Going out on a high note

I've long believed in the power of endings, whether it be in a novel, film, or well-chosen song for an encore. An ending can almost always smooth over the rough edges. It can quiet complaints and make distant memory the parts you didn't like or would have done differently.

Bluesfest ended yesterday much as it lived over the past 12 days: spirited, if a bit uneven, but rarely disappointing.

Candye Kane was in full swing on the Rogers Stage when I arrived just after 4 pm. Kane, who describes herself as a black drag queen trapped in a white woman's body, was a full-figured femme fatale. Her songs were soulful and original, at once broaching hot flashes and heartbreak. Bathed in white feathers and supported by a solid blues band, Kane made you feel the emotional depth - and humour - of her songs.

Following on her stiletto heels were The Mannish Boys. Fronted by Texas blues legend, Finis Tasby, the Boys played some of the finest blues music I'd heard at the festival. It was perfect for stretching out on the lawn and admiring the blue sky. Continuing on the bluesy, vocal-focused theme were the Detroit Women, a half-dozen vocal powerhouses backed by the Motor City Express.

As dusk fell, the Sam Roberts Band took the stage to play a flat and unremarkable set. The ingredients for a good show were all present: sizable crowd, popular rock band, beer on tap. But something wasn't quite working. Looking around the audience, I felt a pervasive disconnect between how bored we all looked and how hard they appeared to be rocking. It was like a parallel universe where neither side could communicate with the other.

It didn't help that at the half-way point, they chose to play a ponderous, mostly instrumental song few people seemed to recognize. They followed it up with a lively version of their breakthrough hit, "Brother Down". Roberts took the mic like a church preacher and led the audience through the existential crisis of the chorus: "I think my life is passing me by". It was the brightest moment of the set, and thus, a perfect time to move on.

I suppose now would be a good time to confess that when I first read about the Bluesfest line-up two or three months ago, one artist amongst all of the others stood out as the one I wanted to see most.

Sharon Jones came into my life while I was browsing the aisles of a record store on Vancouver's Commercial Drive about a year and a half ago. Her soaring voice was giving Pete Seeger's timeless anthem "This Land Is Your Land" a soulful and funky reinterpretation. I was immediately hooked, and soon ate up her 2005 release, Naturally, on which Jones is backed by the wildly funky Dap-Kings.

I arrived early to secure a spot at the front of the Blacksheep Stage. The Dap-Kings took the stage first to warm up the crowd and lay the foundation for what would be a stellar show. When Jones appeared on-stage about 10 minutes later and flew into her groove, the audience went wild.

Playing heavily from their yet to be released record, 100 Days, 100 Nights, Jones and the Kings were in fine form as they previewed for the audience the makings of a strong follow-up to Naturally. From that record, Jones sang a pair of songs, including "How Do I Let a Good Man Down" and the sultry ballad, "You're Gonna Get It." She also "got loose" with a lucky gentleman from the audience and welcomed several women on-stage for an extended dance party.

For her encore, Jones paid homage to that other soul singer from Augusta, Georgia - the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Channeling the spirit of the master, she sent the audience into a fever pitch and closed down the show (and the festival) with a verve few others could muster.

In that moment alone, Sharon Jones had softened all of the rough edges, leaving in her wake only the memories of an otherwise outstanding Bluesfest.

---

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings notwithstanding, I would be re-miss if I didn't save you some reading and re-cap the best shows I saw:

Cat Power
Jetplanes of Abraham
Femi Kuti
Todd Snider
Final Fantasy

Rain can't stop the Bluesfest Roll

Undeterred by grey skies threatening rain, I made my way down to Lebreton Flats for the second last night of Bluesfest. With 12 consecutive days of music, they didn't dub it a "killer" fest for nothing. My feet and lower back are ready for me to take a break from the daily pilgrimages to the Canadian War Museum, not to mention all the standing.

Editor's Note: The use of the word "daily" in the preceding sentence is a slight misnomer; I was entertaining friends last night and did not make it to Bluesfest. Which means I missed Tokyo Police Club (I heard they packed the Blacksheep Stage), Metric (I heard Emily Haines had some attitude) and INXS (I heard they sucked, but maybe that was just the voice of Michael Hutchence in my head).

