Sarah Harmer at Bluesfest

Unfortunately, what I remember most vividly about Sarah Harmer's concert was the guy sitting beside me being a total jerk. He complained so often and belligerently about how this wasn’t the blues, that my crew had to get up in the middle of the lawn chairs section (the horror!) and move camp to another area between the sea of sitting folks. Trust me, you don’t do that at Ottawa Bluesfest without a very serious reason. I was glad to escape the drunken tyrant who seemed to be ruining things for everyone around him, but I can’t say that I enjoyed the concert much more afterwards.

I’m a pretty big Sarah Harmer fan, but I think she’d be much better to see in a smaller venue. There’s something about her slow-moving pseudo folk-country that has the potential to lull one slowly to sleep in the expanse of a cavernous field. Even her more rocking songs came out mellowed-out quite considerably, which was too bad, because I had high hopes. I think having Harmer on the same bill as Micheal Franti & Spearhead and Manu Chao was a mistake. I could’ve used someone to get me pumped for the big dance party to come, but Harmer was not that person.

Don’t get me wrong, Harmer’s a great songwriter and talented vocalist, this came out clearly last night. But she’s not an opener for the acts who were following. I’ll go see her again, but not at a big outdoor stage like this, unless of course it’s a folk fest where she fits the bill more solidly.

But can I say one more thing? Her background vocalist rocked. At times she stole the show, her sweet voice could be felt miles away. Will you come sing for me?

Jetplanes of Abraham at Bluesfest

Amazing. The Jetplanes of Abraham are a must-see for everyone who hasn't been fortunate enough to do so yet. These Ottawa-based rockers are quickly making a name for themselves on the Canadian indie music scene with their multi-instrumental melodies and their fun stage antics. Think The Broken Social Scene meets The Arcade Fire in a field along the 401 outside of Kingston, Ontario, at the exact point between Montreal, Toronto & Ottawa. Can you hear the pulsating rhythm, better yet, can you feel it? That's the Jetplanes, all slow melodies broken up by a furry of power chords and strings, with some hand-clapping and chanting thrown in for very good measure. You know the musical break is coming, you can sense it in the air, just like a good mystery story, you know the hook has come and gone and the story's going to take a turn for the shocking, but it matters not, if it's done well, you're along for the ride. That's how I feel about Jetplanes, it was the second time I've seen them, last time at a smaller venue in Ottawa, and this time I'm hooked. I'll be scouring the local papers for when they're playing in town next. I suggest you do the same if this genre of music appeals to you.


I had two relatively minor problems with the show. The strings need to be more prominent. There were a couple of songs where the strings were completely drowned out by the guitars, which was unfortunate, because I think they could've carried the song, perhaps even brought it into some new territory. Also, give me some background vocals! I don't think I ever heard the women singing background. I saw them, but it just didn't translate to a sound. Too bad, we could hear all the boys fine, I think hearing the girls would've been nice. In other words, give me more of the girls, both on vocals and on strings.


Go see the Jetplanes of Abraham the next time they're in town. They're hot, and they'll get you moving. Promise.



www.jetplanesofabraham.com
www.myspace.com/jetplanesofabraham

Janiva Magness at Bluesfest

While I was walking through the main festival grounds, looking for shots of volunteers hard at work, I heard the powerful, smoky voice of Los-Angeles based Janiva Magness, and couldn't resist strolling over to the Rogers Stage to not only hear her, I could do that just fine from anywhere on the grounds, but to see her. Magness is that kind of performer, someone you have to hear and see to get the whole experience.

She put on a great performance on this mid-afternoon day, singing some Blues classics, along with many tracks from her latest album, Do I Move You, released on Canadian label NorthernBlues Music.

Two moments stand as being memorable. First, there was the song in which Magness wore some faux armour, and played the front of her body armour with what looked to be a spoon. It was great to watch her move to the music as she literally played her body. Next was her long interlude to one of her new song's, where she talked up the necessity for older women to hook up with younger men. The cougar's in the crowd cheered enthusiastically throughout, I couldn't help but be reminded of Etta James' performance at last year's festival. Without a doubt, James is one of Magness' biggest influences, and her sauciness, along with her sultry voice, points to this.

I was glad to wander over to the stage when I did, as were the 4-500 people enjoying her performance. Magness is definitely a blues star worth seeing again, perhaps in a smaller, more intimate venue.

