Day Nine at Bluesfest also happened to have my plans revolving around one act: The Sheepdogs.
I know what you’re thinking – “Calum, they’ve been to the nation’s capital loads of times before, how could you have NEVER seen them?”. This is true, readers, I had never had the pleasure of seeing the band before this day. They’ve been here for the NHL All-Star Weekend, on a tour with Kings of Leon, and even on a tour of their own, but I haven’t been able to make any of those shows. This day was going to be huge for me.
To make the day even sweeter, I had lucked into potentially interviewing The Sheepdogs prior to their show, but plans for that fell through despite meeting the tour manager and talking things over with him (still a cool experience). The band had an early signing at Bluesfest’s autograph tent, so I was quite thankful when they signed my copy of their acclaimed album Learn and Burn. I chose to head down to the River Stage early to get a good spot up front and see the opening acts.
The first band I caught was The Pack A.D., a female duo on drums and guitar from out west. I had seen them open for Our Lady Peace back in March when the JUNO awards were in town, and remembered them for their energetic performance and raw garage rock sound. They delivered once again on the River Stage, with drummer Maya Miller pounding out some hard-rocking drum beats to accompany lead singer/guitarist Becky Black’s over-driven power chord stylings. Upon first listen, the band could easily be compared to early Black Keys or The White Stripes. It was an enjoyable set, as both women were very lively and genuine on stage.
The second band in the lineup was The Hold Steady, an indie rock group from Brooklyn. In regards to vocal delivery and overall sound, the group reminded me of a mix between early R.E.M. and the Matthew Good Band. The band put on a rocking show with many of the audience members singing along at the top of their lungs. Lead vocalist Craig Finn was all smiles on stage, running around the stage delivering a powerful performance behind the microphone. Drenched in sweat by the end of the set, he couldn’t thank the audience enough for coming out to watch them.
The Sheepdogs finally took the stage around 9:30 p.m. much to the crowd’s delight. Opening with their track “Who?”, the band was sonically perfect, with their vocal and guitar harmonies rocking audience members to the core. The band treated those in attendance to a wide range of material from their catalogue, including their two earlier albums (yes, there was a time before Learn and Burn) as well as their new single “The Way It Is” from their upcoming self-titled album. At the end of most shows, fans crowd the front guardrail in hopes of getting a set list from the stage, and this time was no different. The band’s tour manager recognized me in the front and said “Sorry we couldn’t do the interview,” and promptly handed me the stage-worn piece of paper. Definitely the next best thing.
