Miscellaneous - LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, 8/7/2009...12/7/2009

  by Andrew Carver

published: 11 / 8 / 2009

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Article

Fifteen years ago Ottawa’s Bluesfest began as a gathering of a few thousand devotees of everything flattened and fifth; no one could have foreseen the gargantuan music gathering that has grown from that humble seed. With a second site located in Ottawa’s Bytown Market (an old school shopping district crowded with pubs and small stores), it’s officially grown too big for one person to take in, but there’s still a cornucopia of music offered on the quartet of stages that ring Canada’s National War Museum and its indoor theatre. As the years have passed, the festival has relied on big name headliners to attract large audiences to single nights, which in turn subsidizes lesser known acts on the side stages for devotees of more obscure performers. Thus, while huge crowds wandered back and forth between the Rogers Stage and Main Stage in front of the War Museum to see performers like Kiss, Jeff Beck, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Joe Cocker, smaller venues at the side and back drew fans of the festival’s original blues mandate and less mainstream acts. Wednesday, July 8 The opening act on Wednesday at the Rogers Stage was local performer Amanda Rheaume. Rheaume’s early career was heavily influenced by Alanis Morissette, but her sound has since incorporated more rock elements. Unfortunately the skies opened about the same time as the festival, making for a soggy listening experience. Fortunately things had dried out a bit on the other side of the museum at the Black Sheep Stage (named after a venue across the river in Quebec noted for its scheduling of up-and-coming artists and world music). Toronto’s Flash Lightnin got things started with some heavy blues rock in the vein of Raging Slab, ZZ Top and C’Mon. Over on the Subway Stage (named after the fast-food chain, not the city’s transit system). Australian reggae rabble-rousers Blue King Brown provided the festival’s first disappointment. While highly touted as live performers, their political awareness and musical abilities weren’t matched by much in the way of vocal abilities from dreadlocked frontwoman Natalie Pa'apa'a. By comparison Akron blues duo the Black Keys put on a searing set, with drummer Pat Carney in top grimacing form and guitarist Dan Auerbach soldiering through some early sound difficulties to provide a knockout set. The night’s main headliner was British guitar legend Jeff Beck, but there were other compelling performances to check out. Back on the Subway Stage prog cult sensation Van Der Graaf Generator played a tight set, though the absence of saxophonist David Jackson was definitely felt to my ears. The most exciting closing act of the night was back at the Black Sheep Stage, where Sergent Garcia, formerly of French drum machine punks Ludwig von 88, was taking his Cuban dance collective out for a spin. The music blends traditional Cuban sounds with hip hop and had the audience bouncing and dancing. Thursday, July 9 First stop of the day on Thursday was the Subway Stage where local combo the Brothers Chaffey was performing a hot set of Rolling Stones-flavoured roots rock. They were followed by Toronto-based analog electronica quartet Holy Fuck with a set mostly carried by a very active bassist. Over at the Rogers Stage festival regulars Metric attracted their usual huge crowd of youngsters. Compared to 2007’s appearance, when a steady of succession of crowd surfers were hefted over the barrier between audience and crowd, the onlookers were relatively sedate. The band itself gave a high grade performance with lead singer Emily Haines getting a particular kick out of stalking back in forth at the lip of the stage. As good as their show was, another performer beckoned from the Subway Stage Indeed, Iron and Wine provided Thursday’s highlight performance. The attentive crowd and exceptional sound allowed Samuel Beam’s tangled acoustic tales to shine, despite occasional sound bleed from Metric’s ongoing performance. Beam’s between-song banter also shined – his comparison of the distance thumping of Metric’s show to having an SUV with music pumping out of it pulling up beside you at a light and interrupting a conversation with a dinner date was a source of much amusement. A brief viewing of popular Canadian country hard rockers the Road Hammers on the appropriately sponsored Hard Rock Stage and Mali’s Omou Sangare, one of a succession of African acts presented on the Black Sheep Stage.. The Hammers were working their way through a cover of ZZ Top’s ‘She’s Got Legs’ which sounded pretty capable, but Sangare proved the more gripping act. Backed with a hot band, the “Songbird of Wassalou” also got a major boost from a trio of active dancers – so active that Sangare jokingly pretended to force them back out of the spotlight. Friday, July 10 A paucity of interesting acts made for a later-than-usual start on Friday, but California psychedelic folksters the Dodos helped past the time in a pleasant way before their time ran out and Okkervil River began their set on the Hard Rock Stage. Okkervil River has made its reputation with a combination of rural Americana and more active rock sounds. The “active rock sounds” portion of their repertoire was certainly in evidence as frontman Will Sheff bounced around like a man possessed and Lauren Gurgiolo coaxed feedback from her mandolin. The band’s collective performance was widely touted as one of the festival’s most energetic. The diverse lineup at this year’s Bluesfest allowed for some dabbling in the robust country of local performer Brock Zeman (a younger, balder Steve Earle), Denver’s gypsy cabaret quartet DeVotchKa (a big thrill for fans of sousaphone and theremin – they covered the Velvet Underground's ‘Venus in Furs'.) and prototypical Canadian rocker Sam Roberts, one of a legion of musicians influenced by Bruce Springsteen. While the masses agglomerated before the main stage to watch soft-rocker Jackson Browne or the Subway Stage to see Steve Earle (an older, hairier Brock Zeman), the smart money was on King Sunny Ade. One of the first big names in the now expansive genre dubbed “world music”, the Juju veteran is renowned as one of Nigeria’s most formidable bandleaders. Unfortunately he eschewed guitar-playing for most of the show, but that was the only shortcoming in an otherwise supremely groovy performance. Saturday, July 11 The first stop of the day – having just missed Atlantic singer Jill Barber – was to see lyrical