The High Sierra Foundation has partnered with Harper House Music Foundation (HHMF) and Backline to offer a Backstage Wellness Village at the 2026 High Sierra Music Festival. As previously reported, the veteran Northern California event will kick off later today and run through July 5. Steel Pulse, The Word, Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Dumpstaphunk, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Cymade, Eggy, Lebo & friends, Taper’s Choice and Mountain Grass Unit are among the acts slated to perform.

The Backstage Wellness Village will provide free wellness and recovery services to musicians, touring professionals and production staff, including such support services as: eye care and vision support, massage practitioners and bodywork recovery space, mental health case management and sobriety and recovery support.

Created in 2003 to support the charitable activities surrounding the High Sierra Music Festival, the High Sierra Foundation’s aim is to connect “the power of live music to community impact.” The Foundation and the festival are distinct and separate entities—the festival remains an independent for-profit production, while the Foundation pursues its own philanthropic mission, leveraging the festival’s platform and audience as a powerful activation point. In 2025, the Foundation entered a new chapter, expanding its programming, deepening its community partnerships and stepping into a year-round role. The initiative comes at a time when mental health and healthcare access remain urgent issues throughout the independent music community. 

“Touring artists and their crews give in ways most audiences never see — physically, emotionally, financially,” Bo Carper, the New Monsoon member and Board Chair at High Sierra Foundation said in a statement. “We’re deeply grateful to Harper House and Backline for helping us bring skillful, dedicated care backstage. The Wellness Village is our way of honoring the hard-working music industry professionals who make all of this possible.” 

Hilary Gleason, Backline Co-founder and Executive Director, added, “It’s incredibly meaningful to be a part of bringing mental health and wellness to the artists and crew at High Sierra. This is a legacy festival that continues to evolve, and I am so happy to see it grow to provide this kind of human-first care for the people who make it all so special.”

“This partnership with High Sierra Foundation and Backline represents exactly the kind of on-the-ground commitment our Mental Health & Wellbeing initiative was built for. Artists and their crews deserve dedicated care directly where they work, and High Sierra Music Festival is exactly the kind of community where this work belongs,” Michele Augis, HHMF, Managing Director, explained.

This year marks the first time High Sierra has taken place in Grass Valley, CA. The event, which has helped nurture the West Coast jamband and roots-music scenes for since 1991, had been held in Quincy, CA for the past few decades.