‘Tis Festival season and I started this year off attending Ottawa’s Bluesfest. Many people complain there isn’t much ‘blues’ anymore at Bluesfest, but, much as I love ‘da blues’, I’m glad to see them bringing in other musical stylings because it allows me to see acts I would never normally see. Son Volt , Wilco, Calexico, Junior Brown and Corb Lund to name a few.
But it’s ‘da blues’ that most affect the crowd. I was there to see Keb’ Mo’ and his band start an infectious ‘groove’ that was casual but captivating. You could see the crowd getting caught up in it. First the feet start tapping, then the head starts bobbing to the beat. From there it’s swaying then dancin’, whatever feels good. Keb’ Mo’ brought the remarkable Bonnie Raitt out for his encore and just the two of them played acoustically, yet the ‘groove’ continued.
Bonnie Raitt then brought her band on and I watched as the groove took over more and more people, captivating the crowd. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand, made obvious in a quiet moment of a song when we could hear the bio-diesel generators humming backstage, in front of the huge, “caught up in it all” crowd. As I perused the crowd, I watched my minister get caught up, swaying in joyous celebration. I saw one of Perth’s grocery store owners being moved to nod rhythmically, also caught in the trance of that amazing groove. How music makes us move.
Speaking of festivals, I hope you’re getting ready for our own Stewart Park Festival. We’ve been busy putting the final touches to what looks to be another great weekend. Check out the line up at www.stewartparkfestival.ca but every day is guaranteed to have several acts that you’ll enjoy.
Musically, most of the year we’re stuck with whatever gets played on the radio, often hearing the same songs by the same people far too often. That’s what’s great about going to an established festival as you’ll get a chance to hear many quality acts you’ve never heard before and get a chance to take home some new music. Carolyn has another great mix of new to Perth talent and crowd favourites to satisfy most musical tastes.
Though it’s a free festival, many of us work throughout the year to raise enough money to keep it going. Doug Barr and his Sponsorship Committee have done a good job at getting donations and sponsors but we always need more funds. Costs keep going up so we count on people’s generosity so remember to dig deep when you donate to keep it FREE. Every little bit helps. Also, don’t forget to personally thank the many sponsors listed in the program for their generosity and the many Volunteers who work tirelessly to keep things happening. See you there….. we’ll get caught in “the groove” together.
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