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Posts Tagged ‘Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Power Hour’
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
