First band on stage this year was The Split. Prior to the festival I was wondering why a local band I'd heard little of was grabbing that particular bit of sonic real estate. Of course I quickly cottoned on to the fact that the frontman and guitarist are, in fact, the Chaffey brothers, Matthew and Curtis. Their other band, The Brothers Chaffey, has of course played Bluesfest before. Their new musical project goes deeper into the soul direction they've been heading in recent years and does a swell job, as you would expect.
The Split at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
Curtis frets ....
The Split at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
After catching the first chunk of their set I went over to the River Stage to see Femi Kuti. As before, you've got some politically engaged Afrobeat (that may be redundant), lively dancing onstage and Femi showing off some fine moves on sax and keys along with his singing, aided by an ace backing band and backup singers.
Femi Kuti at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
Those singers know how to shake it ...
Femi Kuti at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
Once again I caught the first half, then moved off to see a performer I haven't caught before, Bahamas. Or I should say, I haven't seen him perform under that name. Many years ago mainman Afie Jurvanen accompanied Feist for a Bluesfest appearance. Back then he was also a regular in Paso Mino. I really like his current sound ... a bit like a freakier Tom Petty.
Bahamas at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
Ace backup singing as well. There was a huge crowd for his set, I might add - one of the largest I've seen for a set there. "As a folk festival veteran, I advise you to stay hydrated ... drink lots of light beer," he joked.
Bahamas at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
Then I headed back to the River Stage for a brief spell with The Cat Empire. Their groovy Down Under sounds attracted a pretty large crowd.
Cat Empire at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
I did a bit of a wander, catching the first song from Grand Funk Railroad before going off to see what these DVBSS chaps were all about. The short answer is while I respect the hype-man's crowdsurfing, their dub-step, or whatever the hell it is, struck me as being dull as dishwater.
DVBBS at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
So, back to Grand Funk. They formed just around the time I was born, but sounded in excellent form. Two of the original members, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher, now have veterans of KISS and 38 Special (Max Carl and Bruce Kulick, that is) helping out on guitar and vocals, as well as a keyboardist Tim Cashion.
Grand Funk Railroad at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
I guess if you're going to see "The American Band," July 4 is the day to do it (and no guesses necessary as to which song they closed with).
Grand Funk Railroad at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
After that, there was nothing to do but wait for The Black Keys. I've also seen them a couple of times, first at Barrymore's, then at Bluesfest. They've got an organist, bassist and guitarist with them now, and I can't say I think it's an improvement. The sound was a bit of a mess for the first couple of tunes, causing folks to chant "Turn it up!" Things got straightened out soon enough, and they played a pretty good set with a healthy dose of their older tunes.
Black Keys at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
I also went over to the River Stage to check out Alex Clare. His first album was produced by Major Lazer and sounded pretty cool. Unfortunately since then it seems like he's gone to a somewhat blander style of pop soul and I was distinctly underwhelmed. C'est la vie!
Alex Clare at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 4, 2013
As for today, I'm very keen to see Camera Obscura.
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