This evening's offerings were fairly diverse and I managed to visit every stage at some point. I caught the tail-end of Patrick Watson and had two immediate thoughts: I need to spend more time with his record (also short-listed for the Polaris Prize) and I wish I had seen his entire set. The few bits I did catch only left me wanting more.

From there, I headed over to the Blacksheep Stage where the World Gospel Jam was going down. Christian Hip Hop artist, Da' T.R.U.T.H., was on-stage, but it didn't take long for the narrowness of his evangelical message to bleed through the beats of his of music. I have no issue with Christian music per se, but when put to the critical test and compared with non-Christian music from the same genre, I find it rarely stands up. I also find an entire album, let alone genre, of music about the same theme or topic repetitive and boring. I wouldn't get too excited about an artist who only ever sang about apples, and I believe in apples, so imagine my feelings about something I don't believe in.

Over on the River Stage, I was able to catch local favourite, Jim Bryson. His set was a fantastic combination of good music and stage presence. He's clearly an entertainer, his stories and banter a charming complement to his music. It rained throughout his set, and was close to pouring as I wandered over to the Rogers Stage to catch the final moments of DJ Champion and His G-Strings.

Feeling the need to find a dry place to wait out the rain, I headed into the Canadian War Museum for a set in the Barney Danson Theatre. Deadstring Brothers are a blues-rock band from Detroit fronted by a pair of equally-gifted vocalists. What he had in a ragged rattle, she had in an all-out wail. I liked the music, but the theatre was too staid a venue. Instead, I wanted to be in a smoky tavern, drinking whisky.

Sneaking out before the set actually ended, I returned to the River Stage just in time for Blackie and the Rodeo Kings' last song. This is another Canadian band I was aware of theoretically, but I couldn't place any of their songs or albums. Still, as a trio, they make beautiful harmonies and crack jokes almost constantly between songs. Like Patrick Watson, I left their set wanting more. The rain picked up during their encore and soon the stage was completely hidden by a curtain of umbrellas.

By the time I got over to the main stage area, Kanye West was fully engaged in his set. I wondered to myself if the sound was slightly muffled, but it hardly distracted from his energetic and bouncing set. I can only name one Kanye West song, so perhaps I'm not in a position to comment too heavily on the virtues and vices of his set. He didn't do an encore, and that sort of sucked because he had earned it (and the audience was certainly showing him the love).

Instead, people slowly filed out of the gates and onto the streets of Ottawa, bringing Bluesfest one step closer to the end.

From one Blacksheep to another

Eight days in to Bluesfest, I was tempted by some friends to take a night off and head up to Wakefield for a show at the Blacksheep Inn. I wasn't torn up about missing Blue Rodeo and my curiosity about Xavier Rudd was tepid at best. Perhaps it was the phrase "proficiency on didgeridoo" that sealed the deal for Rudd. The only set I was bummed to miss was sleepy-sweet singer-songwriter Craig Cardiff's intimate performance in the Barney Danson Theatre.

The draw to Wakefield was Miracle Fortress. I saw them a few weeks ago during the Capital Idea! Festival, but was curious to see them again days after their album Five Roses was short-listed for the 2007 Polaris Prize.

In what seems to be a growing musical trend, Miracle Fortress is actually the recording project of one person: multi-instrumentalist Graham Van Pelt. Based in Montreal, he (and his record) both seem to fit within the larger musical narrative underpinning the city's vibrant indie scene. It's airy and light and very much a soundtrack fit for art-fag parties, if that helps place it all sonically. The colour pink comes to mind when listening to it, but that could have something to do with its predominance on the album's packaging.

Now, back to Wakefield. We arrived just in time to catch a solo set by Rolf Klausener, lead singer of Ottawa's own, The Acorn. As he was wrapping up, the Miracle Forstress folks pulled in, having driven all the way from Sault Ste. Marie. As they got settled, Rhume blasted through a quick and energetic set.

