Ottawa Bluesfest preview #2: Local acts you shouldn’t miss
Here is the second installment in our series of previews of the awesome local talent playing this year’s Ottawa Bluesfest. We’re hoping to do this weekly, to help you discover your new favourite Ottawa band or musician to see at the festival!
FEVERS are an Ottawa-based five-piece who make sweet sweet electro-pop. Their sound is a fresh take on indie rock and electronic music. FEVERS is poised to release their first full length on May 25th at Ritual, details here. In the mean time you can download their EP, Passion Is Dead, for free right here. The video for the band’s title track “Passion is Dead (Long Live Fashion)” won First Prize at the Ottawa International Film Festival. FEVERS take to the Claridge Homes Stage at 2:00 pm Sunday July 7th.
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Her Harbour is the moniker of indie-folk songwriter and musician Gabrielle Giguere. Gabrielle’s voice, which ranges from soft and sultry at times, to harrowing with emotions from deep within, sings beautiful songs while playing the autoharp. Her Harbour’s album release party for Winter’s Ghosts is Saturday April 27th at St. Luke’s Church, more details here. Catch Her Harbour at the Barney Danson Theater (inside the War Museum) at 3:00 pm Sunday July 7th.
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These Ottawa bad-boys have been delivering full throttle in your face rock in the Nation’s Capital and beyond for over a decade. There newest album, Are We Dying, released in 2012, was nominated at the Toronto Independent Music Awards for Best Alternative Album. Iconoclast play the River Stage, Monday, July 8th at 6 pm, a perfect appetizer before Canadian rock legends Rush. Their hard-hitting live shows have been enjoyed by many, it is time for you to become one of those. If you can’t wait until Bluesfest, Iconoclast will be rocking at Zaphods, Friday, April 19th.
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Mehdi Cayenne Club are quite the act to see. Consider this, you never know if the song will be in French or English or both, their lead singer/guitarist has slam poetry experience and is not afraid to dance around on stage, and the whole thing is held together by a very talented drummer and a groovy keys player. The group is led by the eclectic and energetic Mehdi Hamdad and it radiates with intense passion and diversity drifting between post-rock and pop rock, with hints of punk, folk and funk. Mehdi Cayenne Club hit the River Stage at 2:45 Saturday July 13th.
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St. Luke’s Church