It’s that time of year again, first everyone is excited about the forthcoming announcement of the Ottawa Bluesfest lineup and then for the next 5 months won’t stop complaining about the lack of “blues” in the lineup.
Ottawa Bluesfest unveils 2016 lineup! – UPDATED
Monday night Bluesfest TAG treated us to the first 10 acts of the 2016 lineup of RBC Royal Bank Ottawa Bluesfest lead by Sam Hunt. Tuesday morning, at midnight, the rest of the monster lineup was unveiled, and it packs a punch!
Sam Hunt leads first 10 acts of 2016 Ottawa Bluesfest lineup
As has become the tradition over the last few years Bluesfest TAG, a youth organization with a passion for music and social media collaborating with the Ottawa Bluesfest to bring unique acts to the festival, has begun announcing the lineup the night before the official launch.
2016 Ottawa Bluesfest Lineup most mysterious ever!
It is officially the eve of the announcement of one of the most anticipated festival lineups in Ottawa, Ontario…heck maybe even Canada. The 2016 Ottawa Bluesfest Lineup will officially be announced tomorrow morning.
Hendrik’s Top Country Artists to Watch in 2016
After reading through Corey’s top 10 artists to watch in 2016 I started thinking of who I would put in that list. There are definitely similarities between my 10 and Corey’s, as you will see. 2015 has been a big year for Canadian country music from the tour perspective with all the major players hitting the road, Dallas Smith started the year with his hugely successful “Tippin’ Point Tour” featuring Sundy Best and now this fall Dean Brody and Paul Brandt just wrapped up their “Road Trip Tour”, Brett Kissel and Jordan McIntosh are currently on the road with their “Airwaves Tour” and Tebey kicks off his “Three’s A Party Tour” with Jason Blaine and James Otto on Friday in Halifax and to cap off the year Tim Hicks is hitting the road with Cold Creek County and Jason Benoit for their “Get A Little Crazy Tour”. Notice something missing? Out of all the tours above only the “Road Trip Tour” featured tomatoes as an added ingredient with Lindi Ortega, Jess Moskaluke, Madeline Merlo and Whitney Rose featured throughout the tour.
So let’s take a look at who I think has the greatest chance of breaking out in the coming year, 2016.
Riot Fest 2015 Toronto – Who We’re Excited to See
ALEXISONFIRE
One of the few reunion shows, makes me feel
pretty lucky, although I may have heard a rumour there could be some more shows
added.
Motörhead
Oh Lemmy, what can I say! Their mix of
rock, punk and heavy metal intensity is just what I’m looking for.
Weezer x2
I’m just going to say it, I’ve never seen Weezer live. Thank you RiotFest for letting me get in a two for one. Day 1 – Pinkerton, Day 2 – Blue. I can hardly wait!
The Airborne Toxic Event
One of my all time favourites, super happy they’re on the bill and any time I can see these fantasic musicians play, I’m in.
Wu Tang Clan
What??? Yes, I can’t believe I’m going to get to shoot these guys. They’ve got a new album, “A Better Tomorrow” dropping December 2nd and I’m pretty sure we’ll get to hear some of it on Sunday.
Rancid
They’re playing Out Come The Wolves, only my favourite album. When did this become a thing? I’m glad it is.
Andrew W.K.
This is another “I can’t believe I get to shoot this” moment. Not only does he party hard, he’s so smart!
Thrice
A reunion I’m thrilled about.
Die Mannequin
Love, love, love. So glad they’re on the bill.
Against Me
Insert emotional attachment here. Lots of history with this band. Looking forward to new material.
Gwar
CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE THIS BAND! Masters of the stage show this should be fantastic.
The Dirty Nil
I first saw these guys at Canadian Music Week and they blew me away. Great energy, they’re localish, from Hamilton and they deserve to be there.
Stuck on Planet Earth
They were on the same bill as The Dirty Nil at CMW and well worth your time at Riot Fest.
Tasha the Amazon
And I’ve been told I absolutely have to check out Tasha the Amazon doing zero research and going into it open.
I’m going to stop but there are so many more go check out the schedule and if you haven’t bought a ticket yet, what are you waiting for?
To be honest, this lineup is problematic in that, it’s impossible as one human being to see everyone you’d like to see. A pretty awesome problem to have.
Did I miss your favourite? Let us know who you think we should add to our list!
Skynyrd, Dear Rouge and more Ottawa Bluesfest Week 2
After an incredible start to this year’s Ottawa Bluesfest the second week was the week that had more of the music I was interested loaded so it was no doubt one I would be looking forward to covering. Initial plans were that I would be finished my shifts with the Green Team by this point as well but health issues in the first week forced me to pick up some shifts in the second week.
Ottawa Bluesfest – Week in Review
It’s hard to believe that the event that I’ve been anticipating all year is already halfway through. It feels like just yesterday that the Full Flex Express rolled into town kicking off what would be an incredible 11 days of live entertainment along the Ottawa River. New to our coverage this year is the addition of Sean Sisk, our new resident event photographer extraordinaire in the Ottawa region. Sean’s incredible pictures will appear throughout my reviews and allow me to focus on the music and our social media coverage instead of trying to get the perfect shot.
Ottawa Bluesfest Picks – Week 1
Twas the night before Bluesfest and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. The grounds are all ready, the stages are set in hopes that the music will soon be here. The fans are nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of music and lights danced in their heads. It all kicks off tomorrow afternoon and here are my picks for week #1!