The Elmer Ferrer Band at Bluesfest

Closing out the first night of Bluesfest was the Elmer Ferrer Band. Ferrer, the lead guitarist in the band, is recognized as one of the most talented guitarists in Cuba, and perhaps the most talented electric guitarist on the island. He didn’t disappoint the large crowd pouring out from the Van Morrison show, as he dazzled with his blues licks.

In addition to Ferrer, the band features Roberto Riveron on bass guitar, another of Cuba’s hidden musical wonders. Together, they form a dynamic duo, playing off each other’s blues riffs to the crowd’s delight.

The famed blues guitarist Tony Dee also joined them on stage, and rose to the occasion, showing off some impressive blues guitar solos. Together with the EFB’s singer and rhythm guitarist, they had people moving to the roaring sounds of the rumba blues. It was a nice switch from Morrison’s more mellow set, as the EFB, featuring Tony Dee, played a series of harder blues lines.

The EFB plays Bluesfest later in the week as well, so if you missed them this time, check them out before they’re gone.

Van Morrison at Bluesfest

I headed down to Lebreton Flats in Ottawa today for the opening of Bluesfest, the capital’s largest music festival. While it hardly counts as a “blues” festival in any purist’s mind (INXS anyone?), it did kick off this year with Van Morrison, a notable blues aficionado.

Yes, you read that right, Van Morrison doesn’t just play mellow pop ballads from the ‘70s, for example, everyone’s favourite campfire song, Brown-eyed Girl, and such hits as Gloria and Moondance. Both of those girls did make an appearance, I think I may have known one beforehand, but Van Morrison and his accomplished band pulled out a strong blues-inflected set that didn’t disappoint his many adoring fans, perhaps over 30,000 in total.

Not surprisingly, many of these baby boomers rocked slowly back and forth throughout, giving one a sense of being at a slow-moving dance party. Fittingly, this matched the music’s tempo to a tee, and everyone was happy when it all came to an end after nearly 90 minutes.

On the down side, Morrison, renowned for his petulant personality, didn’t say a word to the crowd. I’m not even sure I saw him smile through my 300mm lens. This type of energy was reserved for his band, who put on a great performance. If it wasn’t for the smoky-smoothness of Morrison’s voice, I’d say that his keyboard player might’ve stolen the show. Close, but not quite on this night.

On the strength of this performance, I don’t think I’d go see him perform again. But one time was just about right.

Sicko

"Sicko" is Micheal Moore's latest political documentary about the state of U.S. society. As openly polemical as his previous films ("Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9-11"), "Sicko" is an exposé of the U.S. health care system, or perhaps, the lack of an American health care system. Peppered with horror stories from various parts of the country, it is typical Micheal Moore- shocking social commentary meant to wake the sleeping 'middle America.'

Not unlike "Bowling," Moore turns to comparative international analysis to add to his U.S.-based examples of the utter injustice of the private, for-profit health care system. That's how we find ourselves in a Windsor, Ontario walk-in clinic, a London, U.K. National Health Service hospital, a Parisian restaurant and a massive concrete hospital in downtown Havana. In each place, Moore talks with an assortment of doctors, ex-pat Americans and what he passes off as every-day citizens to back up his ultimate claim that everybody but the Americans have it right.

Please Micheal, spare us another recycled rendition of your soiled American dream! I'm not sure why I put myself through this every time, but there he is once again, passing Canada off as a socialist heaven vis-a-vis the U.S. capitalist hoard. Last time I checked, there were many people in Canada fighting to improve the universality of health care, and in so doing, fighting back against the increasing privatization of the health case system. I'm sure the same can be said about people concerned about the state of health care in Britain, France and even Cuba. Does Micheal Moore ever talk to these people? Apparently not, he prefers to talk to Americans living in Paris about how much life there is easier than in the U.S. Who are these people who live comfortable lives sipping wine in Parisian restaurants? No doubt they exist in droves, but c'mon Micheal, stop trying to make me believe this is the norm.

I'd much rather he provide us with an integrated analysis that would help me to understand the globalizing push to privatize hitherto public services. Instead, I can't help but feel that Moore sees his audience as incapable of anything other than very basic information digestion. Keep it simple stupid might work for reality TV, but it minimizes his otherwise important message.

