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Bluesfest has begun


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Hey did anyone else catch Rachid Taha last night on the Blacksheep. Sweet merciful god what a good show, This was the sleeper hit of the festival so far. Not only was his band off the hook, I can only best described as a mix of spanish/middle eastern dance rock with elements of groove and metal, especially that bass player.

The crowd at points was a seething mass of energy which was amazing to see on a Wednesday night at Bluesfest. Rachid's stage presence was a show within itself, doing everything from crowd surfing, to chain smoking, to talking about drugs, love and the war He kinda reminded me of a an Arabic cross between Keith Richards and Micheal Franti, but in a much more honest way. He closed the set with his trademark Arabic version of "Rock the Casbah" and if you were earshot of this last night, you know what a magical moment it was.

Thank you Rachid Taha for reminding me why I love Bluesfest, it the shit you don't know about that always ends up blowing your mind.

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Thank you for your email and for our comments regarding Bluesfest volume levels. It is unfortunate that the Citizen newspaper article on Saturday misquoted my comments regarding the festival. Please be assured that I support Bluesfest and appreciate that it is a popular attraction to the City of Ottawa that is well attended and enjoyed by many.

The intention of collecting information on excessive noise during the festival is actually a joint undertaking of the NCC and the City of Ottawa. It was developed during pre-meetings with Bluesfest organizers and will help to determine how variables such as stage positioning and speaker placement impact on sound levels in the surrounding community. This information will be used by the NCC for future planning on the site.

Two measures that have had a positive impact on noise levels this year are the early end-times for performances on the Rogers stage (which faces south into the residential community) and the relay speaker towers in use at the Bank of America, Rogers and River stages. The relay speaker system involves speakers placed at various intervals from the stage so that the sound level does not have to be set as high at source in order for those at the back of the venue to hear well. As a result, there have been markedly fewer complaints this year than last which is encouraging.

Once again I would like to thank you for taking the time to pass along your comments to my office.

Yours sincerely,

Diane Holmes

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I'd say calling that a misquote is putting it mildly! That is the grandaddy of misquotes and if I were her I'd be seriously ticked. You certainly don't get that out of the citizen article. What she descibes in her response letter is a great idea that hopefully will make future bluesfests even better.

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Looks like they printed a couple of letters, but no retractions on their part. Seems like readers are all understanding the article in the same way:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/letters/index.html

Get earplugs

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Welcome to Ottawa: The city that loves to complain. Catchy slogan, isn't it? Sad but true.

I thought the riveting "lawn chairs at festivals" drama from years past was laughable but this Saturday's headline about Bluesfest takes the cake. Oh, pity the 26 people who complained on Thursday of being inconvenienced by an internationally renowned festival in their back yards.

Top honours go to Ms. Holmes for encouraging the complaints and the fleecing of city hall by suggesting yet another useless study, to be paid for by taxpayers, on how best to deal with the "noise."

Festivals are going to be loud and yes, there will be "noise."

If Ms. Holmes really wants to help out these upset residents she can take a quick trip to the local Home Depot and buy disposable ear plugs and personally hand deliver them to people in her ward. And let's put things into perspective. Bluesfest isn't a year long event. It's an 11-day festival.

Consuelo Bernardi,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Loud Bluesfest? I call that free music

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Re: Bluesfest at risk of being turned down, councillor warns, July 5

I'm a 44-year-old music lover and am lucky enough to live near LeBreton Flats and appreciate the fact that I get to hear high quality acts without having to pay for a ticket.

Free music? As long as it's done by 11 p.m., bring it on!

Fiona Hammond-Vincent,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

What a downer

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Among my peers -- the educated and well travelled progeny of middle class boomers -- Ottawa has a reputation as something of a downer. The story about Ms. Holmes' threat to silence Bluesfest sheds light on part of the reason why.

The individual's right to tranquillity has to be balanced with the community's right to celebrate and, on occasion, to make a little noise. Bluesfest happens once a year and shows don't run past 11 p.m., which seems to me a reasonable compromise.

I had been pleasantly surprised with the number of fun events going on in the city, and was saddened to see Ottawa's stodgy stereotype affirmed.

I think I'll take a glance at the Montreal Gazette's help wanted page. Cater to the old and crotchety Ottawa, and that's the kind of Ottawa you'll get.

Katrina Marsh,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Just move

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

I have some news for Councillor Diane Holmes and the perpetually-unhappy residents she represents: Ottawa is (thankfully) no longer the small, sleepy town it once was, and events like Bluesfest are one of the reasons that this is the case. It is not reasonable to live in urban area (much less the downtown core) and expect peace and quiet every day of the year. If that is what you want, please move to the suburbs and leave the city to those of us who enjoy a more vibrant atmosphere.

Joey Chamoun,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

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Loud Bluesfest? I call that free music

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Re: Bluesfest at risk of being turned down, councillor warns, July 5

I'm a 44-year-old music lover and am lucky enough to live near LeBreton Flats and appreciate the fact that I get to hear high quality acts without having to pay for a ticket.

Free music? As long as it's done by 11 p.m., bring it on!

Fiona Hammond-Vincent,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Wow that Fiona is one cool chick! ;)

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