Hello Music Fans!
I’m going to discuss the first two days of Ottawa Bluesfest.
Day 1
The first day kicked off with Dream Theater. I had never heard of these guys before, but they were pretty good. Apparently, they’re Progressive Rock. I’m not really sure what that really means. To me, it was Heavy Metal/Rock. Either way, they were great.
I watched Dream Theater from the newly installed Platform by the Main (MBNA) Stage. The view’s from there is a vast improvement than without it.
From there, I headed to the Subway Stage to check out Ana Popovic. This girl was great, and knew how to play the Guitar. By the time I got there though, her set was almost over.
After that, I saw Loudlove, a local Rock Band. They were straight up Rock, and were very good. At one point, they brought up a Kid from the Audience to experience what it was like on a big Stage performing in front of a large crowd. The kid seemed nervous, and didn’t really do much.
If I was up there, I’d be dancing, yelling stuff, and soaking in the Crowd as they cheered and chanted my name.
But that’s just me.
After that, I met up with my Wife in the War Museum. I wanted to look at Bluesfest T-Shirts, but they didn’t have any good ones this year. We ended up buying more Love Beads. The money goes to “Blues In The Schools”, which is an Organization that educates Kids about Music.
By this time, Iron Maiden was on Stage, so we made our way through the Crowd, out the Gates, and back into the site through the VIP Entrance.
Driving a 500+ lbs Powered Wheelchair isn’t easy in general, but toss in about 10,000 (mostly drunk and/or high) Iron Maiden fans, and it becomes quite a challenge.
We made it to the Platform, and caught some of it. It was pretty good, but I don’t really know their stuff that well. We left early to avoid the Crowd.
On our way out, we wanted to give someone our Tickets for the last part of the show. We searched the Crowd, and came across three young guys. My Wife gave two of them our Tickets. The third guy quickly got ditched by his friends. He made a face like the Kid from Home Alone after he put After-Shave on. It was hilarious!
I felt bad for him though.
Day 2
The second day started off by me arriving early. This was the day that I’d be interviewed regarding my role in Bluesfest becoming more Wheelchair Accessible.
I’ll get to that in a moment though.
Earlier in the day, my Wife informed me that they give away free passes to the Comedy Shows most nights. So, my first stop was getting the free passes for “The Relationship Show”.
After I got the passes, it was time for my Interview. There was no Camera, just Alan Isfan & I talking as he recorded it by Audio to type up later. He asked about how Bluesfest has improved, what else needs to happen to make it more Accessible etc. I also mentioned that I’d like to do this for other Festivals eventually.
During the Interview, Mike dropped by to say a few things as well. Mike is the guy that I deal with every year about Accessibility. He explained how he likes my ideas, and supports it. Also pointed out some of the obstacles that Bluesfest faces each year.
After we wrapped up, Alan mentioned he’d plug this Website.
So to all of you coming here for the first time, I thank you & welcome you.
For those wondering what I look like, well, I drive a HUGE black powered Wheelchair. From the front, I wear a Mic near my mouth to amplify my voice. From the back, I have a Backpack on the back of my Chair.
If you see me at Bluesfest, come say hi or something. I love meeting people, especially if they read my Blog. Don’t be shy, say hi to Ry. 🙂
The Interview SHOULD be up on the Bluesfest Website sometime on Thursday.
So let’s talk about who I saw on day 2.
I started off by seeing Silver Creek. They’re another local Rock Band. They weren’t bad, but not great.
From there, I headed to see The Gipsy Kings. I only had time to catch a few songs before the next show started. They were good though.
I headed over to the NEW Blacksheep Comedy & Music Tent to catch “The Relationship Show”. It was hosted by John Heffron, with performances by Finesse Mitchell, Maryellen Cooper, and Jim Breuer. This was my first time seeing LIVE Comedy in ages, due to Ottawa not having any more Wheelchair Accessible Comedy Venues. Anyways, Jim stole the show with his thoughts on Petting Zoos, Iron Maiden, how he came up with the “Goat boy” Character on Saturday Night Live, & being a Dad.
The Tent is fully Accessible with TONS of space. The Wheelchair Section is to the left of the Stage, and provides a nice clear view of the Stage.
Quick FYI for new people:
I used to perform Comedy regularly at Yuk Yuk’s until they moved to Elgin Street. The new location is not Wheelchair Accessible. Because of this, I’m only able to perform 1 or 2 shows a year now, either at Algonquin College and/or Carleton University.
Anyways, after the show, we hung out in The War Museum before the next show.
Our last show on day 2 was Grupo Fantasma. I saw them last year, and they’re awesome!
They’re a Latin Band from Austin, Texas. They definitely know how to make people dance.
We got to meet them afterwards. We chatted with them, took pictures with them, and they gave me Drumsticks from the show, & their setlist.
That was the end of day 2 for us.
We won’t be at day 3 of Bluesfest because we’ll be at my friend’s play that I wrote about the other day.
I hope you people enjoy the interview once it’s posted on the Bluesfest Site.
Like I said, if you see me, PLEASE come talk to me, or at least say hi.
I may seem unapproachable, but really I am. I love meeting people, so come on over.
I’ll be back at Bluesfest on Friday for Louis CK, and a few other acts that night.
Rock on!
Driving Off The Beaten Path 