Arts

Mother Mother on performing at Bluesfest: “A real milestone, a real pinch me moment”

On July 4, 2024, Bluesfest kicked off with an all-Canadian lineup at LeBreton Flats Park in Ottawa. The 30th anniversary of the festival brought a diverse group of music lovers to see artists like Mother Mother, Orville Peck and Leith Ross. Around 15,000 people attended, which is a smaller number compared to past years at the festival. Though there were many rounds of downpouring rain, the audience was still captivated by the Canadian-based performers. 

At 6:30 p.m. on the RBC Stage the Newmarket-based band, Tokyo Police Club, took to the stage. The  rock band opened up with “Breakneck Speed” and ended with “Your English Is Good” after an intermission due to the heavy rain.

At 8p.m., Orville Peck lit up the evening at the RBC Stage with his western, nostalgic tracks. He shined in his iconic mask and flowered cowboy hat. Peck was scheduled to perform at 2023 Bluesfest, but was unable to due to illness. He sang known tracks like “Dead of Night” and “How Far Will We Take It?”. Due to the stormy looking weather, many fans left after his dreamy performance. 

Around 9:15 p.m., Mark Monahan, the executive director of Bluesfest and CityFolk Festival, gave a speech at RBC Stage. He stated that “The one constant is you, the fans, and the reason that that has survived is because all of you come out year after year.” Afterwards, he introduced Chief Dylan Whiteduck, the Chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg to give the land acknowledgement. 

At the River Stage on the other side of the Canadian War Museum, the Ottawa-born artist Leith Ross sang with their band. They sang a mix of songs, including their most popular tracks, “(You) On My Arm” and “We’ll Never Have Sex.” Crowd members screamed along. 

At the same time, Mother Mother dramatically entered the main stage with a drone-like tune. The guitars were loud and the crowd was eager to hear what the band had to play. Their first track was “Nobody Escapes” from their new album, Grief Chapter. The audience, including myself, became hypnotized by the soft harmonies created between the lead singer, Ryan Guldemond,his sister Molly Guldemond, and Jasmin Parkin. Through the heavy rain, the band was able to keep up the high energy through their impressive vocals and strong drums. 

Mother Mother mixed a few throwback songs of theirs, including “Dirty Town,” “Neighbour,” Wisdom,” Ghosting,” Little Pistol” and “It’s Alright.” They played their iconic songs, like “Arms Tonight” and “Hayloft II.” After thanking the crowd and exiting, strong cheers encouraged the band members to come back for an encore to perform “Grief Chapter” from their new album and their 2008 hit “Burning Pile”. After a big round of confetti, Mother Mother wrapped up the first magical night of ten at Bluesfest.