Opening Night Line-up
A light orange sunset inaugurated the 14th edition of the Ottawa Folk Festival last night, in scenic Britannia Park.
The crowd was sparse - the Thursday opening is an experiment - but the tie-dyed die-hards in attendance were treated to an opening bill of largely local acts, up and comers in the fields of folk, calypso, rock and funk.
Meredith Luce
Well-reviewed wunderkind Meredith Luce got things off to a spirited start with a peppy set of folk-rock. "It's great working with a rock band again," commented a happy Luce, referring to the trio that accompanied her, "I haven't done that since being in an air band in Grade ten."
The band featured the jazz-surf guitar of Dave Gaudet, a notable newcomer in his own right who will playing solo throughout the Fest, ornamented by some fuzzy bass and bouncy drums. It was a fine fit, enveloping the 18 year old Luce's brittle musings in a protective energy.
Somewhere inside Luce's soul, Suzanne Vega is jamming with Rosanne Cash. The result is small, reverent meditations on matters both cosmopolitan and country, from the puzzles of modern existence to the conventions of small town life.
Luce won't break your heart, inspire you to political action or make you question the value of being alive. Instead, in that sweet, reflective whisper, she will make you see the world as a place of ennobling peculiarity, and life as a series of small voyages at once quirky and familiar.
Kate Weekes
Luce was followed - on a new side stage aimed at keeping the music continuous - by Ottawa-born, Whitehorse-based Kate Weekes, winner of this year's Beth Ferguson Award (recognizing rising female talent.) Weekes demonstrated a sincere, uncomplicated style, with songs about loneliness, possibility and the nobility of pursuit. In the great folk firmament, she is quite visibly the tail of Luce's comet.
Kobo Town, Amos the Transparent, Soul Jazz Orchestra
Things took a louder turn with the appearances of calypso-reggae hybrid Kobo Town, who offer the sounds of the Caribbean with a distinctly Canadian bent, and Ottawa rock outfit Amos the Transparent, a light pop group with a demonstrable joie de vivre. Their textured tunes were followed by the evening's well-chosen capper, those bold and brassy politicos The Soul Jazz Orchestra, who answer the musical question, What if James Brown had joined Amnesty International?
All in all, a satisfying overview of Who's Who on the Ottawa roots and world scene. Kudos to artistic director Chris White for putting the "Ottawa" in "Ottawa Folk Festival."
