Pace on Earth

Down By The River

Ok, I just caught my breath. I needed at least two days to recoup and regroup before reviewing the latest insane Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

After the funky Charlie Hunter kickoff on Wednesday this kid was primed to settle into some rock and roll. Thursday night's headliner offered just that opportunity. Derek Trucks is a veteran of the Allman Brothers so that kind of pedigree doesn't come with out some talent. Indeed, they say he may be the best slide-guitarist in the world and he didn't do anything to dispel that claim to me. He was amazing yet completely unassuming. His fretwork was all the stage presence he needed. I just hope he had enough fun to bring his other band to the festival next.

For the late show on Thursday we headed to the Hoodoo Tent to see Nick Moss & the Flip Tops. They were a classic Boogie-Blues outfit and, after the ritual greasing of the wheels (rum-rum-rum-rum) I couldn't help but bust a move for at least a few minutes.

I was smart enough to take Friday off this year and that allowed me to a)stay up late, b)sleep in till noon and c)check out Hey Rosetta!'s afternoon show at Officer's Square. It was an acoustic set but they still proved why they have a real buzz about them on the Canadian music scene. Doing something slightly different very well.

Friday night was the night of the biggest name at this year's festival: Buddy Guy. This may be the biggest name in Blues that Harvest has ever attracted. That's why it was all the more exciting to see local boy Ross Neilsen on the bill opening up. Sadly I missed Ross's show but I did hear that he ripped it. Garrett Mason followed Ross and he and his band nailed it as well. They absolutely rocked and set the table for The Man.

Buddy Guy is 72 years old and an absolute legend. He is a 5 time Grammy winner and a major influence on Rock and Roll legends like Hendrix, Clapton and the Stones. He hit the stage and the packed house went nuts. And he tore into it straight off. He was a consumate showman, mugging the crowd, pulling out some tricks, and at one point walking out into the middle of the crowd for a few minutes. The crowd was absolutely in awe. Worth every penny. After he was done the crowd filtered out pretty quickly and by the time the late act hit the stage most of the buzz was gone from the room. They were a brass band consisting of 4 trombones out front and a tuba, drums and rhythm guitar called Bonerama from New Orleans. They were good at what they did and on another night would have amazed me but as it was I was getting tired and thinking about the rugby game I had to play in Moncton the next afternoon. I booked out before their set was ove, around 1am.

After returning from Moncton we got ready for what was sure to be a big party at the Blues Tent culminating in the crazy-that-they-came-here headliner Bloc Party. I had plans to check out both Ana Popovic and Grace Potter because I heard great things about both. A volunteer friend of mine, however, called at 9:30 and said that the Blues Tent was already filling up and that I should expect to wait in line if I arrive anytime after 10:30. So we decided to head straight there at 10. It was a good decision. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals were the highlight of my weekend. They are a Vermont based group that has toured with Dave Matthews, the Black Crows, and soon to be with Neil Young; so they too have good reputation by association. I missed the first couple of songs but once I heard Grace singing decided to head up front solo to get a closer look. She crooned a couple soulful but then ended the second one with a searing jam. The band then went immediately into 'Paint it Black' that opened some eyes and moved some feet. They went straight into a couple of their own numbers and Grace moved back and forth between her organ and her flying V at the head of the stage. She slowed it down to end the set with this beatiful soul song called Big White Gate. The crowd ate it up and it didn't take much to get her back on the stage. When she came back out she said they had time for one more and that she wanted to send this out to her favourite Canadian Neil Young and wanted to dedicate it to "the beautiful little town, this beautiful river, and this beatiful festival." I then proposed to her and she responded by nailing "Down By the River". I couldn't find the actual version but you should check this one out:
After that I was pretty much spent and needed to sit down. Bloc Party came out and I made my way back up front to what all the fuss was about. They were tight and they made for one hell of a party but, realistically, it's just not my bag.

My plans to check out the free shows on Sunday were pretty much washed away by my last rum at 4:30. Sunday was indeed a day of rest.

The Festival was what it always is; the best weekend of the year in Fredericton. I was especially happy to see how much local talent is making it on the stages with the big acts and particularly loved reading where Nick Moss's manager calls Fredericton "Pleasantville". I don't need much validation, but there it is.

Thanks once again to all of the volunteers.

Pace out.

Labels: Harvest Jazz and Blues

posted by Vitamin S @ 4:38 p.m.