Perhaps it was end of tour fatigue or insufficient time to sound check and warm-up, but Miracle Fortress' 45-minute set was dismal. The wall of sound blasting from the stage failed to communicate the album's eccentricities and Van Pelt's vocal mic was turned down so low you could barely make out anything he said. It wasn't clear to me though if the band realized how off they sounded as they soldiered through an otherwise well-rehearsed set. They were, afterall, just back from a cross-Canada tour.

There were small moments of light as the show came to an end. Van Pelt's solo encore allowed more of his qualities as a gifted performer to shine through. It was also a bit endearing that his encore had to be solo because he had run out of material the group had rehearsed together.

I wouldn't suggest the case for Miracle Forstress should end here. I just thought riding on the coat-tails of something as significant as a Polaris nod might have made for a more promising evening.

Now, I would re-miss if I didn't mention the other Polaris nominees. They are:

Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
The Besnard Lakes, The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
The Dears, Gang of Losers
Julie Doiron, Woke Myself Up
Feist, The Reminder
Junior Boys, So This Is Goodbye
Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ashtray Rock
Chad VanGaalen, Skelliconnection
Patrick Watson, Close to Paradise

I'll reserve my comments for a later date.

The Greatest Cat I know

Feeling the need to pace myself to the Bluesfest finish line, I was planning give my ears (and feet) a rest and take Tuesday night off. Randy Newman, Los Lobos and George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars were the big name acts of night, but none were compelling enough acts for me stick around.

Throughout the afternoon while I was working in the Bluesfest office, however, I kept hearing talk of this Todd Snider character. Snider was apparently the day's hidden gem, so in the interests of all seven Capital Letters readers, I decided to check him out.

You might know Todd Snider as the man behind "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," a 1994 song that brought him some measure of cult status. You might also know he's released eight studio albums, including 2006's Devil You Know. If you knew either of those facts, then you knew more than me because Snider's name didn't mean a thing to me until last night.

Barefoot, with an acoustic guitar and a Southern drawl, Snider delivered his set with a cleverness, humour, and political punch the likes of which I have not seen so far at Bluesfest. The songs - some almost spoken word - were bare, but brilliant, and his often simple rhymes or anecdotes left no question about his incomparable gift as a performer.

My favourite lyric? "If worms had daggers, birds wouldn't fuck with them". You can't argue with that logic, now can you?

While tonight's line-up boasted Grady (Big Sugar lead singer Gordie Johnson's new project), Inuit throat-singer Tugaq, and the Steve Miller Band, for me, it was all about Cat Power. And she was all about being amazing.

Now, if you've heard anything about Cat Power, it might be that Chan Marshall - the creative force behind the music - is sometimes persnickity live. Here's what Wikipedia says of her performance style:

"Traditionally, Marshall’s live shows have been notorious for their chaotic and unpolished nature, with songs beginning and ending abruptly or blending into one another without clear transitions. Marshall has in the past spoken of her severe stage fright. She has been known to stop playing in order to apologize for a self-perceived flaw in her performance. She has even cut short a few of her performances without explanation, on some occasions under the influence of alcohol. These events have had a polarizing effect on Marshall’s fan base. Some have been alienated by what they perceive as Marshall’s lack of professionalism, while others have enjoyed what they see as a candid, honest, and spontaneous performance."

Not necessarily a ringing endorsement.

Imagine my delight then when Marshall and her band sailed through a heartfelt and confident hour-long set. Opening with "The Greatest," the title track of her 2006 album, Marshall and Co. brought to life the record's slick Memphis feel. She has a beguiling voice; its well-worn rasp proof she has survived whatever subject she sings about, be it aching pain or fresh love. There is no doubting her - a voice like that comes only from experience. And perhaps cigarette smoking (halfway through the set, she pulled a pack of Camels from her shirt pocket and put them on her music stand).

She swayed and danced across the stage throughout the set and was warm and receptive - if a bit shy - to the audience's affection. Perhaps this is why some of us might have felt ripped off that she was not given the opportunity to play an encore. I was holding out for "Colours and the kids," but that might have been wishful thinking at the best of times. Whatever the case, the music certainly didn't bore me to death.

Baby Boomers Beware. This is your Final Fantasy

With most of the city returned to the 9-5 weekday grind, Bluesfest shows aren't underway until 6 for the rest of the week. I spent the latter part of the afternoon volunteering in the Bluesfest office, an altogether civilized and enjoyable volunteer gig.

