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.
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.
posted by Capital Letters at 12:04 PM
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