Wood and wire

The next performer I laid eyes on Bluesfest was one I'd never heard of, Matt Andersen from New Brunswick. His hometown of Perth-Andover may not be known far and wide a blues hotbed ... in fact Andersen may be its most noteworthy resident, having triumphed at the Tennessee International Blues Challenge in January. He's been building up a strong reputation as a live performer since well before then, one the big man more than lived up to at his Hard Rock Cafe Stage set.

I promise you he is under there somewhere.



He's a leonine fellow.



The end! You can really only take so many pictures of one guy sitting down, no matter how energetic.



After that I went over to the Subway Stage to see Woodhands, who had the tough job of warming the stage up for Marianas Trench, who keytarist Dan Werb described as "the sexiest band we've ever opened for? They're actually back there naked right now!" In the end they proved their party-starting credentials by geting the crowd to clap along enthusiastically to their electro-dance schtick.



Dan and Paul "Double Duty" Banwatt.



Keytar action!



Well, you get the point.



Then I popped over to the main stage to see Crowded House.

• Show reminder: Its stint at Nine may be over, but the the Rock'N'Roll Pizza Party isn't quite dead yet. While its proprietors contemplate its future, they're putting on another show at the MVP Lounge with Miesha and The Spanks and Needles//Pins; Olenka and the Autumn Lovers and Kite Hill play Raw Sugar Cafe; The Creepshow, Hellbound Hepcats, Gunsmoke and Saucy Jack rock Mavericks; Gardening, Not Architecture, Old Crimes and Jonathan Becker play the Avant Garde Bar; The Sheepdogs, Romi Mayes, Silver Creek and Andre Bluteau will undoubtedly put on a fine show at Zaphod's; the Elmdale House hosts Al Wood and the Woodsmen and Jay Aymar.

A beginning and an end

My day began listening to a two-guitar-and drums trio and ended the exact same way, though no one is likely to confuse Detroit's legendary Gories with Calgary's Grown-Ups. I got to Ottawa Bluesfest just as The Gories were cranking things up. Apart from producing three of my favourite albums and influencing hordes of bands that I listen to, The Gories also bequeathed the world the musical genius of Mick Collins (The Dirtbombs, Voltaire Brothers, Screws, etc.) and Danny Kroha of The Demolition Dollrods.

Mick and Danny face off below. On this occasion Montreal psychobilly genius Bloodshot Bill was filling in on drums. There set was pretty bluesy, with covers of Mona and Boogie Chillun.


The Gories at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 15, 2010

They were quickly followed by Old Crow Medicine Show on the main stage. The trad-sounding country combo eschews the drummer, and are well suited for my Fujifilm's 16:9 scale photos. They have a couple of other members off to the right.


Old Crow Medicine Show at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 15, 2010

I then zipped off to see  Matt Anderson, a sizable chap from the East Coast who sounds like Leslie West (at least vocally) and plays some heavy duty acoustic blues.


Matt Andersen at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 15, 2010

I've already seen Woodhands a bunch of times - the electro-dance duo of Paul Banwatt and Dan Werb are always entertaining, and even though I suspect a hefty chunk of the crowd were actually there to see Marianas Trench they were soon waving their hands along enthusiastically. There sound was particularly tight on this occasion, and Werb's banter was also pretty sharp.


Woodhands at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 15, 2010

That done, I hopped over to the main stage again to see Crowded House. I've always thought Neil Finn was an ace tunesmith. I didn't stay long, since I was preternaturally (and incorrectly) worried about the weather, but the handful of tunes I stuck around for were as pleasant as anything I remember watching on MuchMusic back when I was a speckled teen.


Crowded House at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 15, 2010

However, my evening didn't end there ... my next stop, after picking up my SLR at home, was the Rock'N'Roll Pizza Party, where Young Stalin and The Grown-Ups were entertaining a few dozen folks.

I've wanted to see Young Stalin, but two previous opportunities - at the Gaga Weekend and a house show with Libyans - fell through. They ripped through a bevy of hardcore tunes with some pushing and shouting in what seemed like 10 minutes. You may recognize Maverick from his previous appearance on the blog as a member of Germ Attak back when they opened for The Kids at The Bayou.


Young Stalin at Nine, July 15, 2010

Next up, Grown-Ups, who promised they wouldn't be running out into the crowd. Instead they pummelled it with noise.


Grown-Ups at Nine, July 15, 2010

A diverse evening, to say the least.

• Show reminder: If punk is your fancy, Maveriks is the place to be as GBH, Outernational, The Class Assassins, Andy Snap and the Loose Cannons and The Rookers drop by. Greta Knights, Torcherror, and Kimaris are at Club SAW; Komor Kommando and Aliceffekt play Cafe Dekcuf; Bluesville Express plays the Rainbow afterparty; Canada Country Music Hall of Famer Neville Wells brings a bit of Le Hibou to Irene's; Rocket Rached and The Fat City 8 are at the Elmdale House.