Ottawa Tonite.com : Section Title
- Matt Mays and I at Zaphods’ after the gig
Anders, Me, and Shawn, 2007
Music
O-Town Hoedown needs YOU to help
We’re just about done booking up the O-Town Hoedown and we’re gonna need some help from a few volunteers. Email us directly if you’re interested in helping and we’ll sort something out.
hoedown@leftymcrighty.com
There are two types of help we need:
Logistics team – wrangling musicians, poster crew, promotional stuff – this will be a heavily involved thing with emails flying back and forth – not for the faint-hearted, but you’ll be a big part of keeping the Hoedown from collapsing on top of us. Serious applicants only, for serious.
Street team – less involved (read: more stress-free) – we need folks to put up posters around town at various times. It’ll only take a few hours of your time, and the payoff is… ok, we haven’t figured that out yet, but it’ll likely involve t-shirts and CDs and a Hoedown All-Access Pass.
Don’t know what O-Town Hoedown? Where the hell have you been for the last 4 years?
Check out www.otownhoedown.com to see what we’re all about.
That 1 Guy with the “magic”
Looking at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest lineup on Thursday night, something jumped out at me for it’s artistic quality and for what promised to be a demonstration of creative re-purposing for the love of creating music: That 1 Guy who recorded his debut album in 2003 with an unwieldy homemade instrument called ‘The Magic Pipe’. And, he’s a performer who has fun with his craft, which leads to the audience participating fully.
Here’s a quick sample of Mike Silverman (That 1 Guy) moments after he (and the Magic Pipe) stepped onto the stage:
From the green laser beams scanning the tops of the heads of the audience, to the campy over-heated pipe spewing smoke, and a few slight of hand card tricks thrown in for good measure – Silverman had the entire crowd playing into his hands.
This show felt somewhat like an unpredictable side-show experience. Which is wonderfully refreshing, in fact. It’s apparent that Silverman is having fun with experimentation and the sheer joy of creating sound.
I loved it, and the kids loved it. Well done ‘Guy’.
Video footage shot using Flip Video ™ Camcorder
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest: The Brothers Chaffey are pulling up their bootstraps
As the sun warmed the Subway stage area on Wednesday afternoon, it was with great interest that I found a shady spot and chatted with Curtis Chaffey about his experience playing at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest this year. Curtis is the lead guitar player working with his brother Matthew Chaffey (vocalist and rhythm guitarist) as part of the roots-rock-country ensemble known as Brothers Chaffey. The successful group has had an opportunity to play for a very enthusiastic audience for 3 years running..and that is exactly the right word to describe what they are doing – finding their ground, and getting up and running!
Curtis spoke to me about how the Brothers Chaffey released an album at the time of the 2009 Bluesfest named Bloodlines. It was their second full length LP. Upon release it received 4 stars in the Ottawa Citizen and 4 stars in the Vancouver Sun. At that time the band felt the level of expectation was very high for them. This ultimately required them to really pull up their bootstraps and work their hardest. The Brothers Chaffey have managed to catch the attention of their audience and are finding success by taking it all very seriously and raising the ‘bar’ for themselves with each new opportunity.
Each year local musicians are invited to perform as part of the Bluesfest lineup. For local performers there is a certain notoriety and distinction that comes from being asked to play in a festival of this magnitude – even when (or perhaps especially when) it is taking place in your own home town. As Curtis Chaffey indicates, this festival is a great opportunity to connect with other performers and observe what’s happening on the local scene as well as internationally. Being a part of it as a performer raises the proverbial ‘bar’ higher in terms of expectations from the audience’s perspective as well as defining the goals of these local acts sharing the stage with some major headliners.
Another aspect of the Bluesfest experience is the free series of “Pop Life” stage shows happening on York Street in the Byward Market. For the past 2 years, audiences have been enjoying the Lebreton Flats concerts and then over-flowing into Ottawa’s Market area for some incredible after-hours shows and celebrations. The benefit to Market area vendors is obvious. The opportunity for local players is also huge, as tourists and music lovers turn out in droves to enjoy an afternoon and evening of music lasting 10pm on most nights. What audiences see when they attend the local players’ shows should be taken seriously, according to Chaffey.
