photo courtesy Chris Coughtrey on flickr
Readers who went to Bluesfest in 2008, back me up here: whether you love or hate him, the mere fact that Snoop Dogg graced Ottawa with his presence was the highlight of last year’ s festival. I would guess that of the bands I saw play, at least 50 per cent mentioned that they were sharing the grounds with the rapper/pornographer/soap opera theme composer.
I bring this up because a quick glance at the 2009 schedule – released today – reveals no performer of Mr. Dogg’s, shall we say, pedigree. (Although Neko Case is a New Pornographer, so that’s close.) But does that mean you should stay away? No! It just means there will be fewer giant blunts per capita, that’s all.
As it would be a bit unwieldy to list the approximately 8,000 artists who will be descending on LeBreton Flats from July 8-19, here are 10 acts I’d shell out good money to see: Drive-By Truckers, Iron and Wine, Holy Fuck, Okkervil River, Land of Talk, The National, Crystal Castles, Steve Earle, Library Voices, and Ms. Case. For more information about the various ticket packages, visit Bluesfest’s official website.