popsmith John Vanderslice. His melancholy pop songwriting, injected with sinister guitar tones, was compelling, but not as interesting as the sound of rambunctious gutbucket blues emanating from the Subway Stage and Lightning Malcolm and Cedric Burnside. The duo’s hardbitten blues kept the spirit of Cedric’s notorious grandfather R.L. alive, and a number of concertgoers were calling it a highlight of the festival well into next week. Another pleasant surprise was Chris Smither’s solo set. The New Orleans-raised singer-songwriter is justly renowned for his bluesy licks – inspired by Lightnin’ Hopkins – and warm gravelly voice, and had the audience in the palm of his hand. A must for fans of artists like John Prine and Fred Neil. After his performance, it was time for another roots-rock veteran, Doyle Bramhall. Bramhall’s musical childhood include jams with neighbours and future ZZ Top members Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. His early music career included a stint with Jimmy Vaughan’s Chessmen, which turned into a longer collaboration with brother Stevie Ray. Much like those peers, the singing drummer’s own music is rootsy electric Texas blues, dished out with able assistance from a couple of seasoned pros on bass and guitar. There was more Texas-tinged blues over on the Subway Stage with Diunna Greenleaf. The plus-sized performer is a belter of the old school with a brisk sense of humour. She was backed by blues guitar great “Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin, formerly of Muddy Waters’ band, who injected some Chicago vibe into her sometimes risque tunes. The next band performing on the Subway Stage was a different proposition. Australia’s the Church reached the height of its fame in the late 1980s with ‘Under The Milky Way’, but after years out of the commercial spotlight, the quartet seem to be enjoying something of an artistic rebirth and an accompanying rise in their public profile – good enough to attract a couple of thousand onlookers to their set. It was a somewhat delayed set, as rain kept Bluesfest techies busy mopping and shifting gear, but after some intercessionary prayer by a church roadie the sun came out and the show went on. The band worked its way through their hits and several tracks from their latest effort, ‘Untitled #22’ at appreciable volume and with considerable bouncing from the four band members. After their enjoyable set, a psychedelic experience of even older vintage was to be had in the War Museum’s theatre. YaHoWha 13 was the house band of the Source Family, a commune formed under the leadership of Father Yod in the 1960s. Their unrehearsed albums – sold through the group’s vegetarian restaurant – have become valuable collector’s items, and the bands heavy rhythmic sounds have been admired and emulated by such performers as Plastic Crimewave Sound. The three living members, Djin Aquarian, Octavious Aquarian and Sunflower Aquarian, have resurrected the band, and attracted a mixed bag of young psych fans and older hippies to their show. Backed by a psychedelic light projection, and after a brief dedication to Source member, the late Sky Saxon of the Seeds, the group embarked on an extended psychedelic workout, prompting several of the older audience members – who had perhaps been expecting something more sedate - to head for the doors. “We hope we sent you where you wanted to go and brought you back safely,” said guitarist Djin after the set. The evening concluded with viewing of Femi Kuti, son of noted bandleader Fela Kuti, whose Positive Force combo follows neatly in his famed father’s footsteps. Sunday, July 12 Sunday’s lineups kicked off with a couple of Ottawa bands. The first was The Balconies, a young trio with a good deal of experience under their belt. A jumpy outfit with a stylistic debt to Blonde Redhead, they seem slated for better things and have already garnered a fair amount of local critical acclaim. That frontwoman Jacquie Neville looked smashing in a little black dress can only help. They also drew substantial praise from other bands who shared the stage that day. The Sedatives are part of Ottawa’s burgeoning garage scene and turned out organ-driven rock with shades of both 1960s teen combos and punkers like the Damned. Toronto’s Sunparlour Players provided a more unusual sight on the Black Sheep Stage. Its three members each have their own kick drum, but also play bass, guitar, accordion, banjo and other assorted instruments. Their performance seemed a bit over-the-top, and too frenetic for its own good, but the audience seemed to enjoy it. Leeds-based funk-soul-R&B combo the New Mastersounds followed the Sedatives on The Hard Rock Stage, but didn’t offer much early excitement. Youthful trio the Homemade Jamz Blues Band at least offered the spectacle of a 10-year-old girl drummer and two brothers playing doubleneck guitars made from Ford automobile mufflers. Montreal trio Land of Talk provided a bigger draw for indie-rock fans of sweet vocals and loud guitars on the Black Sheep Stage. In the meanwhile, the garage rock fans who had initially crowded the Hard Rock Stage for the Sedatives returned en masse to see The King Khan and BBQ show. Even resurgent rain couldn’t stop the crowd from shaking along to the duo’s lo-fi soul and R&B. The longtime musical couple’s demented between song banter was accompanied by one of the few acts of rock’n’roll wildness as Khan physically attacked the turban clad heads that decorated the front of the stage. As night began to fall Neko Case and her band took to the Rogers Stage. The alt-country darling has always had a decent cachet in Canada, where her musical career began, but the release of her latest album ‘Middle Cyclone’ has pushed her into the limelight. When Case played Bluesfest four years ago, she headlined a side stage with the Sadies as her backing band. This time around she came on just before Joe Cocker, one of the fest’s prime slots, and drew a huge crowd. While the band looked rough - Case’s dress style is best described as “laundry day casual”, and steel player Jon Rauhouse looks like a haystack – they sounded ready. Unfortunately backup singer Kelly Hogan was drawn away by a personal matter. But Case carried the weight ably enough. Since case is one of the few singers to not use any sort of studio gimmickry, her crystal clear tone rang out from the stage as clearly as on her albums. She treated the audience to a good chunk of most of her catalogue, finishing with covers of Harry Nillson's ‘Alimony’ and her often admired version of Sook-Yin Lee's ‘Knock Loud’.

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