Curtis says, the impact of the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is huge on the local scene. It offers exposure and incentive to local musicians and an unforgettable experience in front of a massive audience of music lovers. That’s reason enough to give it your all everytime that you step onto any stage.
Watch for Brothers Chaffey tonight @Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest as part of the MonkeyJunk Power Hour Blues jam happening on the Claridge Home stage, 6:00pm.
Video by James R. Skinner on YouTube with permission from the artists
Interview footage shot using Flip Video ™ Camcorder
Steve Marriner pays it forward
Where can a local musician “go” musically after becoming identified with a genre and therefore fitting into a specific category of music? Is there room to experiment outside of what the public expects? Steve Marriner believes that there is not only room to experiment, but also room to bring others along for the ride. The Ottawa music scene is rich and varied, and Marriner is an artist who has an appreciation of that fact, and a very strong connection with where he first began.
Since his introduction to blues music at an early age, Marriner quickly became recognized as one of Canada’s supreme harmonica players. Early in his career, he began touring extensively – across Canada and the United States, as well as to the UK, and Australia with a musical story-teller and unique creator of songs, named Harry Manx. That wonderful experience raised Steve Marriner’s public profile and began his foray into becoming the multi-instrumentalist that he is today. Now a collaborator, producer and award-winning performer – Marriner remembers clearly how it all began for him.
Steve Marriner sat down with me for a few minutes following his solo acoustic performance at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, during which he surprised the audience with a variety of musical choices and also with a couple of unexpected musical guests on stage.
Staying versatile and being spontaneous adds to Steve Marriner’s popularity as a performer. He continues to exercise these abilities while also seeking to share the spotlight with a number of local performers whose reach he feels should be extended. The act of working with others to build a stronger musical community overall is an excellent way to pay homage to his days as beginner on the blues music scene.
Steve Marriner’s band MonkeyJunk performs on Friday July 16th at 6:00 pm on the Claridge Homes stage @Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, in what will be called the MonkeyJunk Power Hour show. Many other incredible performers are expected to join the band on stage. It promises to be an evening of unpredictable musical collaborations and therefore, one that will suit Marriner and his band just fine! This one is not to be missed!
Special thanks to Susan Murphy for camera assistance
Video footage shot using Flip Video ™ Camcorder
Silver Creek – a Retrospective
Anniversaries are a time for looking back, taking stock of what you’ve been through, and using it as a reference for the road ahead. My band, Silver Creek, just played our fifth show at Bluesfest in as many years. This is special since our very first show as Silver Creek was actually at Bluesfest in 2006, so it marks the beginning of the fifth year of gigs for the band. So I figured I’d put together a bit of a look back at the years to see the evolution of the band.
Blacksheep Stage, July 2006
Shawn and I on the Blacksheep stage, 2006
I met Shawn Tavenier in February of 2006. He was playing with a local cover band, The Bourbon Brothers. I was between bands at the time and looking to start something new. The moment I met Shawn I knew that he was the guy I wanted to work with. So I pestered him endlessly for weeks to start a band with me. He said he had some songs written and knew a few people who could get involved. A few months went by, and in the spring of 2006 we had our first official Silver Creek jam session. It took place in Carleton Place, on a farm that belonged to the family of Tony Raybould, who would be our first drummer. The band was comprised of Shawn Tavenier, Anders Drerup, Tony Raybould, Tyler Keeley and myself. By some stroke of luck, we got offered a last minute spot at Bluesfest on a Monday on the Blacksheep stage and it definitely was one of the major motivators that moved this young band along. This was the last year that the festival was held at the city hall grounds and we were playing on the same day as two great Canadian acts who were both major influences of ours, Matt Mays and El Torpedo and Sam Roberts. We had the opportunity to meet both bands and hang out with them backstage.