Basically, I am the voice of Bluesfest for all of those people who call the festival line with questions about shows, ticket prices, and where to park. Most of the calls are fairly rudimentary, but every once in awhile, you get a stand-out. My favourite from yesterday was a lengthy conversation that ended with the woman - I'm guessing from the rasp of her voice that she was in her fifties - confiding in me that Johnny Lang was the only person she was coming to see and that if she was younger, boy, would she like to... .

My modus operandi for the evening was to see Final Fantasy on the Blacksheep Stage. Before him was the Halifax band, In-Flight Safety. Based on their bio in the Bluesfest guide, I thought I might be in for a treat as they, "don't want to be one of those bands that go through the motions... we want our shows to stand out." The word "intensity" was also mentioned.

Well, if that was intensity, I'd hate to see what happens when they break a sweat because, for me, their set made for little more than background music to a lovely pink-hued sunset over the Ottawa River.

Final Fantasy, now that's a different story. I've seen him twice prior at the Blacksheep Inn and wasn't disappointed either time. Last night's set was by far the best I've seen him. He was fresh and clear-sounding and played a mix of stuff from both records, ending the set with a lovely version of "Better Than Worse". For his encore, he covered Bloc Party's "This Modern Love".

Along the way, there was also considerable banter with the audience. At one point, he told a hilarious story about his younger twin sisters who had an unfortunate run-in with a baby boomer-ish woman at the Bob Dylan show on Thursday night, making very clear that attacks on his sisters would not be tolerated. I don't think he quite called for mass boomer throat-slashing, but he wasn't far off either.

I also found him quite genuine in his appreciation of our appreciation. He's been touring for awhile and won the fancy Polaris Prize last fall, but still retains a real earnestness onstage. It's endearing. Perhaps it's part of the reason why the autograph line after the show was about 100 people thick.

Meanwhile, on the main stage, I heard the tail-end of the Hedley set as I was leaving Lebreton Flats. In the span of 30 seconds, the lead singer confirmed his utter wankery with some comment about the band being better than people in the audience and then quickly recanting, only to lead the audience he's supposedly better than in a chorus of "Hedley sucks". It was yet another tragic confirmation that Canadian Idol needs to be stopped.

Weekend Report: Solids and Stripes

I have an entire weekend's worth of Bluesfesty things to tell you, so I might as well get straight to it.

Saturday
For the majority of the day, I found myself drawn to the Blacksheep Stage. Tucked behind the Canadian War Museum, the stage overlooks the Ottawa River and has a gently-sloping green space with good sight-lines. It also has the shortest beer line and quick and easy access to flush toilets inside the museum, making it a choice venue for the civilized festival-goer.

Named for one of Ottawa's best live music venues (even though it's located 25 minutes out of town in Wakefield, Quebec), the Blacksheep Stage is the festival's go-to spot for a reliable serving of good music, whether it be world, folk or Indie rock. And with the highest concentration of horn-rimmed glasses, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and American Apparel garb, one could be forgiven for mistaking it for the "Hipster Stage".

Kicking off the day was ukulele master James Hill, who was joined onstage by his partner, Anne, on cello. In spite of the gentle mist, Hill played a remarkably personal and entertaining set. From the sounds of it, he's been living in Ottawa for a few years, but is heading off to the East Coast soon, so Saturday's show was the last opportunity for local folks to catch him for awhile.

From there, I headed across the field to the Rogers Stage to catch the tail-end of Bomb Squad's set. Fronted by American Idol runner-up Brenna Gethers, this nine-piece act tore threw a mix of soul and funk classics, as well as some of their own originals. They were entertaining enough, but I moved on after a few numbers once the rain picked.

Back over on the Blacksheep Stage was Ottawa's own, The Soiree. I didn't love their album when I first heard it, but I wanted to see them live and I really wanted to sit down for awhile. Their live set was a pleasant surprise and it actually gave me a deeper appreciation for what they're doing (i.e. uncomplicated pop with clever words and alternating vocalists).