And one more thing. Stop playing the nationalist card Micheal. Here I am listening to the stories of a number of working class/working poor Americans, when Moore brings out the national heroes, the 9-11 emergency workers as the ultimate example of a system gone bad. Shit, he even brings them to Cuba because the prisoners at Gitmo are getting better health care. What a sorry gimmick! It plays to all of the worst xenophobic and racist tendencies in U.S. society to suggest that heroes deserve at least the same as terrorists. Micheal, last time I checked many of these apparently coddled prisoners, getting their MRIs and colonoscopies at Gitmo, at least according to the U.S. military, have never been charged with anything! Oh yeah, and did you ever stop to think that the reason for the military's ostensible generosity in regards to prisoner health care comes from the fact that they're busy torturing the prisoners on a daily basis! Oooops, maybe it's not so great to be a prisoner at Guantanamo after all. Micheal, don't use racist imagery to make your point about health care, it's unseemly and discredits your message, forget about the fact that a hugely disproportionate number of the 50 million Americans without health care insurance are racialized, something you fail to mention outright.

What about the movie? I've seen it all before, and I'm feeling a little insulted by Moore's apparent distrust in my abilities to see through his manipulative ways. I'll still recommend it to people, but begrudgingly, as every new Moore film makes me less and less of a fan. It still beats the other crap Hollywood puts out on a regular basis. It got me thinking about a few things I hadn't in a while, and that's usually a good thing. I just wish Moore could try to shock a little less and leave us all a little room to wiggle and come to our own sorry conclusions. I can hear middle America sighing in disbelief, not at the content of his film, but the style in which he presents it.

On Composting Toilets and Thunder Boxes

When using a composting toilet, one should never throw trash or anything other than your digestive by-products into the hole. Never. (Lake Superior Provincial Park- Agawa River)

When using a more traditional outhouse, one should never throw garbage into the hole. In fact, someone often needs to fish out your garbage amongst the other shit in the hole. Very inconsiderate. (Algonquin Provincial Park- Shall Lake)

When using a back-country thunderbox, one should never throw garbage into the hole. This encourages animals to jump into the hole after your garbage. Of course, if you're feeling rather annoyed with a particular animal species, perhaps the often revered red squirrel, this is a perfectly reasonable, ethical response to their incessant perturbations. Throw your waste into the hole along with your digestive by-products, and watch them swim their way out. It can take a while. (Algonquin Provincial Park- Booth Lake)

Weather Permitting: Adventures in Algonquin Park

I once traveled to a far-away place, a wilderness park of sorts, to get away from the city. My friends and I do this occasionally, we buy expensive gear, drive oil-guzzling vehicles hundreds of kilometres, and meet up somewhere in the middle of the forest, usually at the end of a road that leads just where we're going. Then we hug each other wildly, precisely like friends who haven't seen each other for a long time should, and talk about how nice it is to be out of the city. Every time it's a heart-wrenching scene to all those fellow city-dwellers escaping the smog-infested confines of their urban(e) existence, in this case, usually Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal.

This one time, last weekend actually, we traveled to this faraway place, and after our excited hellos, we packed our gear into our canoes, climbed in, and paddled into the sunset. Literally. And then just as the sun was about to say goodbye for good, it rained. And rained. Cleared up. And rained. Cleared up. And rained. You get the picture. For three days, we saw blue sky for no more than 30 minutes at a time, rain for no more than 30 minutes at a time, and threatening grey clouds for no more than 30 minutes at a time. Through this, the wind swirled in every possible direction, just batty enough that when you thought you finally had it figured out, it changed directions again at the drop of a hat, making your perfectly laid out plan to paddle east for the day seem absolutely mad. It was that kind of a weekend. The kind where you can almost say I should've stayed in the city. Almost.

But this faraway place is so magical, even in the miserably incontinent weather, that none of that even matters. This came home to me when my friend, who has spent much of his life in other countries, commented on the sheer beauty of this magical place. Full stop. I looked around, with the light drizzle dusting my drying clothes for at least the 10th time, and nodded my head. Was it the giant snapping turtle that visited our campsite every night? Or the moose we saw one late afternoon? Perhaps it was the endearing red squirrels stealing our food? Or better yet, the shining full moon cresting over the hilltop, showering us with its luminosity?

No, it was none of that really. It was sharing all of that with friends, new & old. Hearing how excited James was about the morning muesli, or Ronny upon finding out about the firestarting properties of birch-bark. Or maybe Spike, whose enthusiasm for paddling under the full moonlight was truly contagious. Yes, it was all of that combined with the natural beauty of the place that made it such a wonderful weekend. That, and the fact that I'd never spend 3 days with the same 7 people doing anything in the city. We'd get bored, and move on. But you can't do that in this place, so instead, you get to know people and your surroundings, and find a number of interesting things to do with wood and water. And food and bodily functions. And that's why it beats a weekend in a city. That's also why you wouldn't want to do it very often.