My first year playing Bluesfest was a gig I will never forget. I used to be big into the dangerous sport of downhill mountain biking, and went biking every Sunday with a couple of friends, rain or shine. We’d drive out to Calabogie and take the chairlift up the hill then ride down at break-neck speeds. The Sunday before we played Bluesfest was no exception. For some reason I attempted a stunt that was far beyond my level of skills, and bailed hard. I destroyed my left arm and shoulder, not only ripping the skin off them and suffering deep flesh wounds but doing severe damage to my bones and muscles. Being a right handed bass player means that I need to strap my bass (which weighs quite a bit) on my left shoulder and use my left hand to fret all the notes. As soon as I collected myself and got back to the bottom of the hill, I knew I was in trouble. I could barely lift my left arm and was in a lot of pain. My friends wanted to take me to the hospital, but I was afraid that I would be put into a cast or a sling and not be able to play the show the next day. So when I got home, my roommate (who’s intentions were much better than his knowledge of first aid) went out and bought me a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some gauze. I poured the peroxide onto my skinless arm in an attempt to clean the wound, only to find that the peroxide ate off more skin and burned like crazy. After a couple hours of cleaning rocks and sand out of my arm, I covered it in the gauze. The next morning I was in even more pain, barely able to move my left arm at all and still bleeding. I played the show like this, and it was easily the most painful experience of my life to this point. My shoulder still isn’t quite what it used to be, and playing bass for an extended period of time is quite uncomfortable.
Blacksheep Stage, July 2007
Jeff Rogers, Gordie Johnson, Me, Kiko Garcia
This year was the first year that the festival had been moved back to Lebreton Flats. The band was pretty different at this point. We were now a six piece with Shane Mcewan on drums, Kiko Garcia on guitar, Anders on lap steel and banjo and Tyler Keeley on keys. We got a full page feature in the Ottawa Citizen, as well as some other media. Some of the other acts at the festival that day were Joel Plaskett, The White Stripes, Hawksley Workman. We were backstage watching Joel Plaskett play when we got the chance to meet another Canadian hero of ours, Gordie Johnson from Big Sugar and Grady fame.
Rogers Stage, July 2008
Rogers Stage - 2008
In 2008 we had officially outgrown the Blacksheep stage and were promoted to the Rogers stage. We had an afternoon spot, and played to a decent sized crowd. This year was memorable because it was our first year playing with Jeff Rogers in the band on the organ and sax and the lineup was the same as it is today, but with the addition of Tyler Keeley on piano and John Steele on pedal steel guitar. It was also the first year that we had a CD for sale and we sold a ton of copies of it.
MBNA Stage, July 2009
Backstage with Greg Keelor
2009 marked our debut on the mainstage. We had been given the opening spot for Canadian legends Blue Rodeo on a Friday night at 7pm. We prepared for months and put on the show of our lives. At this point the band had been trimmed down to just the five current members, and we had another recording under our belt as well as a cross Canada tour. 2009 was the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, so we played a cover of Joe Cocker’s version of “A Little Help From My Friends” to mark that. We got a chance to meet Greg Keelor and have a chat with him, as well as rub shoulders with some other Canadian music industry big-wigs. We also got to play two great shows at The Rainbow this year as part of the new “Bluesfest Byward” program that was introduced in 2009. We had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Alberta Cross and Little Ed and the Blues Imperials.
MBNA Stage, July 2010
Pic courtesy of Live 'n Loud Magazine
Just last week we played our fifth show at Bluesfest. Opening for legends like Phil Lesh and Bob Weir was a great way to mark your fifth anniversary while keeping it all in perspective. These guys have been around for decades, and have seen many members come and go. It was great to see them playing at the top of their game, with smiles on their faces and a huge crowd of appreciative fans. This year’s show will be remembered for how hot it was. We arrived around 3 pm to set up and sound check and spent about an hour on the stage toying around and getting things just right. The thermometer peaked at around 45 degrees that day and the huge black stage was even hotter. The MBNA stage faces the setting sun straight on from the afternoon until sunset, making it a well lit stage for audiences but a long set of looking straight into the sun for performers. We sweated it out on stage for 45 minutes then retired to our air-conditioned trailer to catch our breath. Playing music for 45 minutes is far more of a workout than many people give enough credit for! The heat caused a few technical issues with amps overheating and what not, but for the most part we survived it.