I headed inside the museum at that point to take in a set at the Barney Danson Theatre. It seats about 230 people and is a lovely change of venue from the outdoor stages, not to mention a superb setting for acoustic or intimate shows. I saw Alexis Puentes, who was billed as AlexCuba. Originally from Cuba, he now hails from Smithers, BC, and he's winning rave reviews from all over the place for his brand of soulful music.

I made yet another return to the Blacksheep Stage for what remains the best show I've seen so far: Jetplanes of Abraham. They were fun. And fantastic. High-energy, all over the place stage antics combined with a healthy dose of hand-claps and a steady stream of vocalists. I can't say enough about how impressed I was by their show. Yeah, Ottawa!

It was after 7 by this point and Sarah Harmer was already a few songs into her hour-long set. And I hate to admit it, but it wasn't sounding good at all. It sounded like she was singing into a long steel pipe which was then being amplified out to the crowd, the downside of which being that the richness of her voice was almost completely lost in translation. Thankfully, it didn't stay that way for long and when she switched to acoustic guitar for a few songs in the middle of her set, she came threw loud and clear (and gorgeous).

Interestingly, most of the stuff she played came from her first two records. Of note was "Dandelions in Bullet Holes" which she introduced with a call for peace and suggested, as the War Museum shone in the late-afternoon sun over her right-shoulder, to "keep war in a museum." The audience loved it, as well as her brief encore dedicated to one lucky gentleman in the front - a solo singing of "Basement Apt", her break-out song from 2000.

I was basically done at that point. Tired, hungry, and in need of a change of scenery, I watched from afar as Michael Franti and Spearhead got the crowd jumping before Manu Chao took the stage and closed the place down.

Sunday
I didn't make it down until early evening, and regret missing the Joel Plaskett Emergency, not to mention a day's worth of good music.

The main problem with Sunday night was a major scheduling conflict: Hawksley Workman and the White Stripes were both set to begin at 9:30. Having never seen either, I was torn at first, but eventually settled on the White Stripes (Hawksley, I hope we can still be friends).

I was not disappointed by my choice. The Stripes blew through their 50-minute set before returning for a half-hour encore. While Jack switched guitars repeatedly and worked the entire stage, Meg slogged it out on the drums and made her Ottawa vocal debut. Sultry and a little self-conscious, Meg's number was definitely the highlight for me.

They closed the show with a Leadbelly cover in which Jack led the audience in a sing-along to the chorus, "He's looking for a home." Based on the audience's reaction and the widespread success of the Stripes' permafrost to sea tour, I think it's safe to say Canada would welcome Jack White if he's looking for a home here.

Bang! Bang! Bang! I want to be a dancer in Femi Kuti's band

I headed down to Lebreton Flats tonight at around 9 with the sole purpose of catching Femi Kuti's set on the River Stage, which - as its name implies - is conveniently located on a lush piece of lawn overlooking the Ottawa River. Mosquitoes notwithstanding, it was a perfect venue for Kuti and his back-up band, Positive Force, to commandeer as night fell.

While Nigerian-born Femi is the son of the legendary Afrobest superstar Fela Kuti, he has clearly come into his own musically and attracted a loyal following along the way. Many of his songs are weighted by the politics of Africa, yet they come off celebratory and, at times, almost anthemic. Not to mention danceable, which is what tonight's crowd had so clearly come to do.

The standout number for me was "Bang, Bang, Bang", one of the lighter, less political songs. Femi and the band gave it such life and built it up over a number of minutes before climaxing with the chant, "Don't come too fast." I think it took the audience a second to understand what he was saying, but once they did, there was much laughter.

Onstage, Femi's energy is frenetic. His hands and feet are never still as he moves across the front of the stage conducting the 9-piece band, all the while keeping one eye on the audience. He moves effortlessly from saxophone to keyboards to vocals and encourages the audience to chant or wave their arms at various points throughout the show.

Femi had three fantastic dancers/back-up singers with him onstage. Their costumes were amazing and the audience really fed off their energy. I was tired watching the trio, so I couldn't imagine how they must have felt.

