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.
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.
posted by Capital Letters at 11:48 PM
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