It’s been really fun to be a part of this festival for 5 years now. We’ve watched it go from the festival at City Hall with just a couple stages to what it is now. It’s been great to watch the new things that get introduced every year and see if they work out or not. Last year’s Byward Market concerts seemed to be a hit, and hopefully that will become a regular. This year marks the first year of the Blacksheep comedy and music tent, which couldn’t have come at a better time given how hot it’s been. The free wireless at the festival this year also seems to be a great addition. All in all I have to give props to the staff of Bluesfest for finding new ways to out do themselves every year. I also have to give thanks on behalf of the band for allowing us and many other great local acts to be a part of this festival. A spot at a festival of this size does not come easy, but Bluesfest makes sure to take care of all the local acts slugging it out from year to year. Our band may have never gotten off the ground had it not been for that first spot on the Blacksheep stage.
by Mark Laforest
Follow me on Twitter – @schmarkty
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest: Saturday’s Satisfied Fans
Blacksheep Music and Comedy Tent
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest started just over 15 years ago with one stage and three days. It’s now grown to a multi-staged, 12 day event with some of the best music you’ll experience in one location. Less a bluesfest than an eclectic music festival, the Ottawa Bluesfest is a must-see event. And while one of the standards to measure any festival is the quality of its lineup, another way is to watch the fans. I did this on Saturday, and found many smiling faces, dancing legs, grooving heads, and plenty of clapping and cat calls. The fans love the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest.
The Bluesfest has done a great job of programming Canadian music, both local and from across the country. With that in mind, my partner, Louisa, and I first headed to the Barney Danson Theatre to check out Jill Zmud’s performance. Transplanted in Ottawa via Saskatchewan, Jill is a young and very talented singer songwriter, with a sweet voice and a unique ability to draw out the best in her accompanying musicians.
[But first, an aside - enroute to the Zmud show we passed through the Blacksheep Music and Comedy Tent. I spotted another local music lover, Sean, sitting outside. He wasn't interested in talking because he said I must go see the Mohawk Lodge in the tent. He said they're a cross between the Constantines and Wolf Parade, and from what I heard he was right. Just as interesting were the band's stage antics, filled with plenty of super energetic jumping and banging and all-around cacophony. I asked Melissa, who had seen the whole set, how it was. "Crazy", she replied.]
Back to Jill Zmud. When we arrived about 20 minutes before the show started, there was a substantial lineup. Clearly, these people had heard about Jill. The crowd was as varied as the Bluesfest lineup - young and not-so-young, hipsters, regular music lovers, and lots of people looking forward to a great performance. One young woman spotted an older man in line – presumably a relative or older friend – and asked with surprise, “Do you know Jill Zmud’s music?” With a smile he said yes, the smile stressing that anyone of any age can enjoy good music.
One measure of a musician’s skill is the interest that other musicians have in her. In line ahead of us was Jon Bartlett, from Kelp Records, chatting with Rolf Klausener from the Acorn and Alan Neal from CBC radio. Of course, Alan and Jill are a couple, so Louisa wondered why he had to wait in line to get to see her perform. The crowd loved Jill’s set. She played plenty of songs from her latest CD, as well as some new material, a sweet version of Tennessee Waltz, and some incredible a capella tunes. Jill’s band features local uber-producer Dave Draves on keys and guitar (here’s an idea for a contest – ask someone to guess how many records Dave has been involved with in one way or another), guitarist Chris Page, who plays with gorgeous finesse and understatement, and vocalists Christine Mathenge and Jerusha Lewis from Voices of Praise gospel choir, whose ability to sing is amazing.
My partner Louisa is as big a music fan as me, and we often get anxious that we won’t get decent spots for artists we love. And Louisa loves Basia Bulat but has never seen her live. So she wanted to get back over to the Blacksheep tent to make sure we got a spot. As a result, we left Jill’s set a bit early.
Basia Bulat
As it turns out, things weren’t too bad, and Louisa went to the front to grab us a spot as close to the stage as possible. I ventured off to find a porta-potty (not hard to do at Bluesfest) and get some tasty beverages. By the time I was finished, the place was nearly packed. I was worried I couldn’t find my beloved but was able to do locate her flailing arms. The crowd here was less diverse, younger and more women, but still a varied crowd. That’s one great thing about the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest - you see lots of people checking out many different acts. A young man beside me was keen on seeing the Flaming Lips – having seen them live before, he knew the show would be incredible. As Bulat neared the end of her set, another young couple were debating about whether they should go to the MBNA stage where Metric was performing at 7 (Bulat’s show was to end at 7). From what I could tell, she left to get a spot and he stayed behind.
