It's all over baby blue

Another year, and another Bluesfest wrapped up. This was one of the less-interesting ones, but that's mostly because it stands in the shadow of last year's effort and a few stellar years at the City Hall location with The Birdman Stage. This Sunday was a bit of an afterthought itself. I get the impression the festival piles in the blues acts in the last weekend for the folks who were attending when the festival kicked off 15 years ago.

Things began for me around 4 p.m. with Wichita, Kansas duo Moreland & Arbuckle (okay, so they're really a trio with drummer Brad Horner, but you're going to have to wait for a photo of him). They put on a very spirited set of harmonica blues twinned with distorted guitar, including a cigarette box model. Don't be fooled by the tie-dye, this was real gutbucket stuff, including a fine version of Little Walter's Rollercoaster.


Moreland & Arbuckle, Black Sheep Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

I'd heard that Larry McCray was a guitar whiz, so I went over to the Fast food Chain Stage to check out his set. He was okay, and certainly knows how to work the frets, but he lacked M&A's primal edge.


Larry McCray, Subway Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

Then I popped over to the Music-Themed Eatery Stage to see Montreal's Magneto. Though they describe themselves as ambient jazz, they profess an admiration for DJ Shadow and Calexico. They sounded pretty good, but I was a trifle non-plussed by their performance of Miles Davis' Freddy the Freeloader with Bob Taillefer, even if it's the 50th anniversary of Kind of Blue.


Magneto, Hard Rock Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

I decided to go over and grab a good spot for Deer Tick, whose writeup described them as a "rock, country, blues, grunge, and cosmic experience." I didn't think they sounded all that great, and frontman John McCauley admitted that a late arrival had made them miss out on a decent soundcheck. After a few songs I wandered off in search of food.


Deer Tick, Rogers Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

My next destination was the Giant Financial Institution Stage to see Handsome Furs. I really enjoyed the set they placed last time they were in town at Mavericks, and this one was just as energetic, with Alexei Perry doing her usual stretching and bouncing (suffering a bit of a wardrobe failure in the process, though of what exact nature I couldn't tell).


Handsome Furs, MBNA Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

Next up was The Dead Weather. Yes Jack White's new band. They attracted a huge crowd which seemed to be really into their stomping post-blues. Allison Mosshart is certainly an ace frontwoman, perching on monitors and waving her shaggy black hair hither and yon. Having Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and The Greenhornes' Jack Lawrence on bass doesn't hurt either. Unfortunately I couldn't really get into it. It was a fab show to watch, but not so pleasing to my ears.


The Dead Weather, Rogers Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

After about 30 minutes of White and company I walked off to see Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women. I still regret missing all but the last few moments of his last Bluesfest set, back when it was at city hall and he was accompanied by The Guilty Men. It was a very capable set, which concluded with a cover of Que Sera, Sera. Among the Guilty Women was FCindy Cashdollar on lap steel - she was here last year with Redd Volkaert.


Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women, Subway Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

The rest of the evening kind of trickled away. I went to the main stage to watch The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, didn't get into it, traipsed past Jennifer Warnes set on the Blacksheep Stage, wasn't too thrilled with that either, wandered back to watch The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, then decided to call it an evening, stopping only to take a picture of Buckwheat Zydeco.


Jennifer Warnes, Black Sheep Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009


Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MBNA Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009


Buckwheat Zydeco, Subway Stage, Bluesfest, July 19, 2009

After that, it was time to call it a festival.

• Show reminder: The Mudplots, Dance Laury Dance, Cocky Racoon and Silver Echoes play Zaphod's. Current Swell perform at the Rainbow. The SSRIs, The Cass Ettes, Amalgamation and Box Hands rock The Elmdale.

In the Redd

There are plenty of excellent guitarists at Bluesfest, but the one who probably takes the title of "least recognized" at this year's festival - at least judging by the turnout for his Friday show - is Redd Volkaert. He's best known for stepping into the huge shoes of Roy Nichols in Merle Haggard's backing band (after Roy Manuel left the slot, that is). He's also done a bunch of session work for other country performers, even ones like Brad Paisley who don't need much help in the guitar department. As a Telecaster player he has few equals. He was joined on stage, as he often is, by pedal steel guitar queen Cindy Cashdollar.

Redd and bassist Nate Rowe.



Cindy Cashdollar. Drummer Chris Gilson is at back.



Cindy works the steel.



More Redd!





More Nate!



And so on.





His latest album is entitled Reddhead.

• Show reminder: A Life Once Lost, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Arsonist Get All The Girls and Epocholypse play The New Bayou; Means, Kathleen Turner Overdrive, The Artist Life and Not Even Death rock Cafe DeKcuf; metal mania strikes Mavericks with Priestess, Bison BC, Flash Lightnin' and Barn Burner.

Every day I get the blues

It's possible to go to the Ottawa Bluesfest and not see a lot of the blues, but for much of yesterday that seemed to be the main offering. Sure, when I got there the first band I watched was The Hi Lo Trons: Not all that bluesy. They did have J.J. Hardill of The Fiftymen reprising his guest appearance on their latest disc, Happymatic.


Hi Lo Trons, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

I listened to them for a half-dozen tunes then went off to see what wackiness Hamell On Trial would pull at the end of his set on the Black Sheep Stage.


Hamell On Trial, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

I remember his last Bluesfest set as being much more amusing, but maybe I just missed the best bits. He was still pretty energetic and funny. You may be asking "but where is this blues of which you speak?" Well, after the end of Hamell's set I went off to the Giant Telecommunications Company Stage to see Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials.


Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

Lil' Ed and company dish out electric Chicago blues, and appear to have a very good time doing so. Ed was smiling a lot and plainly enjoying the audience's attention as he worked through both his own tunes - a surprising number of which seem to involve his woman leaving him - and classics like I Got My Mojo Working. He had a big assist from the Texas Horns, and horn-in-chief Kaz Kazanoff also contributed some harmonica.


Shakura S'aida, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

This was followed by more blues on the River Stage with Shakura S'aida, who apparently has as much trouble with the menfolk as Lil' Ed has with the gals. I predict disaster if they ever hook up. All kidding aside, she's a capable R&B singer with an ace backing band - I do believe that's Jean-Sebastien Chouinard who some may recall wielding a Les Paul with Guitar Explosion at last year's Bluesfest.


Redd Volkaert with Cindy Cashdollar, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

Next I went to the Black Sheep Stage where Redd Volkaert was performing, along with steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar. It was a cool set with charged covers of George Jones, Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk and The Boxtops' My Baby Sent Me A Letter. They'll be repeating their performance today on the River Stage at 7 p.m.


The Sauce Boss, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

I was tempted to wander off but a number of people told me it would be worth my time to stick around for The Sauce Boss. The Sauce Boss really, really likes gumbo (he's big on okra, too). He mixed up a pot while rocking out a few numbers, one of which brought him down into the audience, resonator in hand. I enjoyed some of the resulting gumbo and it was pretty tasty. He'll be serving up more gumbo and music today on the River Stage at 1:15.


Mofro, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2008

Of course I stuck around for Mofro's set. I've been a big fan since a reviewing gig fortuitously landed their sophomore CD Lochloosa in my hands, and have been fortunate enough to catch three of their Bluesfest sets. They're always great and the hour flew by. Once again the Texas Horns provided a hand.

• Show reminder: If Bluesfest's final day doesn't fascinate, you cam always check out Boris, Torche and Nachtmystium at Babylon - it's an earlier than usual show to accommodate the DJs.