Ladies got the blues

One of the pleasures of Bluesfest is the diversity of music on display, with just about every continent represented on one stage or another. It's just as interesting to see how two artists work on the same thread of music. Roxanne Potvin and Mia Dyson are both playing the blues, but you couldn't confuse the two.

First, Roxanne Potvin, whose blues tend toward the sophisticated.





Rah, rah!



Hey, is that Tyler Kealey again?!?



So it is!



The Texas Horns were also in the house.



Next up, Mia Dyson (who actually played two nights, this was her first). Her blues rock style got a major boost from her lived-in voice.





She also played some steel.



Someone in the audience said something complimentary, "I agree with him!"



My taste leans more toward Dyson, but it was easy to see why Potvin has won plaudits from all corners for her latest album.

• Show reminder: Sunset Rubdown and As The Poets Affirm perform at Zaphod's; The Lawrence Arms, A Wilhelm Scream, Contrabandit and Bill Furious play an all ages show at Babylon.

Bluesfest: Day Four

There was an obvious tempatation to swing by the main stage and satisfy my rock jones with The Stills, Matt Mayes and El Torpedo and Sam Roberts. But I figure those folks will come through town again, so I went over to the MBNA Stage to see Roxanne Potvin, Mia Dyson and Rickie Lee Jones. There was a good-sized crowd by the time I got there. Of course, they were all sitting down so perhaps that made it look larger.

Roxanne Potvin's latest album was lauded far and wide performed a couple of Solomon Burke songs, including Cry To Me. Roxanne and her sidemen - drummer Tom Bona, standup bassist Paul Matthew and Quarterlife pianist Tyler Kealey - were joined by The Texas Horns for a powerful blues set.





Australian singer Mia Dyson has a husky voice and a very rockin' take on the blues. That's bassist Wayne Freer at right. Incidentally, her dad Jim Dyson is a very skilled luthier; that's one of his guitars she's playing.





Rickie Lee Jones . She also covered David Bowie's Rebel Rebel. I particularly liked the playing of guitarist Peter. His appearance made me expect Stevie Ray Vaughn; his reverbed sound actually reminded me of Robert Montgomery and mid-80s British indie rock. Bassist Jose also had a certain sartorial flair. Unfortunately the lighting meant I couldn't get a good picture of either man.







As 10 p.m. rolled around it started to rain - first a sprinkling, then heavier. With thunderstorms moving in, Jones came back on for an encore of Chuck E's in Love and wished the crowd farewell.