Rob Not Bob Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Loud Bluesfest? I call that free musicThe 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! I've always thought so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Ms. Holmes didn't write me back. I guess my letter was too nasty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im going home Donny Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=72502321 Desmond and I are sooo excited to see Mr. Wilson!! What a dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 slowwwwwwww night at bluesfest. john henrys were good but everyone else that I saw sucked it hard. Fergalicious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phorbesie Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 (edited) i thought most serene republic were fun! i was at the river stage all night really except a few franti tunes. john henrys were the best though what did you see? i thought you'd be liking all the indie stuff. Edited July 9, 2008 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 i saw the john henrys, born ruffians, jason collett, most serene republic, tokyo police club, stars, boz scaggs, a bit of jully black and finally fergie.tomorrow will be good - bryson, hayden, kathleen edwards, brian wilson, calexico, manx / breit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 john henrys were the best though It was immense fun to hear them with a big (bigger than usual) PA behind them; it showed off how good they are creating a wall of sound. All told, they played about an hour: Empty PocketsPadawadamie > Thought Yourself Lucky Lost In The Canyon Sweet As The Grain Ain't Gonna Drink No More No More Rock 'n' Roll The Edge Of December Dawson City MVYRadio has a streamable recording of their performance: http://mvyradio.com/audio/archives/asx5/The_John_Henrys.asx Aloha, Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagochips Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 So somehow by default I ended up catching Michael Franti again. I've passed on the last few opportunities to catch Spearhead, so it's been 2 or 3 years now. I thought they started out pretty strong. They were playing tunes I was not familiar with and I had a lot of fun dancing along with the crowd. Then came "Everybody Ona Move" and the general slow slide into Franti's usual boring crap had begun.I left before the encore was done, amazed yet again how someone who obviously had some talent could be so tedious. I wonder if he showed up at Babylon after the show. Anyone check it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagochips Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Oh yeah, the John Henry's rocked it hard yesterday, as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 What are people excited about tonight? I doubt I'll be able to get there for any acts before Harry Manx with Kevin Breit (7:45pm, Roots Stage), and I hope to staying for Brian Wilson (9:30pm, Bank of America Stage) and/or Calexico (9:30pm, Roots Stage), but there isn't much else on the schedule I really want to see.Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak By Night Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 I'll be there for all 3 acts you mentioned Brad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagochips Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Brad if you can make it to Bryson you'll probably be glad you did. He really is an amazing songwriter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 What are people excited about tonight? jim bryson, hayden, kathleen edwards, brian wilson, calexico, manx / breit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Chromewaves' review of Calexico's Toronto show sometime in the last few days bodes very well for their performance tonight at Bluesfest.I've always enjoyed seeing bands with deep catalogs on tour between album cycles because they feel less obliged to promote a certain record and instead seem to just play what they enjoy, and that was very much the case here. You knew it wasn't going to be the same old same old when the show opened with just Joey Burns and John Convertino taking the stage and ripping through the surf-punk instrumental "Scout" from their debut Spoke before being joined by the rest of the band for "Roka", from their last effort, the underwhelming Garden Ruin. And with those bookends represented, the remainder of the set drew from Feast Of Wire, The Black Light and Hot Rail as well as previewing some material from Carried To Dust. The entire show was a joy start to finish, with one of the finest live bands around in a party mood and focusing on their more Mexicali-influenced and rollicking material. As the set went on, the band just got tighter and the groove deeper and damn if just about everyone wasn't dancing, just a little.As for the new material, it was a bit difficult to tell with a live mix that very much emphasized the guitars, drums and vocals (at least on my side of the stage) but the new songs seemed to maintain the more conventional, compact pop structures of Garden Ruin but incorporate much more of the distinctive southwestern instrumentation and flavour that is uniquely Calexico and which was far underutilized last time out. It sounds like they left the studio door open to let the sand blow in, and that's pretty much all I could have asked for. I'm much more excited now for the release of Return To Dust and whether you believed they'd ever gone away or not, Calexico are back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 I think I'll only be seeing breit/manx and then of course Paul mcCartney Brian Wilson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJFH Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Jim Bryson is definetly worth checking out! He's a terrific songwriter and musician and has a terrific gravelly voice