Say goodbye to the February blahs when the tenth annual San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival comes to town! Tonight's show brings the glorious vocals and scintillating musicianship of bluegrass innovator Claire Lynch and her band to brighten up the chilly evening.

Ever since her early years with Alabama's Front Porch String Band, Claire has been a strong creative force in the world of bluegrass music, with her sweet vocals and top-notch songwriting couched in a captivating blend of traditional bluegrass, country, folk, and swing. Expect to hear Claire classics new and old, as she spotlights numbers from her recent Crowd Favorites: A Claire Lynch Collection (Rounder), which delves back through some of the best-loved songs from her rich repertoire, including songs from her two Grammy-nominated albums of the 1990s.

Claire is backed tonight by the signature groove of her band, featuring bass player Missy Raines and guitarist Jim Hurst (both familiar faces on the Freight stage), plus Jason Thomas on mandolin and fiddle. Fostering a richly textured sound and a famously down-home sensibility, this is one group not to miss: their accolades include extended runs in the top reaches of the Gavin Americana and Bluegrass Unlimited charts, International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Female Vocalist of the Year and two Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album (Claire), six IBMA Bass Player of the Year awards (Missy Raines), and two IBMA Guitar Player of the Year awards (Jim Hurst).

Opening the show are traditional and honky-tonk bluegrass band, Julay Brooks & The Nightbirds, with Larry Cohea (banjo), Butch Waller (mandolin), Tony Marcus (fiddle), and Jerry Logan (bass).