The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival had a great lineup of music all weekend long. It wasn’t looking pretty Sunday morning, but by the time the afternoon rolled around, the clouds slowly said goodbye and the sun came out in full force.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Autumns Cannon live, not since they won the LiVE 88.5 Big Money Shot back in 2010. A lot has happened since then. They’ve recorded an album which has just been released, made a video and are starting to tour. The guys sounded great and the new tunes are making people take notice. An enthusiastic group of fans gathered in front of the stage for their performance. The band definitely looked like they were having a good time on stage, as was the crowd. Your next chance to catch them in Ottawa will be at this year’s Bluesfest.
Next up was Raine Maida. I’ve only ever seen him rocking the stage with Our Lady Peace. It was great to see him performing his solo stuff live. His solo music gives us a peek into his wide ranging musical talents. Making a special appearance was his wife on keys. His latest effort, We All Get Lighter is well worth a listen. I really enjoyed his show.
With the family in tow, I wasn’t able to catch all of the music going on this weekend, but I look forward to checking out this great festival again next year. It was the first time I’ve been. Surprising as this was the festival’s 20th anniversary. It was really well organized and had something for everyone in the family. Make sure you put it on your calendar for next summer!
Raine Maida
Autumns Cannon
