OT: Shameless plug for Ottawa Bluesfest

[Mark Hammer]

This is the 12th Annual Ottawa Bluesfest and quite possibly the most amazing lineup they have had yet.

ZZ TOP, Neville Bros, Johnny Winter, Kid Rock, John Mayall, Daniel Lanois, War, Alison Kraus, David Lindeley, Dr. John, Jerry Douglas, Magic Slim, and a whole gaggle of other big and medium-name acts divided over several stages between July 7 and 18. Passes can be obtained for various day combinations or the whole thing.

Looking over the program (http://www.ottawa-bluesfest.ca/index-en.html), between Rev. Gibbons, Johnny Winter, Jerry Douglas, Sonny Landreth, John Mayall, David Lindeley, John Hammond, Joe Bonamassa, and Harry Manx, this is a slide player's wet dream come true.

The University of Ottawa is located an easy and safe walk from most of the venues, and rents out residence rooms over the summer (http://www.uottawa.ca/students/housing/shortstay.html) for those trying to keep their budget modest but still convenient.

If you're planning to come to town, drop me a line.

[radio]

Hi Mark Hammer

whereas I for many reasons would like to come

the differences in miles/km not being the first obstacle

Working with computer we are changing "to the next generation"

(without Picard :shock: ) ,but I can pass the word to my

cousins in Montreal. Hope they make some video for TV5


Thanks for the info

and have a nice WE

Greetings JMErnzer

[onboard]

I always put on some WAR when I'm in the mood for some good ole' authentic blues :roll:

Just poking atcha Mark. That's got to be one serious good time with a "something for everyone" lineup like that. Funny, it almost came to pass that I would be in Ottowa over the summer...

-Ryan

[NaBo]

That does sound pretty awesome...

There's a pretty decent blues festival that started here (Thunder Bay, now)a few years ago that's really picked up steam...  all i can remember off the top of my head are colin james and the jeff healy band... and even then, jeff was playing mostly jazz :\ ...  Come to think of it, it's not that great.  Nevermind.  Wish I could go   :?

[StephenGiles]

Hi Mark, I would love to be there but Anne made me go to Argentina for our holiday!! We will get to Canada eventually.
Stephen

[jrc4558]

I will definitely show up. I mean, man, ZZ Top!!!

[NaBo]

LOL!  Yeah... I'm pretty jealous...  me and a few friends covered Sharp Dressed Man in a high school talent show...  

For some reason I dressed like Angus Young (no seriously, I had no reason to whatsoever...  i just wore the hat and a suit with shorts...)

It was rather silly, but it gave me the chance to solo obnoxiously at the audience for like an hour while the singer danced with a blowup doll...  errmm...  :roll: nevermind.

ZZ Top's cool.  And the spinning-furry-guitar thing is just totally wicked.

... wow I get OT even in OT threads  :lol:

[Eb7+9]

... great to hear Johnny's back  :!:

I'd give anything to see WAR live - anybody wanna buy a mint '73 SL100 ??

[ryanscissorhands]

Sounds interesting. I'd like to know what kind of lineup we're going to have here in Saskatoon this year. As terrible as most things in Saskatoon are, we have a pretty damn good Jazz festival every summer ourselves. It's generally the biggest event each summer, on par with the Fringe festival. It certainly is better than what you expect from a little ole prairie city.

And by the way, might I mention that I've noticed quite a few more Canadians on the forum as of late. Mostly that I just started noticing (I had no idea Constantin was in Canada. . .).  But I don't think I've seen any west of here. . . most seem to live in TO/Ottawa area, or are Dean.

[puretube]

here`s hoping you have fun, and get D. Lindley`s pedal boxed up in time!

[Nasse]

The Spotnicks were doing a concert in Finland last weekend and I missed it, Brian Setzer is on stage this weekend but dunno if I go and see...

Amazing list of performers, hope you have a nice concert.

[Gilles C]

I wish I was there that night.

http://www.davidgogo.org/

David is one of my fav guitarist. Good slide player also.

I am trying to remember his setup and the effects he uses. I took a look at his pedals but just can't remember what was there. I just remember it sounded good.

