Not even the miserable weather could dampen my spirits as I made the trek to Hog’s Back Park to take in the third day of Ottawa FolkFest. Sept. 8 included Canadian East Coast giants Great Big Sea, as well as a smattering of impressive smaller acts gracing stages around the festival.
Cassie Taylor
Upon arriving, I first ambled over to the Tartan Homes Stage to see Cassie Taylor. The daughter of Chicago-born bluesman Otis Taylor, Cassie and her backing band played an incredible set, full of rhythm-and-blues-influenced music. Taylor herself was quite skilled on the electric bass guitar and vocals, enthralling the crowd with her musical skill.
“God bless Canada,” she exclaimed to the crowd. “Home of maple syrup, Justin Bieber, and Terrance and Phillip.”
Taylor and her band performed an incredible final number, offering up a groovy rendition of traditional New Orleans song “Iko Iko”. The finale also featured a number of special guests, including the Abrams Brothers, and Ottawa’s own Rag and Bone Puppet Theater who added some wonderful visuals to the final number.
Hooded Fang
The crowd continued to dance along despite the poor weather conditions. Up next was Toronto-based group Hooded Fang, who kept the crowd’s energy up with their unique brand of indie-pop.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Daniel Lee led the band through an incredible set of dancy, distorted guitar jams, and even a Buddy Holly cover to round out the set. I got to meet the band after their set for an interview backstage.
Over dinner, I got to speak to them about the songwriting process within the band, various side projects and the future of the band heading into next year. It was quite the experience sitting down with them in a candid setting.
Yukon Blonde
After I left the backstage area, I headed over to catch Canadian rockers Yukon Blonde. The band put on a phenomenal show in front of a sizable crowd, presenting their incredible sound complete with groovy guitar solos and perfect four-part vocal harmonies. Despite the cold and wet weather, the band was very thankful that the large amount of festival-goers had come out to watch.
Great Big Sea
To round out my Saturday night, Great Big Sea took the main stage to raucous applause and cheering. Kicking things off with their signature song “Donkey Riding,” the band immediately whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The band played a number of songs from across their catalogue, much to the audience’s delight. A few traditional sea shanties made appearances as well, with everyone in attendance singing a round of the set staple “General Taylor.”
“Are you ready to have the best kitchen party in the history of Canada?” yelled frontman Alan Doyle to the crowd. Great Big Sea was definitely not an act to be missed in their first appearance at Folkfest.
Sept. 10 brings Bon Iver to the main stage, and I can’t wait.