and lotsa charisma!I'll be front and centre for this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 gonna be jim and 4 percussionists tonight on stage, if you believe his webpage. looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 some interesting letters in the paper todayRe: Sound bleed steals the show at smaller stages, July 5.Last Thursday evening, in response to my 311 call, a city bylaw enforcement officer measured the sound from the Bluesfest concert from inside my home, through a window screen. It was 55 decibels.I live more than a kilometre from LeBreton Flats, and the sound from the stage was partially filtered and blocked by several high-rise buildings and numerous trees as well as by the distance.The officer told me that he had numerous other complaints to respond to, many from much closer to the stage than we are. He told me it was quite likely at least one of those readings would be found in violation of the far too generous noise by-law exemption that I understand council has granted the festival.(Unbelievably, a 55-decibel noise is considered acceptable within the by-law, or so I was told.)If I understand Mr. Cobb's article correctly, the amplification was boosted on the main stage so audience members could hear the Tragically Hip better, with the resulting noise pollution that bothered hundreds of city residents.Such behaviour is profoundly anti-social. For city politicians to permit such sound levels is unacceptable. Why should I or any resident be bombarded in the peace and quiet of my own home by intrusive noise pollution from a property-tax-subsidized festival stage more than a kilometre away, night after night?It must have been horrible for the people residing in the housing developments immediately south of Scott Street, across from LeBreton Flats, many of whom no doubt were living there years before the festival stage was built.If this continues, I guarantee the city will have to spend more for bylaw enforcement officers to respond to noise complaints.I also guarantee this will be an issue at the next all-candidates' meeting in my ward, and that candidates' answers to my question on this issue will be the prime determinant of who gets my vote in that election.I also guarantee that, for as long as any festivals are permitted to pollute my home with noise, I will boycott all festivals (and all their corporate sponsors) in this city and will urge everyone I know to do likewise.Ed OverstreetRe: Bluesfest at Risk of being turned down, councillor warns, July 5.I am pained by yet another "it's too noisy" complaint by some Ottawa residents who chose to live downtown. The fact that Councillor Diane Holmes would even suggest the city needs to hire an expert to advise on how to deal with the noise is laughable.Save the taxpayers' money, Ms. Holmes. I will give you the answer for free: If you don't like noise, move to the country.Come on people, you chose to live downtown so you can experience the culture, festivals and events that take place in the core.I live in the Market and guess what? It's noisy and that's why I chose to live here.I do have a request, though, for Bluesfest artistic director Mark Monahan: Please turn it up, I can't hear the music from York Street!Nathan McRaeRe: The noise gives us the blues, July 5.Like letter-writer John Smart, I also have the blues, practically under my balcony. I suffered from this last summer, having to keep my doors and windows closed on nice summer evenings and this year is going the same way.The "music" starts as early as noon and goes on until at least 11 p.m., 10 to 11 hours a day for 11 days. Over 100 hours of exposure to a high decibel level. And our own City of Ottawa gives a variance to encourage such abuse.Please, move the Bluesfest away from city neighbourhoods. And thank you, Councillor Diane Holmes, for taking your constituents' distress to heart.Aline Jacques Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Why should I or any resident be bombarded in the peace and quiet of my own home by intrusive noise pollution from a property-tax-subsidized festival stage more than a kilometre away, night after night?If you don't like noise, move to the country.Come on people, you chose to live downtown so you can experience the culture, festivals and events that take place in the core. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Boy 2.0 Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 maybe they should move the whole thing to Scotiabank Place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanada Kev Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 What a bunch of whiners! They should spend money on a bylaw enforcer to make some pretty tables, charts, powerpoint presentations and 8x10 glossies of the complainers showing them all sitting in their lawn chairs pouting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 "I remember when you go to the bank and it was closed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogatthestation Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 I'm sure that the city council understands that the economic and cultural value of the fest far outweighs a few complaints in the newspaper... I mean please WON'T SOMEBODY THINK ABOUT THE LAWNCHAIRS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 I heard bluesfest from my house in Hull. I haven't heard it this loud before. I had to really really listen to hear any trace. But last night, it was coming through an open window, so I went outside and confirmed it. I think the low cloud cover may have directed sound our way. It was pretty bizarre. I think it was Franti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogatthestation Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Quit your whining Frenchie!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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