I missed ZZ Top in Quebec last week, and would have liked to hear them in Ottawa.

Gilles

[scratch]

David Gogo was excellant ... ZZ Top, my first time seeing them live, awsome!

Johnny Winter didn't make it, Kyle Riabko didn't make it, John Mayall's show was rained out (thunderstorm) ... :-(

Most impressive guitar playing I'd say were Walter Trout and Joe Bonamassa. WOW ...

Caught Magic Slim with John Primer, very good show. From there caught the end of Anne McCue's set a nice rendition of Jimi Hendrix's Machine Gun

Kid Rock tonight, with opener Trevor Finlay (local Ottawa blues guitarist) and Elmer Ferrer (from Cuba)

[Gilles C]

Most impressive guitar playing I'd say were Walter Trout.... WOW ...

Arg... Now I really wish I was there  :cry:

[Mark Hammer]

Weather pending, I'm gonna try and catch Kaki King, David Lindley, Bill Frisell, Harry Manx, the New York Dolls (!!) and a ton of sacred steel players.  Sunday will be more sacred steel, Sonny Landreth, David Lindley and Harry Manx again, Colin Linden, John Hammond, the Pernice Brothers, and Gilles Caron's favourite, Tony D.  Cripes, more slide players than you can shake a stick at.  It's gonna be a weekend of hidden pinky fingers!  :lol:

[scratch]

Mark did you catch Kaki King ... I just got in on the last two songs, she is impressive with (the little bit I saw) of her two handed fretboard style (don't know how else to say it). Wished I'd caught all of her set.

Another gem we stumbled on was Micheal Powers (trio), he has a definitely unique style to his playing (very melodic finger picked leads) He got two standing ovations at the end of his set.

Albert Cummings and Scott Holt ... also excellant performers.

[Mark Hammer]

Well, we must have unknowingly said "s'cuz me, s'cuse me, coming through" to each other at some point.  I caught the first 80% of Kaki's set and hopped over to catch Harry Manx.  Kaki joined Lindley on drums yesterday afternoon, to accompany him for two songs, one of which was the Greek core of the old Kaleidescope epic "Seven-Eight Sweet" in, you guessed it, 7/8 time.  His (Lindley's) website indicates that they have worked together before, and also notes his similar deep appreciation of the Campbell Brothers.

Michael Powers was pretty impressive, though there was clearly a side of him that was deliberately appealing to the "I-love-Stevie-Ray-any-way-I-can-get-him" crowd.  Gotta make a living, I guess.  I hadn't realized he has trouble walking until the end of the set, when I saw him hobble off with a cane.  Sure had that John Lee Hooker presence nailed down, though.  Cummings and Holt were also pretty decent, although I have to say that even after 2 days, I had pretty much met my annual quota for guys playing Strats into a TS9 and a Deluxe reverb.  If you didn't catch Sonny Landreth last night, you should be ashamed of yourself.  Don't know about you, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to wear those underwear ever again.  He, uh, took me by surprise. :wink:

[scratch]

we've been doing the whole festival, so yeah I hear that! there is so much to check out, and when you don't know the performers it's a challenge. Not only that but we were dragging along a 20+ year old where her idea of good music was Simple Plan and Kid Rock ... My wife and I have only been doing the Bluesfest the last three years so my appreciation of the Blues is a recent evolution. My preferences run to rock and roll, early Sabbath, Purple and Zeppelin. Though now I'm starting to hear similarities between them and some of what I heard during the festival.

I'm all blues'ed out, had to put on 'Made in Japan' while working on circuits last night.

[Gilles C]

If you didn't catch Sonny Landreth last night, you should be ashamed of yourself.  Don't know about you, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to wear those underwear ever again.  He, uh, took me by surprise. :wink:

When my wife learned that Sonny Landreth was there, I can assure you it would have been difficult for me to be there without her... She also loves his playing.

So we are both very sorry that I couldn't go.  :cry:

[Mark Hammer]

Une chambre sera toujour disponible à toi, mon ami.  La prochaine fois...