Seasick Steve played to a chilly Folk Fest audience on Saturday evening. The Californian blues-boogie musician floored the crowd early with his punchy blend of blues and swamp rock, with folk motifs dashed in for good measure.
“Jack White gave me this hubcap,” announced the weathered rocker, explaining the creation of one of his home-made, rickety guitars.
Steve went on to detail its pieces, ranging from a spatula to a beer can. Steve’s rapid finger picking and a deliciously grimy slide tone made sure that all his strange creations didn’t lose their novelty.
“Shit, it almost sounds good too,” he chuckled.
The 70+ year old singer stomped, hollered, and riffed his way through a blistering 60-minute set of vintage, rugged blues jams. Steve’s guitar playing was top-notch, set against the pale Canadian fall chill.
His zany, creative guitars, from a rootsy cigar-box four-string to his staple “Three-String Trance Wonder” provided the canvas for Steve to paint gritty, slide-laced blues tales.
Steve stomped along with drummer Dan Magnusson while their wispy beards tossed in the wind.
Steve brought a young woman on stage to woo during “Walkin’ Man,” a gentle mosey of a classic ballad. He dipped into baritone range exceptionally well, showcasing not just a tendency for the softer side, but for a strong, rich bottom end in his voice. Paired with Magnusson’s subtle accompaniment and smooth slide work, the tune made for a set highlight.
The festival grounds, by then a drenched mud pit, gave way once more as thousands crammed in tight (partly to get close, partly for warmth) to enjoy the all too accessible stylings of Canadian favourites Blue Rodeo. It seems the band plays Ottawa at least once a year, leaving one to question whether or not they are too agreeable.
Frontman Jim Cuddy delivered on every level. From tight strumming to stunning keys work to note-for-note vocal replicas of recordings, the weathered singer wasn’t thrown off by the mid-September cold. Save for timing issues that were noticeable only on a molecular level, the band stayed in step with Cuddy’s prowess; guitar leads were solid if predictable, and the rhythm section held fast for the sizeable audience.
If any critique were to be drawn from Blue Rodeo’s set, it would be that the band were too familiar, too safe, too lukewarm. Moot points all, given the band’s storied and deserved success and legacy, but beyond five tunes, the band’s country-folk-rock blend tends to feel too conservative, too appealing, and not altogether engaging. Blue Rodeo does what you expect, but not much else.
Wrapping up their main set with the introspective “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” the band trotted offstage for a few obligatory minutes before coming back for a roaring kick with “’Til I Am Myself Again,” before closing the encore and drawing the curtain on night four of Folk Fest.
