Ottawa Bluesfest 2013: Day 1

It's time again for the yearly pilgrimage to LeBreton Flats for Ottawa's annual Bluesfest. There are a few changes this year. The most important is that after sundry complaints about sound bleed, the stage that was designated the Black Sheep Stage last year and the Hard Rock Stage the year before has been put out of its misery. It's been replaced by the merch tents and a DJ station. Of course, if you like beer (or rather aren't a teetotaler like me) the news that it's cheaper is no doubt also a good thing. Perhaps the best news on Thursday was that the grim clouds closing in from over the year went on their way without dousing the crowd.

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.

The blackened blues

In my memory the Black Keys entered my sphere of listening just after the release of their debut The Big Comeup in 2002. The White Stripes were big at the time, having rereleased White Blood Cells on V2 and there was a fair amount of talk about a sudden proliferation of blues- and rock-oriented duos. I already had stuff by Doo-Rag and The Flat Duo Jets so I can't say it was a whole new thing to me, but the team of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney did it well. They were slated to play at least three times in Ottawa but cancelled for various reasons. The last time they were a no-show they were slated to headline the Birdman Stage at Bluesfest but didn't make it because some other festival they were scheduled to play at fell apart (another bluesy duo, Mr. Airplane Man, filled their headlining slot and did a swell job). I think I missed the first time they actually made it to town, but on Nov. 18, 2005, I finally had a chance to see them mix it up live. I recall enjoying the late, great Nathaniel Mayer and Ottawa's own Weapons of Mass Seduction More, but couldn't deny the Keys put on a great set. They were even better at this Bluesfest show, despite some apparent technical problems - there was a fair amount of amp, monitor and drumkit tweaking during the set.

Patrick keeps his eye on the cymbals.



Dan sings!



Sliding action!



Just move this and that and this ....



Hair-shaking action!



Dan works the microphone.



Patrick grimaces!



Dan shouts!



Patrick grimaces some more! You just know the glasses couldn't last.



The whole lot!



Dan goes down!



Tambourine action!



Things fade to black.



Many, many more photos of The Black Keys can be seen at my Flickr account.

• Show reminder: The Dead Are Those Who Have Dies, Ptarmigan and pH play 443 Kent St.; for some strange reason pH are also alleged to be playing Mercury Lounge with Ion That Eats its Face and Adversary ... hmmm!
  

Come rain or come shine

It's that time of year again - time to take two weeks off work to see myriad musical acts introduced by Radio DJs who have mostly never heard of them before, time to avoid food concessions like the plague, time to watch the skies for impending meteorological doom - in other words, time for Ottawa's Cisco Systems Bluesfest. The weather certainly wasn't looking too friendly when I headed out my front door at 5:30 p.m. and sure enough when I hit Somerset St. it started to rain with vigor. There was even a crack of thunder, and I had visions of being turned away at the gate. No such worries, though. It had let up by the time I arrived, and it had the beneficial effect - for those of us who like a little elbow room - of scaring off less determined music fans. Thus, I got into Bluesfest without a wait, there were no lines to scan my ticket, and I was standing in front of the Telecommunications Giant Stage before Amanda Rheaume cranked things up, instead of halfway through her set.

Amanda's sounding better and better each time I see her - perhaps because such viewings tend to take place at yearly intervals. All that international travel must be sharpening her skills.


Amanda Rheaume, Rogers Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

I split after a few minutes because I wanted to see Toronto's Flash Lightnin on the Black Sheep Stage. I obviously left too early because they were still busy soundchecking whan I arrived. They played Mavericks a while back and impressed me with their Raging Slab style power trio blues. They've been back to Ottawa a couple of times since and seem to have made a few fans because the plaza filled up pretty quickly. They undoubtedly made a few more admirers with another tight set.


Flash Lightnin, Black Sheep Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

I had nothing better to do, so I then made a stop at the Fast Food Chain Stage to watch Blue King Brown. I had vague hopes they might be a grizzled American bluesman, but in fact they're a multi-member Australian political reggae collective. The band sounds good and frontwoman Natalie Pa'apa'a has an interesting look, but I can't say I found her a compelling singer.