Basia Bulat
He was the smarter one. Bulat’s set was incredible to the very end. Her band is tight and talented, and she clearly loves performing. The crowd adored her, and she rewarded its dedication with wide smiles and passionate playing. Her performance of the Shore, played on her much loved auto harp, was stunning. Lenny, a local music fan, called it amazing.
The Ottawa Bluesfest runs on a very strict schedule – having so many different artists requires time in between sets to tear down and set up again. I can’t recall seeing an encore at the Bluesfest; Basia Bulat did one. This was no pre-planned, pro-forma encore either. The crowd was wild with excitement after her set (which also including a very endearing number sung in Polish), and let her know. She came back, alone, and did an incredible a capella song with clapping and foot stomping for percussion. Clearly the crowd had fallen in love with her, and vice versa.
After Basia Bulat, we decided to get something to eat and sit on the main lawn between the two main stages. People-watching at Bluesfest is an event in itself, and reinforces the notion that Bluesfest does have a very eclectic and interesting lineup. We could see and hear the Metric set on the MBNA stage. When Emily Haines expressed the band’s love of playing in Ottawa every summer, the crowd responded with enthusiasm. When the set finished, all those fans began making their way back toward the Claridge Homes stage. I felt like I was snorkeling over a coral reef – all of a sudden these generally younger fans started making their way through the crowds, all their faces showing the joy that comes with seeing one of your favourite acts, much in the way a new school of fish might rush through the reef.
Of course, the folks working the Claridge stage were setting up for Roger Hodgson, formerly of Supertramp. Generally the crowd for that show was older, but I was still impressed by the range. One kid - likely no more than 17 – had already purchased a Hodgson t-shirt and was clearly a huge fan.
After the show started, I heard a woman ask her boyfriend who was playing – as if to question why so many people were there – and he said “Roger Hodgson, from Supertramp. You don’t know Supertramp?” A lesson learned in music history I guess…
We listened to a few tunes from the Hodgson show and then wandered around the site. By this point – after 8 – the place was teeming with music fans. Every stage had huge crowds either listening to or waiting for an artist. Darkness began to settle in and it became clear that there was a huge buzz over at the MBNA stage – people were waiting for the Flaming Lips. I’ve never been much of a Flaming Lips fan but I know their live shows are, shall we say, interesting. The crowd was in a happy mood, with a big ball bouncing around (little did they know that Wayne Coyne would be bouncing around them in a big ball soon….). There have already been several other accounts of the Flaming Lips show here, and I’ll let you read those from people who stayed for the whole thing. We stayed for a couple of songs, and had to fight our way through the crowd to get out.
We made our way to the Blacksheep tent, where we’d finish the evening with the last of the White Whale Records showcase. We started our day there, catching the last song by the Mohawk Lodge. Octoberman was performing now. This was quite a change from the Bulat show – there may have been 30 people in what is a large room. Nonetheless, the crowd was appreciative. Louisa declared “I like these guys”, which is always a compliment. It was a good set which we watched from the seats.
Next up was Eamon McGrath. I had heard good things about Eamon, and was looking forward to the set. He opened with a Gram Parson cover (done solo), which was interesting given the Gram Parsons tribute going on in the Danson Theatre. I thought we were ready to settle in for some guitar based, country tinged roots music (which is what you’d expect if you check out his myspace page). Oh I was wrong. The rest of the band came out, and I recognized at least two of them from the Mohawk Lodge show (remember the concise description from Melissa? “Crazy”). I told Louisa that I had to go down to the floor for this. And we did.
For the next 40 minutes, the band tore through a series of tunes, remade as energetic and passionate punk songs, with lots of screaming lyrics from Eamon, jumping up and down, Springsteen-like guitar pounding, and overall pandemonium. These guys were on fire and it was excellent. I was curious about the plywood sitting on the stage with a hammer and some chains on top. Looked like a safety hazard to me, but they were used as percussion instruments to great effect on the plywood and on guitars. McGrath spent most of one song out on the floor, worried roadies making sure the mic cord did not get tangled up.
