Canadian rock music was the name of the game on the seventh day of Ottawa Bluesfest, with two Ontario acts on the docket to take in on a cool Thursday evening.
Kicking off the evening was Ottawa’s own Autumns Cannon, a five-piece band who is one of the city’s fastest rising rock acts.
Having recently worked with The Tragically Hip’s Gord Sinclair to produce their first record (he would take the stage with The Hip later that night) Autumns Cannon wowed the hometown crowd with an excellent blend of catchy hooks and crowd participation.
Those in attendance were amazed by blues-laden guitar solos from lead guitarist Nick Beaton, and a few scissor-kicks off of the bass drum by keyboardist/guitarist Marty Sobb.
Frontman Shaun Francisco was a force behind the mic, with his passion for the band’s music being very apparent through every song they played.
I have no doubt that Autumns Cannon made a few new fans after that performance.
Poking around at the other stages to kill time saw me catch Larry McCray down at the River Stage. His blend of blues, rock, and even funk struck a chord with the sizeable audience in attendance.
I soon went back over to the main stage to catch The Tragically Hip. One of the finest rock acts Canada has to offer, The Hip rarely disappoint live, known for the onstage antics of frontman Gord Downie.
It appeared to me the band’s setlist had not been drastically altered since their last Bluesfest appearance in 2010. Downie wore almost an identical outfit to the one he wore then as well.
The show saw him dance, rant, and scream all while performing classic Hip numbers such as “Poets,” “New Orleans is Sinking,” and “Little Bones.”
As always, the crowd loved every minute of it.
The Canadian music marathon continues on the main stage tomorrow courtesy of Matthew Good and Great Big Sea.
