal harmonies with a driving acoustic rhythm section. With a sound drawn from folk, old-time, bluegrass, and country traditions, the band is comprised of Whitney Roy (Guitar, Vocals), Steve Roy (Mandolin, Fiddle, Vocals), and Amanda Kowalski (Bass). Their debut album, released in 2022, features ten original compositions by Steve and Whitney Roy.
Whitney’s lilting vocals provide the backbone of the vocal blend, while her solid rhythm guitar anchors the band’s pulse. Steve is a veteran of New England’s acoustic music scene and has performed and toured with many of the acoustic world’s top acts. Amanda is one of the more sought-after bass players in the worlds of bluegrass and old-time music, and her rhythmic drive and energy on stage are second to none.
Old Hat has performed on world-class stages such as Prescott Park Arts Festival, Ossipee Valley Music Festival, Portsmouth Music Hall, Stone Mountain Arts Center, and Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival.
Canada’s Bluegrass Band to Watch
The Slocan Ramblers
The Slocan Ramblers are Canada’s bluegrass band to watch. Rooted in tradition, fearlessly creative and possessing a bold, dynamic sound, The Slocans have become a leading light of today’s acoustic music scene. With a reputation for energetic live shows, impeccable musicianship, and an uncanny ability to convert anyone within earshot into a lifelong fan, The Slocans have been winning over audiences from Merlefest to RockyGrass and everywhere in between.
On their new album “Up the Hill and Through the Fog,” the all-star Canadian roots ensemble channels the past two years of loss into a surprisingly joyous collection of twelve songs intended to uplift and help make sense of the world. Bluegrass music is nothing short of catharsis for The Slocan Ramblers.
Though the past few years have brought the group accolades, that same momentum was abruptly halted by the pandemic’s brutal impact on live music. Over the next year, bandmates Adrian Gross and Darryl Poulsen both lost close family members and their bassist decided to step back to spend more time at home. They channeled these tumultuous changes into some of their most honest and direct compositions yet.