Photo by Terry Steeves.
Day 3 of Bluesfest brought Seattle, Washington’s folk rock artist Brandi Carlile to the Claridge Stage and with her, some hair-raising, rebel-rousing musical magic that had the audience under her spell from start to finish.
Carlile and her 4-piece band of nearly 15 years wasted no time as they came out of the gate with a double shot of backwoods foot stompin’ country numbers, “The Things I Regret” and the aptly named “Raise Hell”. She eased back from her power-packed countrified vocals to deliver beautiful ballads “Again Today” and later, “The Mother”, which she wrote as an ode to her 3-year old daughter Evangeline and to tell of the double-edged yet wonderous experience of motherhood. Her lovely crisp voice accompanied by just her acoustic guitar wove through a gorgeous melody and spoke truthful and candid words that connected with us all. Like the great troubadours of our time, she has the ability to create songs that tell stories people can wholeheartedly relate to, and deliver them with heartfelt energy and fervour.
“Why are all the festivals in Canada so amazing?” Carlile asked of the audience. “You guys are the best of both worlds – you’re here to party, but you’re here to listen, too.” She introduced twin brothers, songwriters Phil and Tim Hanseroth who plays bass and guitar, with whom she began her career with. One of the reasons she said that brought them together was their love for three-part harmonies, and with that, began a lovely bluegrass melody called “The Eye”. A single acoustic guitar accompanied their three voices in a rich blend that only comes with a great of time spent together. Carlile’s voice cut like a knife, flanked by the warm vocal tones of the twins as they sung: “You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you’re standing in the eye…”.
Like the great troubadours of our time, she has the ability to create songs that tell stories people can wholeheartedly relate to, and deliver them with heartfelt energy and fervour.
More highlights came with “Wherever is Your Heart” and more of those ethereal harmonies, as well as the very U2 influenced “My Song” which delved into a segment of “Where The Streets Have No Name”. Finally, the moment I had been anticipating came with the anthemic “The Story” which sounded even more breathtaking live. The glorious cracks and flips in Carlile’s voice added to the organic soft and strong textures of this truly remarkable song, which is a shining example of her raw and passionate character.
Photo by Terry Steeves.
From this point, the music began to veer into a stronger, rockier format. I especially loved “Dreams”, a song that included the twins beating out a heavy tribal drum sequence along with the drummer. A wonderful surprise came with Led Zep’s “Goin’ To California”, a song made for Carlile’s voice. Her high, clear timbres cut through the melody as she wove in and out of falsetto effortlessly. At the show’s end, the band returned with a rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” which sent the audience’s voices into the evening air. A definite sign of an intensely enjoyable show such as this was the fact that while we were just getting warmed up, it was over in the blink of an eye.
RBC Bluesfest runs from July 6–16, 2017 at LeBreton Flats. Visit ottawabluesfest.com for the lineup and schedule. Keep checking back for more Apt613 Bluesfest coverage and follow us on Instagram for the latest photos.