This was an awesome show. The band knew that, regardless of the size of the audience, it was very important to bring them into the music. I am sure this was a long, tiring day for the many fans sitting in the bleachers. White Whale Records founder Ryer Havdale is the lead singer in the Mohawk Lodge and played bass during the McGrath set. After a few songs, Ryer advised the crowd that they had to come closer to the stage (where we were) – that the music would sound much better there. And the crowd listened – soon, most of those who were sitting came down to experience they show. And they loved it, with lots of grooving and foot tapping.
Ryer is an obvious music lover – I saw him backstage enjoying the Bulat concert earlier that day. Part way through one song, Ryer realized his pick just couldn’t create the heavy bass lines he needed to support McGrath’s scorching guitar. And so he asked the audience if anyone had a pick! Sure enough, a musician standing beside us in the crowd pulled out a pick, tossed it up, and said “you can’t get them any heavier than that”. And the show went on. These shows are never uninteresting.
Walking to the bus stop we saw many satisfied fans. We ran into Ryan, who hosts a show on CKCU after my show, who thought the Flaming Lips concert was great. It was an excellent day of music in the National Capital!
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest on Day 4: Grievous Angel’s Chemistry Is Strong
Telling the life story of the rock legend Gram Parsons in the form of a concert that includes story-telling results in some pretty hefty monologues for Anders Drerup. Acting in theatre is not always a part of the repertoire for local artists who write songs and perform with bands.
The two young 20-something musicians who portray the roles of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons in the musical theatre production Grievous Angel:The Legend of Gram Parsons come from different backgrounds with varying levels of theatre experience. That hasn’t hindered their ability to perform together with all of the chemistry and realism that depicts the strong bond that existed between Gram Parsons and his young understudy Emmylou Harris. In fact, it has assisted each of them in terms of learning a new skill-set and expanding personal horizons.
Not such a bad outcome for some incredibly hard work outside of their comfort-zones.
As for Gram Parsons, his outstanding talent as a singer-songwriter, his charisma and his incredible voice was not enough to gain him recognition in terms of record sales and popularity compared to his counter-parts when he was alive. The story of his downward spiral and his morbid compulsion to die like his hero, Hank Williams became the public’s focus after his death. The former journalist who conducted one of the last recorded interviews with Gram just weeks prior to his death in 1973, Michael Bate (of Frank Magazine fame), was inspired to tell the story of Parson’s life and this production was born.
The production stars Anders Drerup and Kelly Prescott as Gram and Emmylou Harris. Featured musicians include Al Bragg, Chris Breitner, Darwin Demers and Tom Martel. The musical score is by Gram Parsons, the Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, the Louvin Brothers, Chris Hillman, Chris Etheridge, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Dan Penn, Elvis Presley, Ric Grech and Bob Buchanan.
An incredible amount of music history is represented in this musical theatre concert and that has impacted these young performers who have learned so much about Gram Parsons and also about themselves as well.
I sat down with Kelly and Anders in their very busy dressing room prior to show-time, and here are some highlites from our conversation:
Ottawa Tonite Video: Grievous Angel – The Legend of Gram Parsons creates artistic connections from cheryl gain on Vimeo.
Video footage shot using Flip Video ™ Camcorder
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Day 2: Steel Pulse brings over 30 years of reggae to the stage
As the heat lifted on Wednesday night at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest there was a buzz in the air over the Subway Stage where a band from Birmingham, England was about to crank up the heat again.
The band, known as Steel Pulse has headlined some of the world’s biggest reggae festivals, won a Grammy award for their 1986 classic Babylon The Bandit, were nominated for several subsequent albums since then, contributed the song I Can’t Stand it to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing , (probably my all-time favorite flick) and they have broadcast an album debut live world-wide…just to name a few bio hilights.
It was with plenty of curiousity and great anticipation that we assembled on the grass to take in the theatrical show that Steel Pulse is known for. It wasn’t so much the band’s history and credits that were most important in that moment, but instead the energy and wonderful attitude that they brought to the CIsco Ottawa Bluesfest scene.
Friends passing by stopping to talk were dancing as they moved through the crowd. There was no sitting down for this show. The spirit of the entire river stage area was positive and uplifted by the band which was lead by David ‘Dread’ Hinds – the soul and sprit of Steel Pulse for the past 35 years. It was a performance that involved the crowd in the movement. The band played traditional reggae songs that spoke of social justice and revolution, songs of spirituality (and a few cover tunes thrown in for good measure) as everyone was swaying happily throughout the set.
