Ottawa Bluesfest a 'very big deal' for local bands. Here's how they get the gig
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'I've seen the big crowds and thought what a wonderful experience to be able to play it,' said Cohen, who's been a resident of the Ottawa area for almost a decade. 'It's the marquis event of Ottawa, and I remember going there the first time thinking, 'Wouldn't it be nice to be up there,' and kind of daydream about it.
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'Eight or nine years later, lo and behold, here we are,' he added, pointing to his slot at this year's edition of Ottawa's biggest summer music festival, which runs July 10-20 on the grounds of LeBreton Flats Park.
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The singer-songwriter-guitarist brings his ska-blues band, the Revelers, to the festival's River stage on opening night as part of a bill with folk-rock catalyst Father John Misty and Australia's Melbourne Ska Orchestra, led by Nicky Bomba, former drummer of the John Butler Trio.
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'I follow all of those as a fan, and to see them doing sell-out tours around America and Canada, you think 'OK, this is this is the benchmark,' ' Cohen said. 'It's a step up in the game, and I think the bands are reacting to that as well.'
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His Ottawa band members have plenty of Bluesfest experience, but it's a first for the 45-year-old bandleader. 'It's a very big deal,' he said. 'It's the biggest show I've played since I came to Canada. My 10-year-old daughter will be in attendance.'
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Cohen is one of about a dozen acts based in Ottawa-Gatineau selected to play Bluesfest in 2025. Others include soulful singer-songwriter Claude Munson, bilingual chanteuse Kristine St-Pierre, pop-punk rockers We Were Sharks, bluesman J.W.-Jones, funksters Funk Yo Self and the harmonious West Quebec faves, Leverage For Mountains.
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The number represents a decline in local representation that began in 2018, when organizers decided to cast a wider net. Instead of drawing acts within a 100-km zone of Parliament Hill, they changed the parameters to encourage indie bands from a broader region, ranging from Ottawa to Montreal to Toronto, and as far north as Sault. Ste Marie and Maniwaki, Que.
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