No band embodies the soul and spirit of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass more directly or more literally than Marco and The Polos. Evolving over the lifespan of the festival and fronted by the progeny of founder Warren Hellman, what began as a front-porch jam has grown into a fully-formed musical collective characterized by intricate four-part harmonies that blend and resonate the way only family singing can.

Hellman siblings Frances, Marco, Patricia and Judith perform heartfelt originals interspersed with unexpected folk and rock covers, accompanied by a veteran band featuring fingerstyle guitarist Stevie Coyle, multi-instrumentalist Barbara Higbie, bassist/musical director Joshua Zucker, and vocal director Amber Morris. As comfortable gracing festival stages as they are in intimate listening rooms, the group has established themselves as a mainstay of the Bay Area acoustic scene and a fixture at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

At HSB 2026 Marco and The Polos join forces with Hills to Hollers, an East Bay supergroup featuring Bay Area legends Barbara Higbie, Vicki Randle, and Laurie Lewis. Hills to Hollers explores the rich intersection of ethnic influences across the spectrum of the Americana idiom. Soulful, explosive, unpredictable, and fun, the group has been featured at the Kate Wolf Festival, Wintergrass, and The Freight. Individually, Higbie, Lewis, and Randle have appeared on major stages worldwide alongside a jaw-dropping array of performers.

The collaboration promises to deliver excitement, surprises and a moving exploration of the diverse tapestry upon which American roots music has flourished.