On that, enjoy your faraway place(s), they won't be around forever.

Kathleen Edwards at WestFest

Kathleen Edwards, a darling of the Canadian folk music scene, returned home for a concert at WestFest, one of Ottawa's newest outdoor music festivals, earlier tonight. WestFest is free and very accessible, which makes it a great venue to check out the all-Ottawa lineup, of which Edwards is definitely a highlight.

Her show was a bit uneven, but overall her peformance was energetic. Luckily for her, she had Jim Bryson backing her up, and when the two combined to sing on a few tracks, the results were beautiful. One could easily tell that both Edwards and Bryson grew up playing the Ottawa scene together, they were near flawless. For example, at one point Edwards berated Bryson for not using his electric guitar to its fullest capacity, so he proceeded to strum the power chords to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," but Edwards didn't miss a beat, as she plowed through the first two verses and chorus, before Bryson put the brief improv to an end. This was a nice little touch to an already enjoyable evening outside.

The major problem with the show was the sound, especially at the beginning. There was too much feedback coming from the lead guitar player, and this drowned out Edwards' voice somewhat. Also, Edwards can't always pull off the 'girl with a guitar' bit, she'd be well-served by aiming for a bit of a bigger sound.

Having said that, I found myself deeply involved in her lyrics on a number of occasions, especially on her new track "Bring me Flowers." Her strength lies in her stage presence, she's funny and witty, and in her songwriting, which is deep and sorrowful. She's definitely worth seeing again, maybe in a smaller, more intimate venue, even though I'm quite sure Edwards would disagree.

Hockey Passion is Offside

Let me be clear: I’m a hockey fan. I grew up watching French broadcasts of Le Tricolore on TVA and TQS. I’d sit there wrapped up in a warm blanket watching the action with my Dad, brother and sometimes my Mom. Since those early days cheering on the Habs, my allegiances have shifted to the Sens. I remember watching a game in their first season at the Civic Centre, they played the Minnesota North Stars and won. The feeling of excitement in Ottawa during that first season could be felt everywhere. We had finally made it big. As I’ve grown a bit older, my enthusiasm for the game has waxed and waned, but my love for the Sens has stayed more or less consistent. Thus, it’s with wide open arms that I’ve welcomed the Sens’ recent run to the Stanley Cup finals.

However, this interest has been put to the test recently by the expressions of militarism and nationalism that keep cropping up in my hockey-loving neighbourhood. First, it’s the CBC sending the Stanley Cup to Afghanistan for photo and video opps. with Canadian troops. In addition to this absurd exercise, the CBC, in its infinite wisdom, decides that we need to hear Gen. Hillier’s comments on the synergy between hockey, the nation and the military. It’s bad enough that Don Cherry does this every game, his raw-raw-raw for the Canadian military has never sat well with me, but c’mon, the military’s PR man discussing Canada’s role in Afghanistan as linked to our hockey heritage. Talk about propaganda. Are the military and CBC brass that desperate? I’ll take Ron without Don any day, thank you very much.

Aside from the CBC’s overtly propagandistic editorial coverage, what has happened to my beloved Sens’ fans here in the city? I left the city for Games 1 & 2, only to return to a militarized zone. Don’t get me wrong, I think Sens fans disguised as duck hunters in full camouflage brandishing plastic guns are clever, but really, do we need to express our support in such symbolically violent ways? But worst of all are the flags, banners and outfits proclaiming loudly that so-and-so is a member of the ‘Sens Army’. I’ve always understood that hockey, with its jock culture, thrives on displays of masculine power, but I can’t help but be sadly disappointed when inherently violent institutions, like the military and even the nation, are called forth to express ones support for anything, let alone a bunch of boys playing a game.

Apparently many of us adults think it’s ok to brandish about pretend guns, support real guns shooting and torturing people overseas, and unquestioningly lend credence to the conservative forces currently ruling our land, all in the name of hockey.

A few days ago, I decided it was best to be ambivalent about my support for the Sens, and that, in fact, my overall support for hockey had diminished considerably given the celebrations of violence I have been witnessing. Too bad, I hear it’s a good time to be a hockey fan in Ottawa. I’ll sit this one out though.