Blue King Brown, Subway Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

After a couple of BKB tunes I walked over to the Telecommunications Giant Stage to grab a good spot to watch The Black Keys. They attracted a very large and enthusiastic crowd and put on a sharp set. They aren't my favourite charged up blues duo (granted it's a crowded field) but you can't fault their performing chops.


Black Keys, Rogers Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

I spoke to a lot of people who were eagerly awaiting a chance to see Jeff Beck. I'm a fan too, but I confess my interest tailed off somewhere in the mid-1970s. Instead I returned to the Fast Food Chain Stage to see legendary British progressive outfit Van Der Graaf Generator. The turnout was not large, but there was a fairly devoted fanbase in evidence - I also heard a lot more French spoken in the crowd. Peter Hammill (that's him below), Hugh Banton and Guy Evans sounded good, but I confess that without David Jackson's saxophones something was missing for me.


Van Der Graaf Generator, Subway Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

Once again I snuck away, this time to check out Jeff Beck - how many opportunities will I get do that, right? There was of course a sizable crowd between me and the Giant Financial Institution Stage, and that always puts a damper on my enjoyment of an act. Beck may be a guitar wizard but I really wasn't feeling it.


Jeff Beck, Bank of America Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

The best plan for those bored at Bluesfest is to make one's way to the Black Sheep Stage; particularly if there's a Latin American or African act on stage. Thus I made my way, there, stopping to listen to a bit of New Orleans roots rocker Eric Lindell en route at the Music-Themed Eatery Stage.


Eric Lindell, Hard Rock Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

It was salsa time at The Black Sheep Stage with Paris-based Sergent Garcia. Once upon a time Sergent was a member of French drum machine punks Ludwig von 88, now he's rocking Cuban style, with a modern twist. He had the crowd bouncing and dancing with no trouble thanks to his crack band of Cuban and French musicians (plus one bassist from Guyana) That's him below in the red shirt. The band is performing tonight at Ritual Nightclub on Besserer, opening for Rjd2. I'm guessing that will be a party and a half ... (Flash update, it seems Rjd2 couldn't make it, so Sergent and Co. will be opening for Clinton at the free stage instead [Update to the update, Rjd2 is now at the Whiskey at midnight]).


Sergent Garcia, Black Sheep Stage, Bluesfest, July 8, 2009

Not a bad first day. I'm looking forward to The Chaffey Brothers and Iron & Wine today.

• Show reminder: I'm going to guess that things will be nuts in the Byward Market as the Bluesfest starts its first in a string of free shows there with a performance by Funkadelic mainman George Clinton. There's also a host of other Bluesfest-connected shows in various venues. Elliott Brood, Matt Mays and Think About Life stand out for me. Elsewhere The Creeps and Fear Of Lipstick rock The Atomic Rooster. The Backsliders slide into the Elmdale House.

In the key of black

Yeah, the Black Keys have won acres of good press - the punchy blues rock duo from Akron, Ohio have buckets of grit, swagger and soul. The audience that sold out Barrymore's Nov. 18 was certainly enthused by their performance - and deservedly so. Personally, I still give the evening's honours to their tourmate Nathaniel Mayer, with a honourable mention to Ottawa's own Weapons of Mass Seduction. Strange as it seems, for me the Keys' tight show worked against them - I wanted something a little looser, sloppier, crazier ... and compared to Mayer their interaction with the audience was restrained. Ah, I'm done whining - it was good show by any fair measure.

As you can see from this picture of Daniel Auerbach, the smoke machine was working overtime.



Patrick Carney gave his kit a very solid thumping.



Dan goes wild!



Pat goes psychedelic!



Keys in the smoke ...



And facing off.



The view from behind the mixing board.



They gave us a good hour of their time - and at a very reasonable rate, too.

• Show reminder: Snailhouse, Ohbijou and The Acorn perform at the Black Sheep Inn.