Bluesfest’s Local Flair – Part 2

Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events.
We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on
the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season. 

Your city! Your festivals and events!
Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life has you covered.

Continuing our series of amazing local artists, we talk to another five amazing local acts to see why they'll excite you and who excites them.

Kelly Sloan

When & Where:
Sunday July 16 @ Barney Danson Theatre, 8 p.m.

How would you describe your music in one sentence:
Spacey folk-pop

How did you start:
I was trained in classical and opera but unintentionally fell into writing my own songs when friends suggested I try, so they could try out their new recording equipment. I recorded a few tunes which went so well, we decided I should just make a full album. By the end of it, so much work had gone into it I thought I should probably do something with the album. Although I grew up in the classical realm, I had always been into folk, blues, jazz & rock and so my original songs reflect these styles. Four albums later, my unintentional entry into songwriting turned into a career.

What can people expect from your show:
I believe strongly in melody and in offering songs that feel familiar but that are new, unique & honest. I have a great 4-pc band that are as fun to play with as it is to hear and watch them perform. The songs have something reminiscent about them without being a throwback and I'm hoping that listeners walk out after the show singing the tunes to themselves having enjoyed an organic exchange of energy between the band and everyone in the room. There will be a mix of vintage instrumentation and sounds along with synths & drum machines that don't replace the real thing, but compliment it.

What makes you stand out:
For me, balance is very important. I'm into new electronic sounds and experimentation but it's important to me that it doesn't serve to mask a lack of technical ability or sound songwriting. I like my songs to feel familiar but not be what you'd expect. Although entertainment is a vital component of performing, I don't have the capacity to be contrived or be anything but straightforward and honest. So what you see is me and I mean every word.

What artist are you most excited to see at the festival:
My favourite part about Bluesfest is walking around and discovering artists I've never heard of. But I am excited to see what Anderson .Paak does for a set. I'm hoping he does his stripped down version and maybe plays drums. He's amazing. Begonia is going to be stellar too. I saw her recently and her live show in beyond impressive. Also, it's pretty cool that my set ends as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers go on and heck, his shows are pretty fun. Everyone knows all the words.

Sparklesaurus

Where & When:

Sunday July 9 @ City Stage, 3 p.m.

How would you describe your music in one sentence:
Living-Room Dream Pop

How did you start:
Felicity and Shamisa played in a band together in high school called Fliss. When they were in university, they met Colleen at a music festival in the Ottawa Valley called Sabstock and asked if she wanted to play bass in their band. When school got too busy, they disbanded. Once they graduated and had more free time on their hands they decided to start a new project. Brad came into the picture when they first started experimenting with recording the EP Perennials and it was a match made in heaven; the Sparklesaurus was born.

What can people expect from your show:
The Sparklesaurus experience will get you lost in space, but will bring you back and gently caress you with open arms and sparkly hearts. We have developed a form of music that you can dance to but is still loose and open for interpretation and experimentation. We want people to feel comfortable at our shows and to feel free to do whatever makes them happy, whether that be lying on the floor, dancing around like a wild sparkle beast or swaying like trees on a windy afternoon.

What makes you stand out:
It's a mix of complex songwriting on Felicity's part that will take you places you never expected, Shamisa's dynamic and rinsed synth melodies that wash over you like waves on the beach, and Colleen and Brad punching you in the face with intense grooves leaving you feeling uplifted and swollen. We rely heavily on intuition and feeling out where the songs should take you at all times. It's a combination of the jamming vibes from the 60s, and the sparkly and locked in dance feel of the 80s with a modern twist that allows you to travel through time and space.

What artist are you most excited to see at the festival:
We're super jazzed to see so many of our friends and local Ottawa bands on the lineup this year! Some of the ones we're most excited for are Blve Hills, How Far to Mexico, Old Man Grant, Claude Munson, and Slack Bridges. 

Wicked Grin

Where & When:
 Thursday July 13 @ Bluesville Stage, 6 p.m.

How would you describe your music in one sentence:
We play original rocky blues with a deep, dark, danceable groove that just won't quit.

How did you start:
After many years of leading a local R&B big band ("The Crowd"), in 2003 Murray put together a smaller group to explore the roots rock/blues genre and showcase his songwriting. The original instrumentation of Wicked Grin included two guitars, bass and drums; this has since evolved into the band's current lineup of guitar, harmonica, bass and drums. The band completed its first national tour in 2014 and that year won the Maple Blues Award for Best New Act. Since then, Wicked Grin has toured widely across Canada and the United States. This summer they travelled to England and Germany and got a great response from fans there – in fact, the next European tour is already in the works for 2018.

What can people expect from your show:
Our audience will enjoy a high-energy set of original music, with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure. The tunes and mood range from upbeat, wry humour to down-and-dirty social commentary on many of today's issues.

What makes you stand out:
Critics have mentioned Murray's lyrics, vocals and screaming guitar, Rod Williams's wailing blues harp, and the super-tight rhythm section featuring Bruce Saunders on drums and Leigh-Anne Stanton on bass (winner of the 2015 Maple Blues Award for Bassist of the Year).

What artist are you most excited to see at the festival:
The band is split on this one! A lot of us are really looking forward to seeing Gary Clark Jr.; however our harp player is totally stoked to be opening for his "main man", Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson.

High Waters

Where & When:
Sunday July 16 @ Bluesville Stage,  4 p.m

How would you describe your music in one sentence:
From the heart, our music thoughtfully expresses our take on reality and our place in it, while evoking real, powerful emotions.

How did you start:
The first musings occurred in 2009 when Martin and I began collaborating on songs. Soon after, our project grew into a four-piece producing our debut, "Gather Wish" EP (2012). We have since released and toured our first full-length album, "Goodnight Mara" (2015), an exploration of our relationship with death, dreams, life, and love.

What can people expect from your show:
Our best, most energetic songs, moody high register vocals, lush harmonies, heavy-handed floor tom freak-outs, wailing guitar solos, and odd time signatures. That, and other exciting things.

What makes you stand out:
When composing, we follow our instincts resulting in odd-ball song structures, unexpected twists and turns musically, and a wide dynamic range. Above all, our music is honest. We're not trying to fool anybody; we're simply trying to write music that people will enjoy.

What artist are you most excited to see at the festival:
Phantogram

Telecomo

Where & When:
Thursday July 6 @ Black Sheep Stage, 8 p.m

How would you describe your music in one sentence:
Sincere pop music played very loud with no fuss and a lot of fuzz.

How did you start:
I started writing these songs in the shower in the summer of 2015, eventually I put together a demo CD. I sent it to Pat Johnson and Gary Franks and they liked the tunes so much that we started band in January 2016.

What can people expect from your show:
Our whole discography, including 3 new songs that haven't been recorded yet! This will be our longest set yet, we're kind of known for playing really tight fast sets with no breaks in between songs, but for this one we have a whole hour to work with. We're a high energy live band, we like attacking our instruments full on.

What makes you stand out?
Our live show! This whole project was set out to be a live band experience, we plug in and play loud and fast, that's why we keep our gear to the bare minimum, drums, bass and guitar. I also think the songwriting is unique in this day and age. It's not affected by the latest technological trends, and the lyrics are easy to follow and sincerely pop.

What artist are you most excited to see at the festival:
LCD Soundsystem, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Death From Above 1979, and every local Ottawa act.