Arts

NEW RELEASES, OLD HITS, ALL PLAYED FOR CROWD SEEMINGLY LARGER THAN PREVIOUS YEARS

ALEX NICOL

Before kicking off the set, Alex Nicol made it clear that he was once an Ottawa kid and will always be an Ottawa kid, shouting out the city as his hometown. Nicol provided a good start for CityFolk’s second day with some charming traditional folk sound à la Nash or Crosby. His vocal harmonies were lifted up by lap steel, harmonica, and acoustic guitar – which gave a texture to this performance that suited the smaller, cozier Fasken Stage. 

Finishing up one number, Nicol briefly talked to the crowd, bidding them well and saying “we’re having so much fun!” Energy like that is important at CityFolk, since the first performance can often set up the crowd for the rest of the night.

The set played a special number, Simple Fires, because Nicol’s mother was also in attendance – a feature that received a few hoots and hollers before the song went into full swing with a graceful vocal solo.

A new album was also teased by Nicol, which will be seeing release in October.

JUNKHOUSE

Wandering away from Fasken, one might be liable to get whiplash from the rock blasting over at TD Stage. Junkhouse held a classic rock tune in their performance, reminiscent of its earlier Blues-infused legacy.

As the performance hit its middle point, Junkhouse’s lead man, Tom Wilson, set about making the crowd laugh and cheer. “You’re getting the best of semi-professional entertainment,” exclaimed Wilson, “we’ve made no setlist. We’re doing this thing on the fly.”

After regaling the crowd with a story about an interview done by the BBC, Wilson shouted out his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. “The mystic highway” was “the birthplace of that sound” he shouted before diving into another story about staring at Bruce Springsteen’s chest.

Junkhouse, if anything, provided good laughs and a great callback to the rock sound that the genre has seemingly drifted from in recent years.

AMBLE

Back to Fasken again, back to that sharp country sound – Amble showed off its Irish roots well.

The band briefly introduced each member and recalled how they all started outside the industry, with the band split between former teachers and the odd data scientist. Those backgrounds might help to explain why the music was able to channel a gentleness to the ballads they played.

Audience members were also fortunate enough to hear the band’s new single “Like the Piper” ahead of its release on Sept. 24. Resoundingly a jig, the single brought on additional players to fill out the sound – adding a variety of instruments such as an accordion into the mix.

INDIGO GIRLS

Squeaking away to Indigo Girls on TD Stage, I had no idea what to expect. On the screen displayed behind the duo was a graphic of a classroom with various satirical elements: a kindergartner’s guide on “what to do if ICE comes”, a map with the American flag covering all of Canada and Greenland, a thermometer with exceedingly high temperatures, and a chalkboard with “don’t say gay” written across it many times.

More importantly though, the Indigo Girls left the crowd feeling the exact opposite of blue. While unique, the choice to feature a penny whistle and violin together came across just right sonically. Orange-pink lighting came over the duo and their backing band, letting the occasional guitar solo bathe in the light while the band came to a lilting rhythm. 

Their number, “Share the Moon”, had the crowd humming along and singing the last repetition of the chorus. Even though I had to run to catch the next act, this was not to be the last time I saw the Indigo Girls that night.

RUM RAGGED

For the final show at Fasken, Rum Ragged showed off a proud and enjoyable Newfoundland sound. You’d be hard-pressed to find a crowd more excited to hear the four-piece travel through different traditional coastal tunes.

Numbers like “Salt in His Veins”, a previously unrecorded number, were gladly welcomed and had people dancing as the band showed a particular knack for performing an invigorating chorus. 

Between more songs passed to the band from friends and family, they expressed excitement for performing at the venue. “We come from a line of people coming to Ontario to work”, posited the band, “and we love it!” 

Knocking off the portion of the set I saw, “Flesh and Blood” tackled the issue of hoarding wealth and rising living costs with lyrics such as “how is the price of bread and milk so deep, but flesh and blood so cheap.” That’s a tune I can get behind.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Unfortunately, my age betrayed me; I was unfamiliar with Etheridge’s great catalogue before that night. 

Kicking off her performance, Etheridge looked to the crowd and said “Hello Ottawa! Cityfolk, thanks for supporting live music!”

To say Etheridge had a knack for providing a unique and energizing performance is an understatement. Numbers like “Come to My Window” had the crowd singing along from the very first note, even those like me who knew none of the words.

The audience was thrown from hit to hit, much as she promised, and led to new territory with Etheridge making some unexpected cross-overs in her tracks – such as “I Want To Come Over” dramatically cutting to a bare-bones rendition of the chorus quietly leading into Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova” before bouncing back into the previous track.

Etheridge’s knack for blending only continued with “You Used to Love to Dance” dramatically shifting to George Michael’s “Father Figure” woven in with a groovy keyboard feature that seemed to worm right into the ear. 

As I headed out for the evening, Etheridge announced a new album, Rise, set to release in March. She also teased the newest single from it, “Don’t You Want a Woman” which seemingly dipped into a ZZ Top style.

So far, so good for CityFolk!