Bluesfest: Marcia Ball

From watching Alice Cooper's show I had a little time to check out other stuff, so I popped over to see Marcia Ball. Ball is from the old school of Bluesfest, Texas-born and Lousiana-raised, she combines a bit (OK, a lot) of both states' signature sound into her own.

Also, the Texas Horns are part of the deal. The gent on the right is Ball's regular sax man, Thad Scott.



Drummer Damiel Llanes is from a somewhat different generation ...



Bassist Don Bennett, looking stylish.



And let us not forget Ms. Ball, herself.



Closeup action!



Extra Thad.



More Marcia!



Guitarist Mike Schermer likes his pickups varied.



Mike frets!



The sun is going down.



Keyboard action!



Pretty good, though it's a sign of the times that her set wasn't very well attended.

Ottawa Bluesfest 2012, Day 4

The first weekend of Bluesfest so far has been mostly about the rock. I didn't get to see Lynn Drury, unfortunately, since she was on at the same time as Monster Truck - perhaps the single occasion of the entire festival where two acts I want to see are playing at the same time. Good or bad thing? You decide.

If you like your rock hairy and sweaty, then Monster Truck will definitely satisfy. They've got a good classic sound and didn't let the heat get them down.


Monster Truck at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 7, 2012

Then it was over to the main stage for a dose of Alice Cooper. I confess that my Alice Cooper collection begins and ends with the band era stuff between Pretties For You and Billion Dollar Babies, but the old showman knows how to rock the house and sounded great (once again, I note the vast improvement in the main stage sound over last year). He has a very able young band (barring a somewhat more vintage drummer, also highly capable) and switched jackets for every song. Things ended with a burst of confetti and balloons that seemed more appropriate for a Flaming Lips show, and his disembodied head is now looking a good 20 years younger than he does, but what of it?


Alice Cooper at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 7, 2012

I checked out some Marcia Ball before grabbing a bite to eat. The sparse crowd for such a talented lady tells you all you need to know about the changes in Bluesfest. Nonetheless, if you like your R&B N'awlins style, this was the place to be today.


Marcia Ball at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 7, 2012

I also checked out some of Bright Light Social Hour. A lot of folks were really knocked out by their performance. They play again today so I'm going to try to catch more of them. They reminded me of My Morning Jacket.


Bright Light Social Hour at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 7, 2012

Finally, Iron Maiden rocked the joint with a show that busted out a lot more of the classics then their last Bluesfest outing. They had a lot of pyro and Bruce Dickinson ran around like a maniac as usual. Unfortunately my photos all stank.


Iron Maiden at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 7, 2012

And yes, Ottawa did scream for Bruce, repeatedly.