July 19th, 2022 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts
On a sweltering July night, Indie rock mainstays The National brought their own kind of heat to the Ottawa RBC Bluesfest main stage. Simmering Emotion “If you want to see me cry, play Let it Be or Nevermind” sang Matt Berninger on the show opener, “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” setting the stage for a band […]
September 25th, 2021 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Features, News
Day 2 of Bluesfest was a mix of blues and some classic rock. No strangers to local music fans, Ottawa’s own Monkey Junk kicked things off with a solid set. While festival audiences quite often trickle in slowly, a large crowd showed up early to catch the openers. It was an older crowd on day […]
September 24th, 2021 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Features, News
There was a large crowd on hand for the first night of this year’s shortened Ottawa Bluesfest. On and off rain through the early part of the evening eventually turned into a steady downpour by the time Half Moon Run hit the stage, drenching the crowd. That didn’t dampen spirits however, as the majority of […]
July 13th, 2019 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
Don’t believe the hype. That is, the hype I built the last time we reviewed The Dirty Nil. They took the City Stage for the 6 PM slot on July 12th to diehard fans knowing every word or people waiting for the Offspring. They played a nearly identical show to the last time we saw […]
July 11th, 2019 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
One of the saddest crossovers in the Bluesfest schedule this year was Elle King coinciding with The Sheepdogs. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, Elle King was unable to perform. The Sheepdogs instead closed the Videotron Stage on July 10th. The crowd was packed, begging the note that if The Sheepdogs had played the Bluesville stage […]
July 8th, 2019 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
Sunday night was a pleasant mix of different styles. Getting there early, I was lucky to catch partial sets from some great local artists. I was a first timer for Outside I’m a Giant, Moonfruits and River City Junction. Entertaining sets from all of these talented musicians. Bluesfest does a fine job bringing in lots […]
July 15th, 2018 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
My first stop on this evening was to catch Ottawa’s own Lucas Haneman Express. For those complaining about the lack of blues artists, this local act kept the early arrivals with a scorching set. The band was thrilled to be opening the City Stage for Dave Matthews! I next caught The Suitcase Junket over on […]
July 14th, 2018 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
Roland Prince hit the Blacksheep Stage at 6 PM on day 4 of the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest. Local hip-hop and R&B artists are seldom spoken of in the Ottawa Music scene, so Spotlight figured we’d check out the Kanata born artist. We were pleasantly surprised. A self-proclaimed “proud weirdo” with a background in stage acting, […]
July 13th, 2018 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
As day 4 rolled in, I was most looking forward to seeing the Strumbellas hit the City Stage. With 3 solid albums under their belts and some strong Ottawa shows over the last few years, they have become one of my favorite bands. Sunday night was no exception as the band delighted the crowd with […]
July 9th, 2018 | by Matthew Perry | published in Concerts
Ottawa Bluesfest Day #3, the day that all screaming teens, parents, and people of all ages were waiting for, AKA “Shawn Mendes day!”. Another packed day with a lineup of musical talents would not let anyone down regardless of your genre preferences. Lauv made a strong impact on the City Stage, packing the largest area […]