Tomorrow marks the first full day of Bluesfest. All five stages will be up and running and I'm planning to catch a few acts, including Alexis Puentes (performing as Alex Cuba), Jetplanes of Abraham, and, of course, Sarah Harmer. Environment Canada is calling for warm and sunny weather, so it should be good.

*** Bob Dylan post-script: this morning's Ottawa Citizen claimed the touchy troubadour pulled a bit of a prima donna act last night by not allowing his picture to be taken and refusing to participate in a local fundraiser. The paper also reported there was about 20,000 people at the show, so omit what I wrote before about Dylan attracting just as many fans as the also-picky Van Morrison (who apparently did not play an encore).

*** I should also note that The Capital Letters is also keeping an ear to ground about if and when and where the White Stripes might play a surprise show before they go onstage Sunday night.

I've come back from the dead and all I want to do is blog about Bluesfest

Uh, hello? Are you still out there? Err, I wish I had a good excuse to explain the four-month lag between posts, but I don't. I wasn't kidnapped by pirates or co-opted by the Conservatives or anything vaguely interesting like that. I won't tell you I've just been too busy to write because then you'd really think I'm a wanker, so why don't we just start again. Ok, here goes...

I have been out and about these past few months, so perhaps sometime I'll take a moment to bring you up to speed on a season's worth of live music shows, Bytowne flicks, restaurant visits, and other Capital-ish adventures (ie - me starting and finishing the Nordion 10 k Classic road race at the end of May).

In the meantime, let's talk about the all-out musical goodness of Bluesfest. Now in its 14th year, Bluesfest has returned to the expansive Lebreton Flats, planting itself in and around the Canadian War Museum. There are five stages spread out over the grounds, including inside the museum's Barney Danson Theatre. I won't wade too far into the line-up here because I'm aiming to blog daily, but I will tell you it began last night with Van Morrison and ends in 10 nights with Sharon Jones and Dap Kings.

I wasn't feeling particularly compelled to see Van Morrison last night because I'm not overly familiar with his stuff, but the audience of 35,000-strong seemed pretty into it. I got to catch "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Gloria" near the end of his set and got a nice taste of who he is live. Then I biked home.

Tonight was all about Bob Dylan. And what can you say about him? The man is a legend. He's incomparable, if, at times, also a bit incoherent. After launching into "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" at the start of the set, he spent about a half-hour making his way through some lesser-known material before pulling out "Tangled Up In Blue" and a lively "Highway 61". And with that, it didn't take long for him to warm the crowd up and make sure they were onside and cheering throughout the ragged and lovely "Like a Rolling Stone".

I admit, I'm no Dylan expert. And while I may wish I could name some obtuse B-side as my favourite Dylan song, I really can't. "Like a Rolling Stone" is, for me, everything that's great about Bob Dylan contained in one song, heavily pounded out on organs and keyboards. He nailed it tonight and the audience (at least the same size as last night) loved it. Minutes later, he re-appeared onstage for a two-song encore, closing the night with "All Along the Watchtower".

Starting tomorrow night, all five stages will be open for the duration of the festival. George Thorogood & the Destroyers are headlining, but I'm thinking Afrobreat wunderkind Femi Kuti might be more my style. Will keep you posted.

*** Of course, I would be re-miss if I didn't send a shout out to another Ottawa music festival that just wrapped last Friday - Capital Idea! The festival was primarily designed to showcase Indie rock and visual art. It brought to Ottawa some solid names in the Indie Rock world, including the Walkmen, Sunset Rubdown, XiuXiu and Destroyer. I only made it to two shows, but both were excellent.

The Miracle Forstress/montag/Sunset Rubdown show at Babylon was a solid choice, particularly because montag was able to showcase stuff from his delightful new record, Going Places, and Sunset Rubdown came to life in a way I wouldn't have expected based on my impression of their records (ie - I hated one of them).

Destroyer's Dan Bejar played a solo set at Barrymore's about a week later, and that was a total treat. Some folks in the audience may not have realized Bejar would be bandless, but the set allowed for so much emphasis on his raggedy voice and clever song-writing. He also introduced us to a bunch of new stuff. Rock Plaza Central opened for him, and they were, as always, very entertaining.

Here's hoping Capital Idea! will become an annual thing.