For a few minutes tonight, I was swept away at the riverside by the “Rastafarian” liberating outlook and promise. Thank you Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest!
For more information about Steel Pulse check out their myspace and official website.
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Day 1: Something very clever happens on the Subway Stage
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest has been drawing crowds from Ottawa and visitors from across North America and around the world to it’s stages for over 17 years now. The festival’s organizers have worked really hard each year to bring audiences a full range of entertainment options with roots, blues, world music, new country, rock and chart-topping international performers doing live acts since 1994. That’s a pretty great track record of sourcing, promoting, selling and celebrating some incredible music and bringing it home. Why am I harping-on about this? Because I am awe-struck by talent. Tonight was the opening night (Day 1) of the 12 day festival, and it was delicious.
The lineup for tonight: vegetable curry and The Kelp Records Revue show.
Andrew Vincent had begun his set when I arrived. With his clever lyrics and ‘realness’ he was evoking the very alert audience’s reactions around me. Not just foot-tapping and swaying to the music, but some really cerebral stuff was happening here. The show continued to move along with Chris Page and his accompanying band, that included a very talented performer in her own right: Jill Zmud. The band Rhume heated up the stage even more (with a haz-mat suit sporting lead-singer who happens to be Kelp Records founder, Jon Bartlett), followed by The Flaps vs The Empiricals (unbelievable live performance!) and then finally what was called the “Grand Ole Opry” section of the Kelp Records Revue: a mish-mash of performers singing and playing together in a veritable smörgåsbord of delicious talent.
I had to jump up and video tape some of it using the Flip:
As I was walking around looking at the show from various angles, I saw a number of local performers in the crowd who were transfixed on the show. I spoke to Matthew at one point (also a local performer), and we had a moment of agreement that what made the show special tonight was the level of talent and clever creativity which interests other musicians and inspires. As Matthew said: “these guys are incredible, of course I have to watch what’s happening on this stage!” and, coming from a talented folk-singer/songwriter that is a good summary of the experience at the Subway Stage which was felt by all.
This year, Ottawa Tonite has the pleasure of being a Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest sponsor and to help provide coverage as a participant. What does that mean? It means we get an up-close-and-personal glimpse into your experience at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and ours. This is a place to share the stories of the people standing next to us in the crowd and behind the stage as well.
The raw of energy that comes from the crowd which is aimed at the performers as they step onto any stage and start to play..that is the energy we want to focus on and talk about. Tell us how we’re doing. Tell us your stories. The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is one of the most successful music festivals in the world. Ahem: it’s happening in OUR city.
Let’s really talk about what it feels like to have something so special we can call our own.
Team Canada Healing Hands – Haiti Fundraiser has Magic and Four Local Bands
On May 30th, 2010 Team Canada Healing Hands, a group of rehabilitation professionals, held a fundraiser at Greenfield’s Pub in Ottawa. The team was raising money to send medical teams to Haiti to provide services to the people of Haiti and provide training for local rehab professionals to help deal with the massive need since the January 2010 earthquake.
With the acute phase of earthquake relief over, attention is turning to the long term needs of the population devastated by the quake. Services such as prosthetics and orthotics along with specialized long term treatments for spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury are some of the services needed in the area. The benefit raised nearly $7000.00 with 100% of the proceeds going to support these teams and their important work.
OttawaTonite.com was pleased to cover this event and raise awareness of this team in Ottawa. The show featured Luc Leduc the Duke of Magic and music from local bands Shotgun in the Ambulance, Monday I Retire, EFARM and Ridin’ Shotgun. A great time was had by all and most importantly some much needed funds were raised to support rehab medicine in Haiti.
Special thanks go out to Karen Mallet, Dr. Scott Wiebe and David Nielen for their dedication and for the time they invest in raising money and awareness of these very unique and important needs. Thanks also go out to Greenfield’s Pub for hosting the event, they have an awesome venue for live music!
Mike Thompson is an enthusiastic amateur videographer and editor who loves to capture life, kids, music and art. More of Mike’s work can be found here.
